Solomon Islands Tourist Guide
Cruising around on a live-aboard dive boat is possibly the best
way to experience the South Pacific Solomon Islands. The seas
around the Solomon Islands have wonderful dive sites and scuba
diving is developing as one of the country's main tourism
offerings. Diving in Solomon Islands is spectacular. Brilliant soft
and hard corals, huge sea fans and a world of pelagic species as
well as many unidentified species of reef fish, make diving in
Solomon's an adventure you won't forget. Add to this the thrill of
a WWII wreck diving and you have the perfect diving holiday for
everyone. Not only do you get some brilliant diving, you visit
island villages and historic sites related to World War II and the
first campaign by allied forces in the South Pacific against
Japanese occupiers.
Made up of almost one thousand islands in the South Pacific to
the east of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands were a British
protectorate and became an independent state in the 1970s. The
country saw bitter fighting in the Second World War, notably the
Battle of Guadalcanal, but it remains one of the few countries in
the world with no standing military forces of its own.
The country is as yet under-developed economically and the
culture is largely traditional. Ancient customs are still practiced
in small villages. Wood carving and sea shell accessories are the
main craft industries. Finely crafted sea shell money can be bought
as souvenirs - it is still used as currency in traditional
ceremonies. Much of the country is covered by rain forest and has
rich fertile volcanic soil. The mountains have stunning waterfalls
and there are beaches near the capital city, Honiara.
A thrilling excursion is a walk from Honiara to the Mataniko
falls and water cave. The initial climb is steep but the view is
wonderful. The water cascades into a cave lined with stalactites
and you can spend some time exploring if you don't mind getting
wet. The usual way back to town is floating down the river on a
raft or inflated tyre!
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