Honiara, and the Solomon Islands more broadly, is not an easy destination. The tourist infrastructure is limited. Internet is a genuine ordeal to sort. The heat is brutal. Getting beyond Honiara to places like Gizo, which is where the diving and lodges are, requires budget, flexibility, and a fairly flexible set of plans that allow you to be days delayed.
That being said, I encourage you to go. The WWII history here is extraordinary and almost entirely unknown outside specialist circles. Including the every country people who have been here and seen it first hand. Anyway…
Honiara city is rustic. It is not polished like some other Pacific destinations. You certainly don’t feel like you’re in Fiji. And yet, there’s something about being somewhere that most tourists don’t genuinely bother that makes the whole thing feel more like an adventure. Well, that and the fact that your flight might get cancelled and you’ll get marooned.
I visited for two days as part of a back-to-back trip with Vanuatu. Here’s everything you need to know to plan your own trip. And if you’re considering going to Vanuatu as part of your travels, check out my full guide of Efate island here.
Getting to Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is not well connected. The main carriers are Solomon Airlines and Qantas, both operating routes from Brisbane. Air Niugini also connects Honiara to Port Vila (Vanuatu) and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) a couple of times a week.
Flights can be unreliable. Last-minute schedule changes and delays are common. Air Niugini in particular has a reputation for this. Solomon Airlines also cancels and delays regularly. Qantas is more reliable if you’re flying direct from Australia and I’d recommend this if you can. My flight from Vanuatu was an hour late, which was fine, but I’ve heard stories of same-day cancellations. Don’t plan tight connections around these routes.
Currency: Solomon Dollar (SBD). Bring cash in AUD to exchange. Card acceptance is limited outside larger hotels. The airport has a currency exchange on arrival.
Arriving in Honiara
Honiara Airport (Henderson International) is small and basic. Currency exchange is available on arrival but there’s not much else there. Taxis wait outside, and a trip into the city centre costs around 150 SBD. Negotiate before you get in.
One immediate warning: do not expect to get a SIM card at the airport. There isn’t one available there. There are no eSIMs for Solomon Islands either. Local convenience stores stock them in theory, but on the Sunday I arrived, every shop I tried had sold out. Our Telekom, the main mobile provider, is closed on Sundays. When I went back on Monday there were hour-long queues. I gave up. Mid-range and above hotels have WiFi, though you often pay per day for access. For a full picture of connectivity across the Pacific, see my Pacific internet guide.
Where to stay in Honiara
Decent accommodation in Honiara is limited and on the expensive side for what you get. There are smaller, cheaper guest houses but the quality varies massively, and generally they’re all quite basic Here’s the honest breakdown of best placed to stay:
Mid-range:
King Solomon Hotel – where I stayed. Decent pool, restaurant, and bar. Conveniently located near the city centre. Rooms are basic, AC is functional. The genuinely excellent feature: a funicular train car that carries you up the hillside to your room. It’s delightful in a very specific way. Except when it breaks and you have to carry your bags down 5 winding stairs across various balconies… There is wifi in the lobby (it did not stretch to my room) but you have to pay extra – I think I paid around $30 USD for 3 days usage. The food here is also genuinely good. Good beer selection too. Fine for two nights.
Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel – similar mid-range vibe but beachfront, which gives it better views and a bringer, livelier atmosphere.
Higher end:
Coral Sea Resort – the real deal option. Large pool, sea views, bar, restaurant, garden with beanbags. Stay here if your budget allows (big if… it is pricey). It also has a casino. There is wifi, unclear if they make guests pay extra for it though. Overall this place is worth visiting even as a non-guest – the pool and bar area are open to visitors, which makes for a pleasant afternoon once you’ve seen the main sights. I chilled here reading with a beer for a couple of hours.
Where to eat and drink
During my two days, I walked the waterfront and found genuinely decent cafes. Highlights:
Breakwater Cafe – lovely seafront spot, great iced coffees, relaxed vibe. No wifi sadly, but excellent views.
Tenkai Sushi Cafe – Doesn’t look like much from the outside, but trust me. Surprisingly good Japanese food. Unexpectedly large menu. Genuinely recommended.
Palm Sugar – classic greasy spoon surrounded by local art shops and souvenir stalls worth browsing. My guide brought me here, and though it was a bit slow, the smoothies and sandwiches looked decent for a mid tour lunch fill-up.
Coral Sea Resort – classier hotel restaurant, you can visit as a non-guest. Nice drinks, higher end menu, lots of fish.
And for one of the more unexpected dining discoveries of my Pacific tour: King Solomon Hotel does a traditional British Sunday roast. I mean, it’s slightly unconventional as it has a salad with it, and the photo does not do it justice. But it was great. There is also British-style fish and chips. I was unreasonably excited. I regret nothing.
Things to do in Honiara
The honest answer: there isn’t a huge amount. But the WWII history is genuinely some of the most compelling I’ve encountered in the Pacific and you should visit the sights. It’s important.
The WWII sites – Don’t miss these
Solomon Islands was the site of the Guadalcanal Campaign, one of the most strategically significant battles of the Pacific War between the US and Japan in 1942-43. Before I went, I knew absolutely nothing about this. The memorials and museum tell the story in a way that’s properly affecting.
Solomon Islands Memorial Garden – Easy to miss but worth knowing about. There’s a memorial garden planted in the 1990s right in front of the domestic terminal at Honiara International Airport. The airport is actually Henderson Field, the very airstrip the entire Guadalcanal campaign was fought over. The Memorial Garden is a nod to this, and in memory of those lost in battle.
Guadalcanal American Memorial – a striking monument to the American forces who fought and died here. Sobering and well maintained.
Solomon Scouts and Coastwatchers Monument – in the port area. Honours the local Solomon Islanders and Australian coastwatchers who gathered intelligence and saved downed Allied pilots during WW2. The story is fascinating and you can read more about it in the museum (below). A lesser-known part of the war story and all the more compelling for it.
National Museum – covers WWII history alongside Solomon Islands culture and archaeology. Also looks at how people crossed the Pacific from South America and got to Solomon. Honestly it was super interesting. Worth an hour. Note: closed on Sundays. I went back and did it on Monday morning before my flight. Plan accordingly.
Broader Honiara sights
Unity Square – in the port area, with a really interesting story. There’s a 180-foot flagpole in the middle (apparently the the tallest in the Pacific region) flying the Solomon Islands flag (also the largest flag in the region. Around it are flags of all nine provinces of Solomon Islands, as a symbol of unity in diversity. Cultural totems representing each province are also displayed inside the square, symbolising the multicultural diversity of the country. Honestly I found this really cool, and my guide talked all about love for his home region of Gizo.
Kukum Market – Honiara’s main market is a nice 10 minute wander if you want to see daily life away from the tourist circuit. Vendors sell fresh produce, fish, betel nut, and local crafts, and the atmosphere is lively and genuine. Go in the morning for the best produce and the most activity. Bring cash, nothing here is card-friendly.
Holy Cross Cathedral – Built on the spot where Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña is said to have planted a cross when he first arrived in the Solomon Islands in the 16th century. The building itself is nothing special, but if you go on a Sunday you can see a service in action, which is pretty special and a rare window into local life and the value of religion here.
City tour
A guided city tour is the most efficient way to cover the main historical sites, as they really are not near each other. Some are by the airport 25 mins away, others in the opposite direction to town. I went with Hapi Isles for the Honiara City Tour to deal with the driving and logistics for me. It is expensive for what it is, but that’s the Pacific. Based on what I saw of taxi driver pricing in the city, it wouldn’t have been much cheaper going independently, and I got proper context and information included and didn’t have to worry about picking sites in advance, navigating without phone data, etc. The tour covers the above sites in around 2 hours, but you can add extra stops if you want. Book in advance, by at least a few days.
Getting out of Honiara
There are Japanese shipwrecks accessible within an hours drive of Honiara. Head to Mbonege Beach where you can see the Hirokawa and Kinugawa WWII wrecks. The ones you’ve probably seen if you’ve seen any drone footage of Solomon Islands on Instagram. I didn’t do this because of timings and the afternoon heat, but I have regret. You’d can hail a taxi and negotiate fares each way and wait time, and do this in a half day. Based on taxi fares around town and to/from the airport though, expect to be quoted the equivalent of around $100 USD for this.
If you’re a diver, there are options for you from Honiara. I didn’t have time given the pause you have to take between diving and flying, but I looked into Emperor Divers. This is another way to see the wrecks, as well as get out on the ocean, see the biodiversity, etc.
If you have more time, the outer islands are where Solomon Islands is said to get genuinely spectacular. Gizo in the Western Province is the most accessible and most visited by tourists. Known for exceptional diving, rustic water bungalows, and remnants of WWII aircraft. Friends who visited there said it made Solomon shoot to the top of their Pacific country favourites list. I clearly missed out and now I have the FOMO urge to go back…
The caveat: getting there requires domestic flights that are infrequent and prone to changes. And limited bag weights. Build at least four to five days and keep your schedule genuinely loose.
Is Solomon Islands worth visiting?
Honestly? Yes, if you go in with the right expectations. Honiara is rough around the edges and genuinely light on things to do. But the WWII history is fascinating and unique, and there’s something quietly memorable about being somewhere that hardly anyone visits.
If you’re planning to dive, or go out and spend some days in Gizo, that becomes a much more emphatic Yes.
It’s not somewhere I’d fly to from Europe or the US specifically. But as a stop on a Pacific itinerary, especially combined with Vanuatu, or en route to Papua New Guinea, it absolutely earns its place.
FAQ
How many days do you need in Solomon Islands? One to two days is enough for Honiara. More if you want to dive. For the outer islands such as Gizo, build in four to five days minimum with a very flexible schedule.
Is Solomon Islands expensive? Yes. Accommodation is pricey for the quality, flights are expensive, and getting beyond Honiara costs significantly more. Budget generously.
Can I combine Solomon Islands with Vanuatu? Yes! Read my Vanuatu and Solomon Islands combo guide for how to do both in a long weekend.
Where should I go after Solomon Islands? Direct Air Niugini flights connect Honiara to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, and PNG tribal festivals are genuinely one of the most extraordinary things you can do in this part of the world. Read my PNG tribal festivals guide for everything you need to know.
Is there internet in Solomon Islands? It’s a struggle in Honiara, particularly getting a SIM card, which is basically impossible. Wifi is available in higher end hotels for an additional fee, but is patchy. See my Pacific internet connectivity guide for the full, honest picture.
Also worth reading:
How to visit Vanuatu and Solomon Islands in one trip – do Solomon as part of this combo!
The best things about Papua New Guinea’s tribal festivals – direct flights from Honiara, might as well!
Rating internet connectivity across all 14 Pacific countries – all you need to know if you’re working out where you can and can’t remote work… or connect to insta.
Hot takes on visiting every country in the Pacific – the full overview, make Solomon part of visiting every country in this region!
Is Tuvalu worth visiting? – If you’re in the region, why not maximise and go to the least-visited country in the world?
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