Day Trips from Honiara
The best excursions and trips you can do in a day
Full-Day Trips
Worth dedicating a whole day to explore.
Tenaru Falls Trek
$25-30 (bus + guide tip)The classic bolt from Honiara: 45 minutes east by car, then a steamy 90-minute scramble through secondary rainforest to a triple-deck waterfall laced with swimming holes. Village guides earn their keep steering you across rivers and over slick boulders.
Bonegi I & II Wreck Diving
$40-50 (transport + snorkel gear rental)Two Japanese freighters torpedoed in 1942 lie in shallow water tailor-made for snorkeling. Bonegi I rests at 5-15 meters, her coral-clad guns guarded by clouds of glassfish. Bonegi II sits deeper but her bow sections remain intact and ready for exploration.
Tetere Beach WWII Sites Loop
$60-70 (with guide)A half-day loop linking three key battlegrounds: Red Beach landing site, the coconut-log bunker maze, and the cracked foundations of Henderson Field's original control tower. Locals often toss in family tales handed down from 1942.
Mbonege Beach & Lili Rice Terraces
$15-20White sand collides with traditional farming, an unlikely pairing this close to Honiara. Two-century-old rice terraces scallop the hillsides, still tilled by hand, while the beach dishes up decent snorkeling around coral heads.
Mount Austen Battlefield Hike
$10-15The ridge where Japanese troops staged their final push delivers sweeping views over Honiara and Iron Bottom Sound. The trail threads past rusted artillery and foxholes now upholstered in moss and orchids.
Savo Island Volcano Circuit
$80-100 (boat charter shared by 4-6 people)An active volcanic island 35 minutes by boat from Honiara. The crater walk steams through hot springs and hissing vents, with village guides explaining how locals forecast eruptions by watching coconut trees tremble.
Half-Day Options
Shorter excursions when time is limited.
Central Market Early Morning
$5 (breakfast included)Honiara's pulse before 8am, when produce tumbles in from mountain villages. Expect taro roots thicker than your thigh and the sharp perfume of fresh turmeric being pounded.
Botanic Gardens Walk
$2 entryA surprisingly dense collection of Solomon Islands flora tucked inside Honiara, from towering kauri trees to medicinal plants tagged with handwritten notes.
Nugu Beach Snorkel
$8 including gear rentalThe closest respectable snorkeling to downtown Honiara, with brain-coral gardens only 50 meters offshore. School groups swarm the place on weekends.
Day Trip Tips
Make the most of your excursions.
- ✓ Buses depart when overloaded, not on schedule, budget 30-45 minutes of thumb-twiddling at Honiara's Central Market.
- ✓ Carry small bills, village entry fees run $2-5 and change dries up beyond the city.
- ✓ Pack snacks and water for longer outings. Real shops vanish 10 km from town.
- ✓ Afternoon storms crash in November-March, start early and you'll probably dodge the rain.
- ✓ Guides expect tips, $5-10 per person is appreciated but not mandatory
- ✓ Cell signal dies 15 km west and east of Honiara, download offline maps before you leave.
- ✓ Sunday transport shrinks to private cars, taxis from Honiara add 50% to the meter.
- ✓ Reef-safe sunscreen is stocked at Honiara pharmacies but costs twice the island price.
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