ADVENTURE AWAITS
in the Solomon Islands
F
rom the activity that demands
the least amount of energy, to the
activity that calls for stepping it
up a notch or two, there is always
plenty to do in the Solomon Islands.
Less than three hours flying time
from Brisbane and Sydney this scattered
archipelago of some 990-odd richly
forested mountainous islands and lowlying coral atolls, has been attracting
international tourism since 1568 when
Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana first
sailed into this tucked away corner of the
South Pacific.
LIttle has changed since then but for the
few who have managed to find the ‘Hapi
isles’ for themselves, the rewards have
been great with the discovery of a place
that offers a rich living culture unchanged
by time and from the perspective of
adventure travel, a place truly deserving of
its unofficial title as the ‘adventure capital of
the South Pacific’.
Little wonder that the Solomon Islands
have become such a breathtakingly fresh
22 Ultimate Adventure Pass
destination for those international travellers
hardy enough to get off the beaten track
and look for a new and very different
experience.
The Solomon Islands is one of the world’s
top diving destinations with a huge choice
of options on offer – from live aboard dive
boats visiting some of the furthest reaches
of the archipelago to diving on some of the
very best soft and hard coral pastures to be
found anywhere on the planet.
Diving through wrecks is increasingly
popular and the extraordinary array of
ships and aircraft resulting from the viscous
fighting taking place during the infamous
Guadalcanal campaign of WWII literally
litter the seabed. In the area between
Honiara and Savo Island the discovery of
more than 40 wrecks have led to the area
becoming renamed ‘Iron Bottom Sound’.
Some of these wrecks can easily be reached
via short step off the beaches.
Tulagi is only a short trip away and there
are a myriad of diving trips to choose
Continue
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