Honiara

Introduction

Iron Bottom Sound

© All Rights Reserved dadmin

Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, was built after the Second World War to replace the former capital of Tulagi. It serves largely as a springboard for activities in remoter areas of the Solomon Islands.

The Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau can provide good tourist information once you've made it to Honiara and can radio ahead to announce your arrival at guesthouses in more remote areas. It is located on Mendana Ave between the Yacht Club and the Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel.

Sights and Activities

• The National Museum can give you an insight into the culture of the Solomon Islands.
• The Honiara Central and Kukum markets
• Bonegi Beach is white sandy beach about 20 minutes drive out of Honiara, featuring a couple of WWII wrecks that can be explored quite easily, even by snorkellers.
• Tenaru Falls is an impressive 60-metre-high waterfall, which cascades into a deep pool, ideal for a refreshing swim. To reach the falls, you can drive to Hailupa and then will need to walk about 9 kilometres from there.
• Mataniko Falls is another spectacular waterfall, requiring several hours of walking to reach. Find a guide at Lili village, near Tuvaruhu to show you the way.

Weather

Honiara has a tropical climate with temperatures averaging 28 °C. May to November tends to be the drier time of the year. The northwest monsoon season is from November to March, bringing with it warmer and wetter weather and occasional cyclones.

Getting There

By Plane

Honiara International Airport (HIR), formerly known as Henderson Field, is located 10 kilometres out of town and is the main point of entry into the country. Solomon Airlines provides international connecting flights to Australia, Fiji, Vanuatu and domestic flights throughout the islands.

Getting Around

By Public Transport

Public buses run along the main road, Mendana Avenue. A destination card is displayed on the front window and fares are modest. Taxis are not metered but can be booked or flagged down in the street.

Eat

• The Lime Lounge is a popular café. (Location: Downtown, next to the ANZ bank. Opening Hours: 7:00am to 5:00pm weekdays, less on the weekend)

Sleep

Property	Address	Type	Phone	Popularity
Solomon City Motel	Opposite the Holy Cross Catholic Church	Motel	26264	-
Travellers Motel		Motel	24807	-
Chester Rest house		Guesthouse	26355	-
Island Lodge	corner of Cluck Street	Guesthouse	20254	-
Lolo Rest house	Panatina Ridge	Guesthouse	30364	-
St. Agnes mothers Union Rest house	Lower Vavayer Ridge	Guesthouse	27785	-
United Church Rest house		Guesthouse	20028	-
Kukum Transit			24810	-
Binaboli Rest house		Guesthouse	25836/25211	-
Fountain Family Inn	East Kola`a ridge, Tanuli ridge	Guesthouse	21552/20581	-
Mbumburu Rest house	Lengakiki Residential area	Guesthouse	27597	-
Honiara Tropikana Beach Resort	Tendai Highway	Resort	21099	-
Red Mansion Comfort Inn Motel	Panatina Ridge	Motel	38463/38464	-
Airport Motel	Henderson Highway	Motel	36255	-
Hibiscus Hotel	Hibiscus Avenue	Hotel	21205	-
Honiara Hotel	Prince Philip Hwy	Hotel	21737	-
Kitano Mendana Hotel	Mendana Ave	Hotel	20071	-
King Solomon Hotel	Hibiscus Ave	Hotel	21205	-
Pacific Casino Hotel	Kukum Highway, P.O. Box 1298 Island of Guadalcanal	Hotel		-
Quality Inn	Lower Vavaya Ridge	Hotel	25150	-
Iron Bottom Sound Hotel	Rove Road	Hotel	28633/28632	-
Sanalae Apartments	Panatina Ridge, East Honiara	Apartments	39218	-
Bulaia Backpackers 1	Chinatown	Hostel	28819	-
Bulaia Backpackers 2	Mbokona Vera	Hostel	23059	-

Keep Connected

Internet

• The PFnet Internet Café on the 2nd Floor of the NPF Plaza charges SBD$12/hr with a minimum charge of SBD$7. Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Saturdays, 8:00am to 3:00pm.
• The Lime Lounge offers WiFi access.

Phone

The calling code for the Solomon Islands is +677. No area code is required to reach Honiara. To call out of the Solomon Islands, use the exit code 00, followed by the destination country's calling code.

Post

The main post office is off Mendana Ave, open 8:00am to noon, and 1:00pm to 4:30pm Monday to Friday, as well as Saturday mornings. There is only postal delivery to post office boxes or poste restante