Western Province (Solomon Islands)

Introduction

The Solomon Islands' Western Province is the country's tourism drawcard, popular for world-class diving, beautiful islands and great fishing. Sadly, it was struck heavily by a tsunami in February 2007, which destroyed significant infrastructure as well as claiming the lives of many locals. Several resorts were unaffected though and naturally rebuilding has taken place since then to cater to the tourism industry.

Geography

The Western Province is a collection of islands, covering 5,475 km² in the north western part of the Solomon Islands, bordering Papua New Guinea and Bougainville.

Towns

• Gizo is the provincial capital and main hub of the Western Province. It is also the second largest town in the Solomon Islands, with a population of around 6000.
• Munda is the largest settlement on New Georgia.
• Noro

Sights and Activities

• Marovo Lagoon
• Climbing the dormant volcano of Kolombangara island, one of the highest peaks in the Solomons.
• Diving
• Fishing

Events and Festivals

• Province Day is celebrated on the 7th of December

See the Solomon Islands article for a list of national holidays.

Weather

The Solomon Islands has a tropical climate with temperatures averaging 28 °C in coastal areas. 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

Solomon Airlines has daily flights on their Twin Otters from Honiara to Gizo and Munda, taking about an hour to make the journey. ^[1]

Getting Around

By Plane

You can travel between Munda and Gizo on Solomon Airlines aircraft. The journey takes about 15 minutes.

Sleep