Day Trips from Tarawa
The best excursions and trips you can do in a day
Full-Day Trips
Worth dedicating a whole day to explore.
Abaiang Atoll
$40-50A 30-minute speedboat north drops you on Abaiang's reef-rimmed villages where thatched maneaba meeting houses still ring with weekly debates. The snorkeling rivals any spot in Micronesia, coral gardens in fine health and manta rays cruising Tebunginako Pass.
Butaritari (Makin Islands)
$25-30The former British colonial capital shelters WWII bunkers being swallowed by jungle and beaches where coconut crabs scuttle beneath fallen breadfruit. Local guides, often the grandson of someone who watched the Japanese occupation, lead gripping walks through overgrown gun pits.
Marakei Atoll
$60-70This ring-shaped atoll wraps a lagoon so flat it feels like swimming in liquid glass. Three family guesthouses dish out coconut crab curry that will ruin you for any other version, while the outer reef drops into deep blue where spinner dolphins race the bow.
Maiana Atoll
$20-25Locals call Maiana 'the forgotten atoll' for good reason, its beaches stand empty before a lagoon that shifts color all day, from pale jade at sunrise to deep cobalt by late afternoon. The Friday market draws paddlers from outer motu selling woven mats and slabs of smoked tuna.
North Tarawa Villages
$5-10The causeway road north threads through villages where life has altered little since missionaries stepped off sailing cutters. Pull over at Eita for chilled coconut water and tales from elders who watched Japanese seaplanes splash down in the lagoon.
Abatao Islet
$20-25A sand speck crowned with exactly eight coconut palms, reached by 15 minutes in a fiberglass dinghy. Snorkeling here feels like soaring above an aquarium, parrotfish crunch coral while reef sharks patrol the deeper channel.
Half-Day Options
Shorter excursions when time is limited.
Red Beach Battlefield
$15-20The Pacific's bloodiest WWII landing ground is now marked by rusted landing craft and a small museum. At low tide you can still trace tank tracks pressed into coral 80 years ago.
Bonriki Blowholes
$2-5When waves slam the reef at high tide, seawater rockets 20 meters skyward through ancient coral blowholes. Time your visit for the full moon when the show peaks.
Bikenibeu Fish Market
$5-8The daily market kicks off at dawn as fishermen unload skipjack and yellowfin. By 8 AM women are slicing sashimi and smoking fish over coconut husks.
Teaoraereke Catholic Mission
$10-12This 19th-century mission shelters Kiribati's oldest church, its walls built from coral blocks and its cemetery where Spanish missionaries rest beneath frangipani.
Day Trip Tips
Make the most of your excursions.
- ✓ Tide tables dictate everything, boats leave at high tide no matter what the printed schedule claims, so scan the guesthouse whiteboard each evening for next-day departures.
- ✓ Pack reef shoes for every outing. Coral cuts fester fast in tropical heat and remote motu lack proper medical care.
- ✓ Cash rules on outer islands, the Bank of Kiribati ATM in Bairiki is your final stop before heading out, and small notes spend far easier than large ones.
- ✓ Travel light but carry it all: sunscreen, insect repellent, water, snacks, and a dry bag for electronics, most outer islands stock zero supplies.
- ✓ Friday afternoons clog the ferry terminal as islanders head home for the weekend, book days ahead or sail mid-week for a smoother ride.
- ✓ Honor island custom: cover shoulders and knees in villages, ask before taking photos, and tote a small gift, cigarettes or rice, for any village visit.
- ✓ Weather flips fast, a flawless dawn can collapse into squalls by afternoon. Pack a light rain shell and never trust forecasts that stretch past 12 hours.
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