The island of Guadalcanal, or Guadalcanal, is the largest in the group of the Solomon Islands (an area of 5,302 sq. km). The mountainous and inhospitable island is almost entirely occupied by the slopes and peaks of ancient volcanoes (Mount Gallego, or Mount Gallego, Popomanaso, Makarakomburu, Tatuwe, Kaichui - they all have a height of 2 km or more) and is covered with a dense cover of tropical vegetation.
Honiara
The capital of the islands is located on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, in a vast bay between the Cape Esperance and Lunga Point peninsulas, in the very place that de Mendanya once called Puento Cruz.
central region
Covering an area of about 1000 sq. km The central region lies around Guadalcanal and includes the islands of Savo, Russells, Nggela and the Florida group.
Savo
Perpetually shrouded in clouds, the volcanic Savo Island in Iron Bottom Sound is a paradise for divers and other species enthusiasts. active rest.
The almost complete absence of "civilization" is compensated by the abundance of sunken ships (the famous Battle of Savo Island took place here), the constantly smoking crater of the volcano and many practically boiling mineral springs, several ancient cult sites - megapodes, as well as a live bird community and magnificent crystal clear waters.
Florida
On the island of Florida, you can see the old headquarters of the British colonial administration with its hospital and headquarters, as well as the old Port Parvis, which served first as a base for the British Navy, and then for the Japanese Imperial Navy. And the island of Anukha is widely known for its white sandy shores.
Malaita region
Eastern Province, named after the group's largest island, is the second largest and most densely populated of the Solomon Islands, although many of its inhabitants do not live in major cities, like Honiara or Gizo, but in villages and towns lost in the jungle and on the islands.
Malaita Island
A distinctive feature of the island of Malaita is a huge number of artificial islands, which since ancient times were erected by local residents directly on atolls or rocky islets of lagoons.
Western region
The Western Province is considered the recognized leader of the country in terms of the beauty of its coasts and wealth. underwater world. The largest among the provinces of the archipelago, it occupies 8573 square kilometers (the islands of Vella Lavella, New Georgia and about fifty small islands and reefs), and only 19% of the population lives here.
Island of New Georgia
The largest salt lagoon in the world (its dimensions are about 150 by 96 km), Marovo is located on the island of New Georgia to the north of Wangunu Island (in fact it is a strait between these two islands, turned by the growth of coral reefs into a discontinuous ring of land surrounding the central lagoon).
Gizo Island
The second largest city of the archipelago - Gizo is located on the island of the same name (approximately 370 km from Honiara), on the shores of the Vona-Vona lagoon, and is considered the capital of the Western Region and one of the most popular resort areas in the country.
Plum Pudding Island
A favorite, albeit rather unsophisticated point of attraction for most tourists is Plum Pudding Island, or Kennedy Island, which gained its fame after the sinking of the torpedo boat PT-109 in August 1943, commanded by the future US President John F. Kennedy - he and it was on this tiny piece of land that his team escaped (now the annual JFK prize swimming competition is held in his honor).
Choiseul region
Choiseul Island, or Laura, only recently (1995) separated from the Western Province into a separate administrative region. Its population is also heterogeneous, as in other parts of the country - about 16 thousand Melanesians live in the western half of the main island, and immigrants from the Gilbert Islands (about 2 thousand people) live in the east and north.
Isabel Region
The Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendaña da Neira discovered the island of Santa Isabel in February 1568 and set foot on the shore in the bay that today bears the name of Estrella Bay. Almost 75% of the local population, mostly Melanesians belonging to six tribal groups, live in the southeastern part of the island. The longest island in the archipelago, Santa Isabel is still relatively unexplored.
Makira Region
The southeasternmost region of Solomon includes the islands of Makira (San Cristobal), Ulawa, Uki-Ni-Masi, Ovaraha (Santa Ana), Owariki (Santa Catalina) and a dozen more small patches of land stretching towards Vanuatu .
Temotu Region
Formerly called the Eastern Outer Islands, the Temotu region covers an area of 926 square kilometers. km (islands) and 150 thousand sq. km of ocean in the easternmost part of the Solomon Islands. This vast archipelago of widely scattered islands is separated from the main group of the country by the Torres Basin, with depths of up to 600 m.
Rennell and Bellona (Renbel) Region
The southernmost island group, singled out as an independent region in 1995, Rennell and Bellona lies south of Guadalcanal and southwest of Makira. These remote atolls were discovered by the captain of the merchant ship Matthew Boyd in 1793.
Rennell Island
Rennell Island is considered the largest elevated atoll on the planet (86 km x15 km), but its main attraction is occupying almost the entire southern part the vast Lake Tengano is the largest freshwater lake in the southern part Pacific Ocean(now its area is about 15.5 thousand hectares), on which there was a place for 200 islands, and for large bird colonies, and for many rare species of flora, primarily orchids.
ATTRACTION Like neighboring Vanuatu, this land, still almost isolated from the outside world, is an example of amazing natural contrasts and endless opportunities for various adventures, where almost impenetrable jungles, high mountain peaks, mighty volcanoes, countless atolls, the purest mountain rivers with waterfalls and blue lagoons. It is believed that no other Pacific archipelago has a more diverse nature with such a complex combination of geology and climatic conditions. The archipelago is practically unaffected by tourism, since there are few people on Earth who want to visit this poor and isolated country. But many are attracted here by the genuine naturalness of everything that happens to be seen or visited. There is practically nothing artificial or created specifically to please tourists, and the nature of the islands, without much exaggeration called extraordinary, creates a reputation for them, perhaps one of the last places on the planet, as if specially designed for extreme species recreation. Here are truly unique conditions for diving, snorkeling, studying the history of the Second World War, ethnography, sailing and sport fishing. Guadalcanal The island of Guadalcanal, or Guadalcanal, is the largest landmass in the Solomon Islands group (an area of 5302 sq. km). Rising from the depths of the ocean like some kind of prehistoric lizard, the mountainous and inhospitable island is almost entirely occupied by the slopes and peaks of ancient volcanoes (Mount Gallego, or Mount Gallego, Popomanaso, Makarakomburu, Tatuwe, Kaichui - they all have a height of 2 km or more) and covered with a dense cover of tropical vegetation. Its mountainous relief leaves no other place for human habitation, except for a very narrow coastal strip surrounding the entire island, only in the north, in the area of Henderson Field (Henderson) and Honiara, turning into a small plain. South coast rocky and has a semi-official name of the Weather Coast ("Weather Coast"), since the life of people here depends entirely on the state of the weather. Marshy shores and a hot and humid climate make life on Guadalcanal extremely difficult, but it is here that about 40% of the country's population lives, the capital of the archipelago and its main administrative institutions are located. Honiara The capital of the islands is located on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, in a vast bay between the Cape Esperance and Lunga Point peninsulas, in the very place that de Mendanya once called Puento Cruz. Small and pretty picturesque sea port Honiary originates from a tiny fishing village, whose name Naho-ni-Ara can be translated as "the place where the east and southeast winds collide" (for local dialects, such "flowery" names are generally very characteristic). The city is very young - most of its modern buildings were built immediately after the end of World War II, when it was necessary to find a place for new capital archipelago (Tulagi was badly damaged during the fighting, and the place for it was not chosen the best). In 1952, Honiara officially became the capital of the Solomon Islands. Honiara is, perhaps, the only more or less large settlement of the archipelago - except for fifty thousand local people, concentrated on an area of hardly 1.5 square meters. km, residents of other islands constantly come here for shopping, work and recreation. Almost all of its life is in full swing along the Cookum Highway, which connects the Henderson Field area in the east with the White River area in the west. Along this route and continuing it main street of the city - Mendana Avenue (Mendana - this is how the islanders pronounce the name of the discoverer of their islands), almost all the main infrastructure facilities of the capital have been rebuilt - the National Hospital, the complex of port facilities, the market, and Chinatown, which has recently been badly damaged as a result of the riots. The building of the National Parliament, opened in 1993, stands out sharply from the surrounding buildings with its conical shape, and it is this building that is considered the center of Honiara. The restored old Government House is now given over to the complex National Museum with an extensive collection on the history and culture of the country, and its park serves popular place having an afternoon rest. Opposite stands the original building of the Mendana Hotel (Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel), and between it and the yacht club is the Tourist Office of the country. Nearby are the National Archives and the Public Library behind the Office of the Department public works. big modern building The Central Bank of the Solomon Islands has an original historical exposition that tells, as you might guess, about the features of the local monetary system - traditional money for the countries of the region in the form of bunches of red feathers or cowrie shells is displayed here, as well as a small exposition of the work of local wood carvers. A little further down Mendana Avenue, between the offices of the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) and Prison Rove, the botanical gardens Honiars, famous for their collection of local plants (the area of the gardens is quite small, and the collection looks modest at first glance, but to appreciate its value, it is enough to imagine what forces it would take to see all these orchids and lianas in natural local conditions). Here, on Mendana Avenue, in a small park, located almost opposite the Central Bank building, there is a Melanesian cultural village with its typical local buildings made of palm leaves and wicker mats. This colorful mini-museum specializes in showcasing the traditions, rituals and crafts of various areas of the Solomon Islands. Around the capital To the east of Honiara is a church school complex Beticama, widely known for its handicraft workshops (pottery, metalwork and woodwork, most of which can be bought on the spot) and a small museum of relics from the Second World War. Nearby lies a village Tenaroo, near which the sixty-meter waterfall of the same name rustles. A village is located 7 km east of the capital Mavasere, considered the center of the Moro movement. A small museum deserves attention here, designed to preserve the historical and spiritual values \u200b\u200bof traditional local life. Further east, between Guadalcanal and the tiny island of Tavanipupu, the waters stretch Marau Sound with their huge coral reefs, which abound in various marine life. 10 km from the capital are the most beautiful "two-sided" waterfalls Mataniko. The waters of the river of the same name break here from a high cliff right into a cave filled with graceful stalactites and stalagmites, and then disappear somewhere in the depths of the island. Around you can find many fairly large and, importantly, clean water bodies suitable for swimming, and an extensive population of swallows and bats lives in the cave itself. During the Second World War, this cave served as a shelter for the last soldiers of the Japanese garrison of Guadalcanal, and its surroundings became the scene of fierce battles (according to various estimates, from 400 to 600 soldiers of the imperial army died in the cave itself, literally resisting to the last bullet). The battlefields of the Second World War in general are one of the main attractions of Guadalcanal in general and the environs of Honiara in particular. It was in these places that the most fierce battles were in full swing between the Japanese garrison of the island and outnumbered them by several tens of times. Marines USA. Myself international Airport Henderson Field (Henderson Field, named after a US Marine Corps major who died during the Battle of Midway) traces its origins to a runway that the Japanese began to build and the Americans completed. It was for this piece of land that stubborn battles unfolded, during which both sides suffered the most tangible losses (according to various estimates, from 24 to 38 thousand people only on land). Therefore, it is not surprising that traces of that war are still found in abundance around the capital and the airport, and the nearby waters are literally littered with debris of various military equipment. Interestingly, one of the straits leading to Guadalcanal is still quite official name Iron Bottom ("Iron Bottom"), and for its cleaning of the wreckage of ships and aircraft, the government of the Solomon Islands was even going to present an invoice to the United States and Japan, until it estimated the profit that could be made from visiting these places by tourists, as well as military history buffs and divers from these countries. On the ridge of Skyline Ridge and Mount Austin rises the American Memorial Park with a detailed description of the battles for the island, as well as the Japanese Peace Memorial with its four white monoliths. From here are held organized tours to places whose names speak for themselves - to the shore of Iron Bottom Sound, to the ridge of Bludy Ridge, Alligator Creek and Red Beach, to the Japanese memorial in Poha River and its Vilu Village Museum (also dedicated to the history of the battles for Guadalcanal), Lunga Point and the bay Grouse. The southern coast (Weather Coast) is quite deserted and underdeveloped. Of all its attractions, only the town of Tulagi (not to be confused with the old capital of the archipelago on the island of Florida) can be noted with its handicrafts and good conditions for sea fishing, as well as the village of Komuvaulu - another center of the Moro movement with colorful local architecture and a tiny museum. And deep in the heart of the Guadalcanal rainforest, on the slopes mountain range Lhamas (Lamas), the magnificent waterfalls of Vikhona (Viona) are noisy, accessible, unfortunately, only by helicopter. central region Covering an area of about 1000 sq. km The central region lies around Guadalcanal and includes the islands of Savo, Russells, Nggela and the Florida group. Once serving as the center of the archipelago (the old capital of the Solomon Islands, the town of Tulagi, is located on the island of Florida), after World War II it practically lost its significance, since many infrastructure facilities were destroyed during the fighting, and those that were built by the fighting armies were clearly temporary and quickly fell into disrepair. Therefore, most of the modern sights of the region are associated either with the traces of those battles, or with the sea and good local shores. Volcanic island permanently shrouded in clouds Savo, lying in the Iron Bottom Sound, is a paradise for divers and fans of other outdoor activities. The almost complete lack of infrastructure is compensated by the abundance of sunken ships (it was here that the famous Battle of Savo Island took place), the constantly smoking crater of the volcano and many practically boiling mineral springs, several ancient cult sites - megapodes, as well as a live bird community and magnificent crystal clear waters. On the island of Florida, you can see the old headquarters of the British colonial administration with its hospital and headquarters, as well as the old Port Parvis, which served first as a base for the British Navy, and then for the Japanese Imperial Navy. And the island of Anukha is widely known for its white sandy shores. Malaita region The Eastern Province, named after the group's largest island, is the second largest and most densely populated of the Solomon Islands, although many of its inhabitants do not live in large cities like Honiara or Gizo, but in villages and towns lost in the jungle and on the islands. Major islands The Malaites are inhabited by Melanesians (about 96 thousand people), and Polynesian tribes (about 2 thousand people) live on the atolls of Ontong Java (Lord Howe), Roncador, Cucumana and Sikaiana. It was these islands that contributed the most to Solomon's reputation as inhospitable islands, and for the same reason it was here that the ancient folk traditions and rituals were preserved to the maximum. A distinctive feature of the island of Malaita is a huge number of artificial islands, which since ancient times were built by local residents right on the atolls or rocky islands of lagoons. The lack of land suitable not only for cultivation, but simply for housing, forced the Malaitans from century to century to pour artificial shores of crushed coral or crushed stone between piles driven into the bottom, which the sea very quickly turned into a fairly solid monolith. Today, about 12 thousand islanders from 15 tribal groups are concentrated on these man-made islands, especially common in the lagoons of Langa-Langa and Lau, and one of the last relic tribes of the planet lives in the mountainous regions of Malaita - the Kwaio group (kuaio). It is in these places that the oldest cult of shark worship has been preserved, in which, according to local beliefs, the souls of ancestors are infused. To the sharks locals are treated with respect and many of these ancient cartilaginous fish serve as totemic signs of tribes and clans. Sharks are worshiped in many areas of the Solomon Islands, but no island has more rituals and festivities dedicated to this marine predator than on the islands of Laulasi and Busu in the Langa Langa lagoon, which lie 16 km from the capital of the island of Malaita. From Auka you can get on a boat to the artificial islands of the lagoons and become here a witness to the ancient rite of the practice of "calling the shark" or a rather dangerous way of catching it, when a diver, armed only with a rag and a spear (or knife), enters into a one-on-one confrontation with this formidable sea predator. Although more often tourists are shown an equally shocking spectacle of communicating with a shark. Many locals tame sharks from the smallest nurse sharks to the largest and most feared of them. The practice of "summoning sharks" is the ancient art of luring predators, and somehow local sorcerers manage to put the shark to sleep right in the water and then lift them manually to the surface!! Knocking on stones in certain places under water lures sharks to a depth of 30 cm, where a little boy (mandatory !!) serves a predator that can bite him in half in the blink of an eye, a piece of pork, thanks to her for visiting. The shark then continues to circle the lagoon as if accepting a gift. This ritual, as extremely dangerous, was banned in the 1970s, but parts of this amazing custom are still practiced in many places. Since black pigs are used, black and red (the color of blood) colors are taboo on Laulasi and Busu (and on many other islands in the area too), and visitors should take this into account when choosing clothes and jewelry for the trip. Small town Auki(population about 4 thousand people) since 1920 is the capital of the Malaita region. Until the 20s of the 20th century, the city had an impressive defensive wall along the entire perimeter, capable of holding back attacks from hostile local residents or even well-armed Europeans for quite a long time, which predetermined its choice as the capital. Today's Auki is perhaps the most photogenic city in the country and boasts a fairly decent selection of shops, hotels and restaurants for these places, plus good, even by local standards, cuisine. From here you can also get to the village of Lilisana in the Langa Langa lagoon (it is believed that the inhabitants of this particular settlement invented the technology for making pile buildings and artificial islands), to beautiful beaches the lagoon itself, to the picturesque cultural villages of Alite, Anoano, Aofia, Aumea, Maeaena, Manaafe and Uru (advance booking required), as well as to the already mentioned Busu cultural village, which, in addition to rituals with sharks, can offer many other interesting rituals . Western region The Western Province is considered the recognized leader of the country in terms of the beauty of its coasts and the richness of the underwater world. The largest among the provinces of the archipelago, it occupies 8573 square kilometers (the islands of Vella Lavella, New Georgia and about fifty small islands and reefs), and only 19% of the population lives here. Often referred to in conversations simply as West ("West"), it attracts many fans of extreme sports and aquatic species recreation, it is also, perhaps, the most developed region of the country in terms of recreation infrastructure - about 16 quite modern resorts, clearly focused on diving, have been built here, including one of the best in the country, Uepi Island Resort in the famous Marovo lagoon. The largest salt lagoon in the world (its dimensions are approximately 150 by 96 km), Marovo located on the island of New Georgia north of Wangunu Island (in fact, it is a strait between these two islands, turned by the growth of coral reefs into a discontinuous ring of land surrounding the central lagoon). This vast expanse of water with a narrow strip of coral beaches around the perimeter and amazingly blue water is a candidate for inclusion in the List. world heritage UNESCO. Literally thousands of islands frame the Marovo lagoon, from tiny coral reefs to massive volcanic rocks up to 1,600 meters high, many of which still show signs of active volcanic activity, but are quite accessible to visit. Laguna Marovo - the best place for relaxing by the sea, is a unique combination of the scenic beauties of wildlife and the rich traditions of the locals (the shores of the lagoon are inhabited by two separate tribes - Marovo and Roviana). Noteworthy are the Matikuri Resort, Rogosakena Eco Resort and Uepi Island Resort, as well as a section of the traditional World Heritage Village, considered the best tourist village in the country. Logging is limited here in order to preserve the unique composition of flora and fauna inherent in this area, excellent conditions for sea fishing have been created (the lagoon is connected to the open sea by almost a hundred passages in reefs, so the species composition of its inhabitants is more than impressive), and traditional handicrafts of local residents made of wood and shells are widely known far beyond the borders of the country. The second largest city of the archipelago - Gizo is located on the island of the same name (approximately 370 km from Honiara), on the shores of the Vona-Vona lagoon, and is considered the capital of the Western Region and one of the most popular resort areas in the country. Its snow-white isolated coasts and beaches, numerous coral islands and atolls literally rising from the depths of the ocean, traditional villages and excellent conditions for sea fishing, snorkeling and diving have made him a great name among outdoor enthusiasts. At the same time, the island itself does not differ much in terms of its level of development from what the combatants saw during the battle for Guadalcanal. On Gizo you can rent a private boat and explore the magnificent Coral reefs lagoons of Wona-Wona or New Georgia, dive to the numerous ships and planes that died in these waters during the last war, climb the Kolombangara volcano (1770 m), and also see the megapod - an ancient shrine of local tribes, a crocodile farm, a pile village Nusambaruku or visit the dance festival in Mbangopingo. A favorite, albeit rather unsophisticated point of attraction for most tourists is Plum Pudding Island, or Kennedy Island, which gained its fame after the sinking of the torpedo boat PT-109 in August 1943, commanded by the future US President John F. Kennedy - he and it was on this tiny piece of land that his team escaped (now the annual JFK prize swimming competition is held in his honor). You can also take a tour of the small fishing village Malaita, inhabited by people from other regions of Oceania, is a great opportunity to observe the different cultures that have peacefully coexisted for many centuries, just minutes away from each other. However, to get to most of the local villages here you can only by boat or along narrow, often almost impassable roads under the crowns of dense forest. Choiseul region Choiseul Island, or Laura, only recently (1995) separated from the Western Province into a separate administrative region. Its population is also heterogeneous, as in other parts of the country - about 16 thousand Melanesians live in the western half of the main island, and immigrants from the Gilbert Islands (about 2 thousand people) live in the east and north. Most of the coast of Choiseul is an extremely narrow strip, bounded from land by mountain ranges and jungles, and from the sea by large shallow swamps and literally a wall of moisture-loving vegetation. Therefore, it is quite difficult to explore it, and all excursions are carried out either along the Choiseul Bay, the Sui River with its waterfalls and the tiny capital of Kumbakal, near which the shores are more favorable for movement, or by sea - in the form of a week-long cruise along the coast of the island with visits to local villages and diving under water (however, apart from good reefs, there is nothing remarkable here - the fighting of the Second World War took place much southeast of this region). Isabel Region The Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendaña da Neira discovered the island of Santa Isabel in February 1568 and set foot on the shore in the bay that today bears the name of Estrella Bay. Almost 75% of the local population, mostly Melanesians belonging to six tribal groups, live in the southeastern part of the island. The longest island of the archipelago, Santa Isabel, is still quite little explored, which is facilitated by the almost complete absence of roads (the only section that deserves the name of the road stretches from the capital of the island of Buala to the village of Kaevanga on south coast), so all movements between settlements the islands are led by the sea. There is also a center of excursion activities, the most popular object of which is the island Arnavon(Amavon), also known as "Turtle Island", because it is here that the natural breeding area of hawksbill - the rarest sea turtles. None of the nearly one hundred islands and reefs of the group Arnavon, stretching between Santa Isabel and Rob Roy Island, is not permanently inhabited, many are only a couple of tens of centimeters above sea level, so this area can also boast unsurpassed fishing. In 1991, the Arnavon Marine Nature Reserve was created here, whose zone stretches from the coast of Santa Isabel to Choiseul. When visiting the park, visitors are accompanied by a whole staff of specially trained guides from among the inhabitants of local villages (2 people from each community), who monitor only the behavior of tourists and control the life of turtles - the local population is so vulnerable and has not yet fully recovered after many years of extermination of these unique animals that such behavior of the staff is simply necessary. Also noteworthy is the pile village of Kia in the north of the island, where all movement is carried out by canoe, and the southwestern island San Jorge(San Jorge is known in local mythology as the habitat of the spirits of the dead - various strange phenomena are indeed not uncommon here). Most of the local villages have good mini-hotels with excellent service by local standards and the level of prosperity, and the main souvenir from these places is tapa (paper mulberry) bark fabric, dyed blue with the juice of local orchids. Makira Region The southeasternmost region of Solomon includes the islands of Makira (San Cristobal), Ulawa, Uki-Ni-Masi, Ovaraha (Santa Ana), Owariki (Santa Catalina) and a dozen more small patches of land stretching towards Vanuatu . A rather compact island group (all islands are located at a distance of about 35-38 km from each other, with the exception of Olav, which lies 75 km south of San Cristobal) covers an area of about 3188 square meters. km and is inhabited by 30 thousand people (two thirds of them live on the northern coast of San Cristobal). Mountainous (up to 1040 m on San Cristobal) and heavily swampy islands are literally dissected by rivers and streams (almost every 2-5 km a watercourse flows into the sea), being considered the "wettest" in the country. Since the islands have been isolated from the outside world for a long time, many relic forms of plants and animals have been preserved here, the same applies to people - the Bauro tribal group is considered by scientists to be one of the most isolated and conservative ethnic groups in the region. The main fame of the islands was brought by local craftsmen. folk dances- almost every village here has its own troupes, widely known far beyond the Solomon Islands. The most colorful dance performances with almost complete preservation of ancient traditions can be seen in Star Harbor, in the village Natanger, on the islands of Ovaraha (Santa Ana), Owariki (Santa Catalina), Tri-Sister and Olava. You can also buy handicrafts here. And in the cave-filled and extremely inaccessible mountainous regions of San Cristobal, according to local residents, the "gnomes of the Pacific Ocean" still live - a short "kakamora" race, to which all sorts of mythical properties are attributed. Temotu Region Formerly called the Eastern Outer Islands, the Temotu region covers an area of 926 square kilometers. km (islands) and 150 thousand sq. km of ocean in the easternmost part of the Solomon Islands. This vast archipelago of widely scattered islands is separated from the main group of the country by a basin Torres with depths up to 600 m. Three groups included in the region volcanic islands(Santa Cruz, Tinakula and Utupua) are surrounded by low coral atolls of the nearby Reef Islands and isolated to the east extinct volcanoes Duff, Tikopia and Anua Islands. This area is virtually untouched by modern civilization, and the islanders inhabiting it differ in their origin from the inhabitants of the rest of the Solomon Islands. The only attractions here are active volcanoes islands Tinakula, colorful rituals of local tribes (it is typical that bunches of red feathers of tropical birds are still used here as a monetary unit - one of the most unusual currencies on the planet), the village of Bola on Santa Cruz with its unusual population, in whose veins the blood of Spanish sailors from the ships of Alvaro de Mendanya (it is here that the navigator himself and 47 members of his crew are buried), as well as beautiful bay Graciosa. Rennell and Bellona (Renbel) Region The southernmost island group, singled out as an independent region in 1995, Rennell and Bellona lies south of Guadalcanal and southwest of Makira. These remote atolls were discovered by the captain of the merchant ship Matthew Boyd in 1793. Now this area, covering an area of 671 sq. km and inhabited by only 2.5 thousand people, is one of the natural reserves of nature and Polynesian traditions. The capital of the region - the town of Tigoa lies on the island of Rennell, or Mu-Nggava, as the islanders themselves call it, and Bellona, or Mu-Ngiki, is widely known as the land of excellent carpenters and wood carvers. Island Rennell considered the largest elevated atoll on the planet (86x15 km), but the main feature of its uniqueness is an elongated lake occupying almost the entire southern part Tengano- the largest freshwater lake in the South Pacific Ocean (now its area is about 15.5 thousand hectares), on which there was a place for 200 islands, and for large bird colonies, and for many rare species of flora, primarily orchids. It is easy to guess that in the era of the formation of the island, the lake was a vast lagoon, which, as the land surrounding it rose above the water, gradually became desalinated, although the water still remains slightly brackish. Therefore, now here you can find absolutely unique species once marine fish, by nature itself turned into freshwater (the only analogue is Lake Titicaca in the South American Andes). Because of their unique natural conditions and specific ecology East End The islands, together with Lake Tengano, was declared a National Wildlife Park (area of 37 thousand hectares), subsequently included in the UNESCO World Wildlife Heritage List. Noticeably smaller and quieter Bellona(Mu-Ngiki) lies northwest of Rennell and has rich phosphate deposits as well as many habitation caves of the region's earliest inhabitants, the legendary Hithi people. Here you can also see a specific folk type of wrestling - hetakai, which has existed on the islands for at least the last 600 years.
It is believed that the first people appeared on the territory of the Solomon Islands about 30 thousand years ago, but the first organized agricultural settlements date back to the fourth millennium BC. From that time until the 17th century AD, numerous Polynesian tribes rolled in waves through this land, leaving to the east, into the vast expanses of the Great Ocean. Some of them settled in the Solomon Islands, forming an amazing culture that mixed various Melanesian, Polynesian and Micronesian traditions. In 1568, the Spanish navigator Don Alvaro de Mendana da Neira (or Mendana de Neira), after a three-month voyage in the Pacific Ocean, discovered big Island, named by him in honor of the patron saint of his expedition, Santa Isabel, and then moved along the numerous islands of the land he discovered, mapping them and naming them with Spanish names. Mendanya named this archipelago the Western Islands, or Isla de Solomon, in honor of the biblical King Solomon, and named the largest island discovered in honor of the native village of one of the crew members - Guadalcanal (Alvaro de Mendanya da Neira himself died of illness in 1595 on Santa Cruz during his second expedition to the islands).
Due to the little knowledge of the region of the archipelago and its complex hydrography, the Europeans could not discover the islands found by Mendanya for a long time, and only in August 1767, the British captain Philip Carteret mapped Bougainville, and D "Antrecasto surveyed the central part of the archipelago and finally identified Guadalcanal with the island described almost two centuries ago. Then, for more than a hundred years, everyone forgets about the islands, except for missionaries and slave traders, however, the first and second receive a fierce rebuff from the local residents here. The islanders quickly realized the danger posed by a white man, and began to kill any a European who was in their field of vision, which earned the islands a reputation as the most inhospitable land in the Pacific Ocean.
In 1893, Great Britain announced its protectorate over the archipelago, the prohibition of the slave trade and the founding of the capital on the island of Tulagi (Florida), where they set up a court, and also built a hospital, a trading mission and a club. And for another fifty years, everyone forgot about the Solomon Islands - until the Second World War, only Tulagi remained evidence of some kind of European presence. But during the Pacific War, the word Guadalcanal entered all languages of the world - the islands became the scene of fierce battles between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the US Navy - from August 1942 to December 1943, 14 major naval battles died down here, and bloody battles for Guadalcanal, Bougainville and Tulags are included in all textbooks.
After the war, the nationalist (and pro-American) Malaita independence movement opposed British rule. The mass repressions of 1947-1948 somewhat reduced the intensity of passions, but could not stop the struggle against colonial rule, and in the early 50s of the 20th century, the gradual transition of the Solomon Islands to independence began. In the early to mid-1960s, Great Britain legalized local governments, then regional assemblies were founded, and finally, in 1970, a governing council was elected from among the local residents. The independence of the Solomon Islands was granted on July 7, 1978.
Like neighboring Vanuatu, this land, still almost isolated from the outside world, is an example of amazing natural contrasts and endless opportunities for various adventures, where almost impassable jungles, high mountain peaks, mighty volcanoes, countless atolls, the purest mountain rivers with waterfalls side by side. and blue lagoons. It is believed that no other Pacific archipelago has a more diverse nature with such a complex combination of geology and climatic conditions. The archipelago is practically unaffected by tourism, since there are few people on Earth who want to visit this poor and isolated country. But many are attracted here by the genuine naturalness of everything that happens to be seen or visited. There is practically nothing artificial or created specifically to please tourists, and the nature of the islands, without much exaggeration called extraordinary, creates a reputation for them, perhaps one of the last places on the planet, as if specially designed for extreme types of recreation. Here are truly unique conditions for diving, snorkeling, studying the history of the Second World War, ethnography, sailing and sport fishing.
It is believed that the first people appeared on the territory of the Solomon Islands about 30 thousand years ago, but the first organized agricultural settlements date back to the fourth millennium BC. From that time until the 17th century AD, numerous Polynesian tribes rolled in waves through this land, leaving to the east, into the vast expanses of the Great Ocean. Some of them settled in the Solomon Islands, forming an amazing culture that mixed various Melanesian, Polynesian and Micronesian traditions. In 1568, the Spanish navigator Don Alvaro de Mendana da Neira (or Mendana de Neira), after a three-month voyage in the Pacific Ocean, discovered a large island, named by him in honor of the patron saint of his expedition, Santa Isabel, and then moved along the numerous islands of the land he discovered, causing map them and call them Spanish names. Mendanya named this archipelago the Western Islands, or Isla de Solomon, in honor of the biblical King Solomon, and named the largest island discovered in honor of the native village of one of the crew members - Guadalcanal (Alvaro de Mendanya da Neira himself died of illness in 1595 on Santa Cruz during his second expedition to the islands).
Due to the little knowledge of the region of the archipelago and its complex hydrography, the Europeans could not discover the islands found by Mendanya for a long time, and only in August 1767, the British captain Philip Carteret mapped Bougainville, and D "Antrecasto surveyed the central part of the archipelago and finally identified Guadalcanal with the island described almost two centuries ago. Then, for more than a hundred years, everyone forgets about the islands, except for missionaries and slave traders, however, the first and second receive a fierce rebuff from the local residents here. The islanders quickly realized the danger posed by a white man, and began to kill any a European who was in their field of vision, which earned the islands a reputation as the most inhospitable land in the Pacific Ocean.
In 1893, Great Britain announced its protectorate over the archipelago, the prohibition of the slave trade and the founding of the capital on the island of Tulagi (Florida), where they set up a court, and also built a hospital, a trading mission and a club. And for another fifty years, everyone forgot about the Solomon Islands - until the Second World War, only Tulagi remained evidence of some kind of European presence. But during the war in the Pacific, the word "Guadalcanal" entered all languages of the world - the islands became the scene of fierce battles between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the US Navy - from August 1942 to December 1943, 14 major naval battles died down here, and the bloody battles for Guadalcanal, Bougainville and Tulagi are included in all textbooks.
After the war, the nationalist (and pro-American) Malaita independence movement opposed British rule. The mass repressions of 1947-1948 somewhat reduced the intensity of passions, but could not stop the struggle against colonial rule, and in the early 50s of the 20th century, the gradual transition of the Solomon Islands to independence began. In the early to mid-1960s, Great Britain legalized local governments, then regional assemblies were founded, and finally, in 1970, a governing council was elected from among the local residents. The independence of the Solomon Islands was granted on July 7, 1978.
Like neighboring Vanuatu, this land, still almost isolated from the outside world, is an example of amazing natural contrasts and endless opportunities for various adventures, where almost impassable jungles, high mountain peaks, mighty volcanoes, countless atolls, the purest mountain rivers with waterfalls side by side. and blue lagoons. It is believed that no other Pacific archipelago has a more diverse nature with such a complex combination of geology and climatic conditions. The archipelago is practically unaffected by tourism, since there are few people on Earth who want to visit this poor and isolated country. But many are attracted here by the genuine naturalness of everything that happens to be seen or visited. There is practically nothing artificial or created specifically to please tourists, and the nature of the islands, without much exaggeration called extraordinary, creates a reputation for them, perhaps one of the last places on the planet, as if specially designed for extreme types of recreation. Here are truly unique conditions for diving, snorkeling, studying the history of the Second World War, ethnography, sailing and sport fishing.
Guadalcanal
The island of Guadalcanal, or Guadalcanal, is the largest landmass in the Solomon Islands group (an area of 5302 sq. km). Rising from the depths of the ocean like some kind of prehistoric lizard, the mountainous and inhospitable island is almost entirely occupied by the slopes and peaks of ancient volcanoes (Mount Gallego, or Mount Gallego, Popomanaso, Makarakomburu, Tatuwe, Kaichui - they all have a height of 2 km or more) and covered with a dense cover of tropical vegetation. Its mountainous relief leaves no other place for human habitation, except for a very narrow coastal strip surrounding the entire island, only in the north, in the area of Henderson Field (Henderson) and Honiara, turning into a small plain. The southern coast is rocky and has a semi-official name of the Weather Coast ("Weather Coast"), since the life of people here depends entirely on the state of the weather. Marshy shores and a hot and humid climate make life on Guadalcanal extremely difficult, but it is here that about 40% of the country's population lives, the capital of the archipelago and its main administrative institutions are located.
Honiara
The capital of the islands is located on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, in a vast bay between the Cape Esperance and Lunga Point peninsulas, in the very place that de Mendanya once called Puento Cruz. The small and rather picturesque seaport of Honiara originates from a tiny fishing village, whose name Naho-ni-Ara can be translated as "the place where the east and southeast winds collide" (for local dialects, such "flowery" names are generally very characteristic) . The city is very young - most of its modern buildings were built immediately after the end of the Second World War, when it was necessary to find a place for the new capital of the archipelago (Tulagi was badly damaged during the fighting, and the place for it was not chosen the best). In 1952, Honiara officially became the capital of the Solomon Islands.
Honiara is, perhaps, the only more or less large settlement of the archipelago - except for fifty thousand local people, concentrated on an area of hardly 1.5 square meters. km, residents of other islands constantly come here for shopping, work and recreation. Almost all of its life is in full swing along the Cookum Highway, which connects the Henderson Field area in the east with the White River area in the west. Along this route and the main street of the city that continues it - Mendana Avenue (Mendana - this is how the islanders pronounce the name of the discoverer of their islands), almost all the main infrastructure facilities of the capital have been rebuilt - the National Hospital, the complex of port facilities, the market and Chinatown, which has recently been badly damaged as a result of the riots.
The building of the National Parliament, opened in 1993, stands out sharply from the surrounding buildings with its conical shape, and it is this building that is considered the center of Honiara. The restored old Government House is now given over to the National Museum complex with an extensive collection on the history and culture of the country, and its park serves as a popular place for afternoon recreation. Opposite stands the original building of the Mendana Hotel (Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel), and between it and the yacht club is the Tourist Office of the country. Nearby are the National Archives (the most extensive collection of historical materials about the country, open to the public from 9.00-10.00 to 16.00-17.00) and the Public Library behind the Office of the Public Works Department.
The large modern building of the Central Bank of the Solomon Islands has an original historical exposition that tells, as you might guess, about the features of the local monetary system - traditional money for the countries of the region in the form of bunches of red feathers or cowrie shells, as well as a small exposition of the work of local wood carvers .
A little further down Mendana Avenue, between the offices of the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) and Rove Prison, the Honiara Botanical Gardens begin, famous for their collection of native plants (the gardens are quite small, and the collection looks modest at first glance, but to appreciate its value , it is enough to imagine what forces it would take to see all these orchids and vines in natural local conditions). Here, on Mendana Avenue, in a small park, located almost opposite the Central Bank building, there is a Melanesian cultural village with its typical local buildings made of palm leaves and wicker mats. This colorful mini-museum specializes in showcasing the traditions, rituals and crafts of various areas of the Solomon Islands.
Busy and colorful markets selling vegetables, all kinds of tropical fruits, fish, betel, shells and handicrafts can be found throughout the week near the city pier, as well as in Rove and Cukum (suburbs of Honiara). An excellent fish market is also located in Fisherman Village, or Lau, a small fishing village 5 km from the city, populated mainly by immigrants from the province of Malaita. Even if you didn’t like any of the goods, these places are worth visiting just to observe the daily life of the islanders, their colorful culture and language, because merchants from the most remote villages of the archipelago gather here. And the commercial heart of the city is Chinatown, or Chinatown, located almost in the city center, near the Matanikau bridge. Badly damaged during the recent riots, it still continues to be a rather picturesque area of warehouses, shops and numerous mini-mansions built in the traditional "colonial style" with wooden verandas and iron roofs.
Many tourists note that the first impression of Honiara is quite disappointing - a rather dusty and unprecedentedly quiet city has practically no outstanding historical or cultural monuments. One day is enough to see all the sights of the capital, as well as bypassing most of the local markets and craft shops. However, the capital is the only place, from where you can go on a tour of the island, and where, most likely, you will have to return, since there are no more or less worthy accommodation facilities outside of it. However, many people remember it as one of the most isolated places on earth, where you can sit in a restaurant or bar with a clear predominance of traditional seafood dishes, wander along the coast or go fishing right from under the canopy of palm trees surrounding any establishment or private house. And a little to the west of the coastline, near the town of Poha, there is a good Bonigi beach and the Giant Clam Research Experimental Station (ICLARM) - a kind of farm of these relic marine life, always appreciated by the locals for their taste and therefore on the verge of extinction.
Around the capital
To the east of Honiara is a church school complex Beticama, widely known for its handicraft workshops (pottery, metalwork and woodwork, most of which can be bought on the spot) and a small museum of relics from the Second World War. Nearby lies a village Tenaroo, near which the sixty-meter waterfall of the same name rustles. A village is located 7 km east of the capital Mavasere, considered the center of the Moro movement. A small museum deserves attention here, designed to preserve the historical and spiritual values \u200b\u200bof traditional local life. Further east, between Guadalcanal and the tiny island of Tavanipupu, the waters stretch Marau Sound with their huge coral reefs, which abound in various marine life.
10 km from the capital are the most beautiful "bilateral" Mataniko waterfalls. The waters of the river of the same name break here from a high cliff right into a cave filled with graceful stalactites and stalagmites, and then disappear somewhere in the depths of the island. Around you can find many fairly large and, importantly, clean water bodies suitable for swimming, and an extensive population of swallows and bats lives in the cave itself. During the Second World War, this cave served as a shelter for the last soldiers of the Japanese garrison of Guadalcanal, and its surroundings became the scene of fierce battles (according to various estimates, from 400 to 600 soldiers of the imperial army died in the cave itself, literally resisting to the last bullet).
The battlefields of the Second World War in general are one of the main attractions of Guadalcanal in general and the environs of Honiara in particular. It was in these places that the fiercest battles between the Japanese garrison of the island and the US Marines, who outnumbered them by several dozen times, were in full swing. Henderson Field International Airport itself (Henderson Field, named after a US Marine Corps major who died during the Battle of Midway) has its origins in a runway that the Japanese began to build and the Americans were already completing. It was for this piece of land that stubborn battles unfolded, during which both sides suffered the most tangible losses (according to various estimates, from 24 to 38 thousand people only on land). Therefore, it is not surprising that traces of that war are still found in abundance around the capital and the airport, and the nearby waters are literally littered with fragments of various military equipment. Interestingly, one of the straits leading to Guadalcanal still bears the quite official name of Iron Bottom ("Iron Bottom"), and the government of the Solomon Islands was even going to charge the United States and Japan for cleaning it from the wreckage of ships and aircraft, until appreciated the profit that can be made from visiting these places by tourists, as well as lovers of military history and divers from these countries.
On the ridge of Skyline Ridge and Mount Austin rises the American Memorial Park with a detailed description of the battles for the island, as well as the Japanese Peace Memorial with its four white monoliths. From here there are organized tours to places whose names speak for themselves - to the shore of Iron Bottom Sound, to the ridge of Bludy Ridge, Alligator Creek and Red Beach, to the Poha River Japanese Memorial and its Vilu Village Museum (also dedicated to the history of the battles for Guadalcanal), Lunga Point and Tetera Bay.
The southern coast (Weather Coast) is quite deserted and underdeveloped. Of all its attractions, only the town can be noted. Tulagi(not to be confused with the old capital of the archipelago on the island of Florida) with its handicrafts and good conditions for sea fishing, as well as the village Komuwaulu- another center of the Moro movement with colorful local architecture and a tiny museum. And deep in the heart of the Guadalcanal rainforest, on the slopes of the Lhamas (Lamas) mountain range, luxurious Vihona waterfalls(Viona), accessible, unfortunately, only by helicopter.
central region
Covering an area of about 1000 sq. km The central region lies around Guadalcanal and includes the islands of Savo, Russells, Nggela and the Florida group. Once serving as the center of the archipelago (the old capital of the Solomon Islands, the town of Tulagi, is located on the island of Florida), after World War II it practically lost its significance, since many infrastructure facilities were destroyed during the fighting, and those that were built by the fighting armies were clearly temporary and quickly fell into disrepair. Therefore, most of the modern sights of the region are associated either with the traces of those battles, or with the sea and good local shores.
Volcanic island permanently shrouded in clouds Savo, lying in the Iron Bottom Sound, is a paradise for divers and fans of other outdoor activities. The almost complete lack of infrastructure is compensated by the abundance of sunken ships (it was here that the famous Battle of Savo Island took place), the constantly smoking crater of the volcano and many practically boiling mineral springs, several ancient cult sites - megapodes, as well as a live bird community and magnificent crystal clear waters. On the island Florida you can see the old headquarters of the British colonial administration with its hospital and headquarters, as well as the old Port Parvis, which served first as a base for the British Navy, and then for the Japanese Imperial Navy. And the islet Anuha widely known for its white sandy beaches.
Malaita region
The Eastern Province, named after the group's largest island, is the second largest and most densely populated of the Solomon Islands, although many of its inhabitants do not live in large cities like Honiara or Gizo, but in villages and towns lost in the jungle and on the islands. The large islands of Malaita are inhabited by Melanesians (about 96 thousand people), and Polynesian tribes (about 2 thousand people) live on the atolls of Ontong Java (Lord Howe), Roncador, Cucumana and Sikaiana. It was these islands that contributed the most to Solomon's reputation as inhospitable islands, and for the same reason it was here that the ancient folk traditions and rituals were preserved to the maximum.
Distinctive feature of the island Malaita- a huge number of artificial islands, which since ancient times were built by local residents right on the atolls or rocky islands of lagoons. The lack of land suitable not only for cultivation, but simply for housing, forced the Malaitans from century to century to pour artificial shores of crushed coral or crushed stone between piles driven into the bottom, which the sea very quickly turned into a fairly solid monolith. Today, about 12 thousand islanders from 15 tribal groups are concentrated on these man-made islands, especially common in the lagoons of Langa-Langa and Lau, and one of the last relic tribes of the planet lives in the mountainous regions of Malaita - the Kwaio group (kuaio). It is in these places that the oldest cult of shark worship has been preserved, in which, according to local beliefs, the souls of ancestors are infused. The locals treat sharks with respect and many of these ancient cartilaginous fish serve as totemic signs of tribes and clans.
Sharks are worshiped in many areas of the Solomon Islands, but no island has more rituals and festivities dedicated to this marine predator than the islands. Laulasi and Busu in the Langa Langa lagoon, which lie 16 km from the capital of the island of Malaita. From Auka you can get on a boat to the artificial islands of the lagoons and become here a witness to the ancient rite of the practice of "calling the shark" or a rather dangerous way of catching it, when a diver, armed only with a rag and a spear (or knife), enters into a one-on-one confrontation with this formidable sea predator. Although more often tourists are shown an equally shocking spectacle of communicating with a shark. Many locals tame sharks from the smallest nurse sharks to the largest and most feared of them. The practice of "summoning sharks" is the ancient art of luring predators, and somehow local sorcerers manage to put the shark to sleep right in the water and then lift them manually to the surface!! Knocking on stones in certain places under water lures sharks to a depth of 30 cm, where a little boy (mandatory !!) serves a predator that can bite him in half in the blink of an eye, a piece of pork, thanks to her for visiting. The shark then continues to circle the lagoon as if accepting a gift. This ritual, as extremely dangerous, was banned in the 1970s, but parts of this amazing custom are still practiced in many places. Since black pigs are used, black and red (the color of blood) colors are taboo on Laulasi and Busu (and on many other islands in the area too), and visitors should take this into account when choosing clothes and jewelry for the trip.
Small town Auki(population about 4 thousand people) since 1920 is the capital of the Malaita region. Until the 20s of the 20th century, the city had an impressive defensive wall along the entire perimeter, capable of holding back attacks from hostile local residents or even well-armed Europeans for quite a long time, which predetermined its choice as the capital. Today's Auki is perhaps the most photogenic city in the country and boasts a fairly decent selection of shops, hotels and restaurants for these places, plus good, even by local standards, cuisine. From here you can get to the village. Lilisana in the Langa Langa lagoon (it is believed that the inhabitants of this particular settlement invented the technology of making piled buildings and artificial islands), to the beautiful beaches of the lagoon itself, to the picturesque cultural villages Alite, Anoano, Aofia, Aumea, Maeaena, Manaafe and Uru(advance booking required) and the already mentioned Busu Cultural Village, which, in addition to rituals with sharks, can offer many other interesting ceremonies.
Western region
The Western Province is considered the recognized leader of the country in terms of the beauty of its coasts and the richness of the underwater world. The largest among the provinces of the archipelago, it occupies 8573 square kilometers (the islands of Vella Lavella, New Georgia and about fifty small islands and reefs), and only 19% of the population lives here. Often referred to simply as West (“West”) in conversations, it attracts many lovers of extreme sports and water sports, and it is also perhaps the most developed region of the country in terms of recreation infrastructure - about 16 quite modern resorts have been built here, clearly focused on diving, including one of the best in the country Uepi Island Resort in the famous Marovo lagoon.
The largest salt lagoon in the world (its dimensions are approximately 150 by 96 km), Marovo located on the island of New Georgia north of Wangunu Island (in fact, it is a strait between these two islands, turned by the growth of coral reefs into a discontinuous ring of land surrounding the central lagoon). This vast expanse of water with a narrow strip of coral beaches around the perimeter and amazingly blue water is a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Literally thousands of islands frame the Marovo lagoon, from tiny coral reefs to massive volcanic rocks up to 1,600 meters high, many of which still show signs of active volcanic activity, but are quite accessible to visit. The Marovo lagoon is the best place to relax by the sea, it is a unique combination of the scenic beauties of wildlife and the rich traditions of the locals (the shores of the lagoon are inhabited by two separate tribes - Marovo and Roviana). Noteworthy are Matikuri Resort, Rogosakena Eco Resort and Uepi Island Resort, as well as a section of a traditional village World Heritage considered the best tourist village in the country. Logging is limited here in order to preserve the unique composition of flora and fauna inherent in this area, excellent conditions for sea fishing have been created (the lagoon is connected to the open sea by almost a hundred passages in reefs, so the species composition of its inhabitants is more than impressive), and traditional handicrafts of local residents made of wood and shells are widely known far beyond the borders of the country.
The second largest city in the archipelago Gizo located on the island of the same name (approximately 370 km from Honiara), on the shores of the Vona-Vona lagoon, and is considered the capital of the Western Region and one of the most popular resort areas in the country. Its snow-white isolated coasts and beaches, numerous coral islands and atolls that literally grow from the depths of the ocean, traditional villages and excellent conditions for sea fishing, snorkeling and diving have made it quite famous among outdoor enthusiasts. At the same time, the island itself does not differ much in terms of its level of development from what the combatants saw during the battle for Guadalcanal. On Gizo you can rent a private boat and explore the magnificent coral reefs lagoons of Won-Won or New Georgia, dive to numerous ships and aircraft that died in these waters during the last war, climb Volcano Kolombangara(1770 m), as well as see the megapod - an ancient shrine of local tribes, a crocodile farm, a pile village Nusambaruku or attend a dance festival in Mbangopingo.
A favorite, albeit rather unsophisticated point of attraction for most tourists, is the island. Plum Pudding, or Kennedy Island, which gained its fame after the sinking in August 1943 of the PT-109 torpedo boat commanded by the future US President John F. Kennedy - he and his team escaped on this tiny piece of land (now annual competitions are held in his honor swimmers for the JFK prize). You can also take an excursion to a small fishing village Malaita, inhabited by people from other regions of Oceania, is a great opportunity to observe different cultures that have peacefully coexisted for many centuries, just a few minutes walk from each other. However, to get to most of the local villages here you can only by boat or along narrow, often almost impassable roads under the crowns of dense forest.
Choiseul region
Choiseul Island, or Laura, only recently (1995) separated from the Western Province into a separate administrative region. Its population is also heterogeneous, as in other parts of the country - about 16 thousand Melanesians live in the western half of the main island, and immigrants from the Gilbert Islands (about 2 thousand people) live in the east and north. Most of the coast of Choiseul is an extremely narrow strip, bounded from land by mountain ranges and jungles, and from the sea by large shallow swamps and literally a wall of moisture-loving vegetation. Therefore, it is quite difficult to explore it, and all excursions are conducted either along Choiseul Bay, the Sui River with its waterfalls and the tiny capital. Kumbakale, near which the shores are more favorable for movement, or by sea - in the form of a week-long cruise along the coast of the island with visits to local villages and diving under water (however, apart from good reefs, there is nothing remarkable here - the Second World War was fought much southeast of this region ).
Isabel Region
The Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendaña da Neira discovered the island of Santa Isabel in February 1568 and set foot on the shore in the bay that today bears the name of Estrella Bay. Almost 75% of the local population, mostly Melanesians belonging to six tribal groups, live in the southeastern part of the island. The longest island in the archipelago, Santa Isabel, is still fairly unexplored, helped by the almost complete absence of roads (the only section that deserves the name of the road stretches from the capital of the island buala to the village of Kaewanga on the south coast), so all movements between the settlements of the island are carried out by sea. There is also a center of excursion activities, the most popular object of which is the island Arnavon(Amavon), also known as "Turtle Island", because it is here that the natural breeding area of hawksbill - the rarest sea turtles. None of the nearly 100 islands and reefs of the Arnavon group, which stretches between Santa Isabel and Rob Roy Island, is permanently inhabited, many only a couple of inches above sea level, so this area also boasts unsurpassed fishing. In 1991, a Arnavon Marine Nature Reserve, whose zone stretches from the coast of Santa Isabel to Choiseul. When visiting the park, visitors are accompanied by a whole staff of specially trained guides from among the inhabitants of local villages (2 people from each community), who monitor only the behavior of tourists and control the life of turtles - the local population is so vulnerable and has not yet fully recovered after many years of extermination of these unique animals that such behavior of the staff is simply necessary.
Also noteworthy is the pile village kia in the north of the island, all movement on which is by canoe, and the southwestern island San Jorge(San Jorge is known in local mythology as the habitat of the spirits of the dead - various strange phenomena are indeed not uncommon here). Most of the local villages have good mini-hotels with excellent service by local standards and the level of prosperity, and the main souvenir from these places is tapa (paper mulberry) bark fabric, dyed blue with the juice of local orchids.
Makira Region
The southeasternmost region of Solomon includes the islands of Makira (San Cristobal), Ulawa, Uki-Ni-Masi, Ovaraha (Santa Ana), Owariki (Santa Catalina) and a dozen more small patches of land stretching towards Vanuatu . A rather compact island group (all islands are located at a distance of about 35-38 km from each other, with the exception of Olav, which lies 75 km south of San Cristobal) covers an area of about 3188 square meters. km and is inhabited by 30 thousand people (two thirds of them live on the northern coast of San Cristobal). Mountainous (up to 1040 m on San Cristobal) and heavily swampy islands are literally dissected by rivers and streams (almost every 2-5 km a watercourse flows into the sea), being considered the "wettest" in the country. Since the islands have been isolated from the outside world for a long time, many relic forms of plants and animals have been preserved here, the same applies to people - the Bauro tribal group is considered by scientists to be one of the most isolated and conservative ethnic groups in the region.
The main fame for the islands was brought by local masters of folk dances - almost every village here has its own troupes, widely known far beyond the Solomon Islands. The most colorful dance performances with almost complete preservation of ancient traditions can be seen in Star Harbor, in the village Natanger, on islands Owaraha (Santa Ana), Owariki (Santa Catalina), Tri-Sister and catch. You can also buy handicrafts here. And in the cave-filled and extremely inaccessible mountainous regions of San Cristobal, according to local residents, the "gnomes of the Pacific Ocean" still live - a short "kakamora" race, to which all sorts of mythical properties are attributed.
Temotu Region
Formerly called the Eastern Outer Islands, the Temotu region covers an area of 926 square kilometers. km (islands) and 150 thousand sq. km of ocean in the easternmost part of the Solomon Islands. This vast archipelago of widely scattered islands is separated from the main group of the country by the Torres Basin with depths of up to 600 m. to the east by the isolated extinct volcanoes of the Duff, Tikopia and Anua Islands. This area is virtually untouched by modern civilization, and the islanders inhabiting it differ in their origin from the inhabitants of the rest of the Solomon Islands. The only attractions here are the island's active volcanoes. Tinakula, colorful rituals of local tribes (it is typical that bunches of red feathers of tropical birds are still used here as a monetary unit - one of the most unusual currencies on the planet), village Bola on Santa Cruz with its unusual population, in whose veins the blood of Spanish sailors from the ships of Alvaro de Mendanya flows (it is here that the navigator himself and 47 members of his crew are buried), as well as a beautiful bay Graciosa.
Rennell and Bellona (Renbel) Region
The southernmost island group, singled out as an independent region in 1995, Rennell and Bellona lies south of Guadalcanal and southwest of Makira. These remote atolls were discovered by the captain of the merchant ship Matthew Boyd in 1793. Now this area, covering an area of 671 sq. km and inhabited by only 2.5 thousand people, is one of the natural reserves of nature and Polynesian traditions. The capital of the region is a town Tigoa lies on the island of Rennell, or Mu-Nggava, as the islanders themselves call it, and Bellona, or Mu-Ngiki, is widely known as the land of excellent carpenters and woodcarvers.
Island Rennell is considered the largest elevated atoll on the planet (86x15 km), but the main feature of its uniqueness is the elongated Lake Tengano, which occupies almost the entire southern part - the largest freshwater lake in the South Pacific Ocean (now its area is about 15.5 thousand hectares), on which there was a place for 200 islands, and for large bird colonies, and for many rare species of flora, primarily orchids. It is easy to guess that in the era of the formation of the island, the lake was a vast lagoon, which, as the land surrounding it rose above the water, gradually became desalinated, although the water still remains slightly brackish. Therefore, now here you can find completely unique species of once marine fish, turned into freshwater by nature itself (the only analogue is Lake Titicaca in the South American Andes). Due to its unique natural conditions and specific ecology, the eastern part of the island, along with Lake Tengano, was declared a National Wildlife Park (an area of 37 thousand hectares), which was subsequently included in the UNESCO World Wildlife Heritage List.
Noticeably smaller and quieter Bellona(Mu-Ngiki) lies northwest of Rennell and has rich phosphate deposits as well as many habitation caves of the region's earliest inhabitants, the legendary Hithi people. Here you can also see a specific folk type of wrestling - hetakai, which has existed on the islands for at least the last 600 years.
ATTRACTION Like neighboring Vanuatu, this land, still almost isolated from the outside world, is an example of amazing natural contrasts and endless opportunities for various adventures, where almost impassable jungles, high mountain peaks, mighty volcanoes, countless atolls, the purest mountain rivers with waterfalls side by side. and blue lagoons. It is believed that no other Pacific archipelago has a more diverse nature with such a complex combination of geology and climatic conditions. The archipelago is practically unaffected by tourism, since there are few people on Earth who want to visit this poor and isolated country. But many are attracted here by the genuine naturalness of everything that happens to be seen or visited. There is practically nothing artificial or created specifically to please tourists, and the nature of the islands, without much exaggeration called extraordinary, creates a reputation for them, perhaps one of the last places on the planet, as if specially designed for extreme types of recreation. Here are truly unique conditions for diving, snorkeling, studying the history of the Second World War, ethnography, sailing and sport fishing. Guadalcanal The island of Guadalcanal, or Guadalcanal, is the largest landmass in the Solomon Islands group (an area of 5302 sq. km). Rising from the depths of the ocean like some kind of prehistoric lizard, the mountainous and inhospitable island is almost entirely occupied by the slopes and peaks of ancient volcanoes (Mount Gallego, or Mount Gallego, Popomanaso, Makarakomburu, Tatuwe, Kaichui - they all have a height of 2 km or more) and covered with a dense cover of tropical vegetation. Its mountainous relief leaves no other place for human habitation, except for a very narrow coastal strip surrounding the entire island, only in the north, in the area of Henderson Field (Henderson) and Honiara, turning into a small plain. The southern coast is rocky and has a semi-official name of the Weather Coast ("Weather Coast"), since the life of people here depends entirely on the state of the weather. Marshy shores and a hot and humid climate make life on Guadalcanal extremely difficult, but it is here that about 40% of the country's population lives, the capital of the archipelago and its main administrative institutions are located. Honiara The capital of the islands is located on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, in a vast bay between the Cape Esperance and Lunga Point peninsulas, in the very place that de Mendanya once called Puento Cruz. The small and rather picturesque seaport of Honiara originates from a tiny fishing village, whose name Naho-ni-Ara can be translated as "the place where the east and southeast winds collide" (for local dialects, such "flowery" names are generally very characteristic) . The city is very young - most of its modern buildings were built immediately after the end of the Second World War, when it was necessary to find a place for the new capital of the archipelago (Tulagi was badly damaged during the fighting, and the place for it was not chosen the best). In 1952, Honiara officially became the capital of the Solomon Islands. Honiara is, perhaps, the only more or less large settlement of the archipelago - except for fifty thousand local people, concentrated on an area of hardly 1.5 square meters. km, residents of other islands constantly come here for shopping, work and recreation. Almost all of its life is in full swing along the Cookum Highway, which connects the Henderson Field area in the east with the White River area in the west. Along this route and the main street of the city that continues it - Mendana Avenue (Mendana - this is how the islanders pronounce the name of the discoverer of their islands), almost all the main infrastructure facilities of the capital have been rebuilt - the National Hospital, the complex of port facilities, the market and Chinatown, which has recently been badly damaged as a result of the riots. The building of the National Parliament, opened in 1993, stands out sharply from the surrounding buildings with its conical shape, and it is this building that is considered the center of Honiara. The restored old Government House is now given over to the National Museum complex with an extensive collection on the history and culture of the country, and its park serves as a popular place for afternoon recreation. Opposite stands the original building of the Mendana Hotel (Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel), and between it and the yacht club is the Tourist Office of the country. Nearby are the National Archives and the Public Library behind the Public Works office. The large modern building of the Central Bank of the Solomon Islands has an original historical exposition that tells, as you might guess, about the features of the local monetary system - traditional money for the countries of the region in the form of bunches of red feathers or cowrie shells, as well as a small exposition of the work of local wood carvers . A little further down Mendana Avenue, between the offices of the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) and Rove Prison, the Honiara Botanical Gardens begin, famous for their collection of native plants (the gardens are quite small, and the collection looks modest at first glance, but to appreciate its value , it is enough to imagine what forces it would take to see all these orchids and vines in natural local conditions). Here, on Mendana Avenue, in a small park, located almost opposite the Central Bank building, there is a Melanesian cultural village with its typical local buildings made of palm leaves and wicker mats. This colorful mini-museum specializes in showcasing the traditions, rituals and crafts of various areas of the Solomon Islands. Around the capital To the east of Honiara is a church school complex Beticama, widely known for its handicraft workshops (pottery, metalwork and woodwork, most of which can be bought on the spot) and a small museum of relics from the Second World War. Nearby lies a village Tenaroo, near which the sixty-meter waterfall of the same name rustles. A village is located 7 km east of the capital Mavasere, considered the center of the Moro movement. A small museum deserves attention here, designed to preserve the historical and spiritual values \u200b\u200bof traditional local life. Further east, between Guadalcanal and the tiny island of Tavanipupu, the waters stretch Marau Sound with their huge coral reefs, which abound in various marine life. 10 km from the capital are the most beautiful "two-sided" waterfalls Mataniko. The waters of the river of the same name break here from a high cliff right into a cave filled with graceful stalactites and stalagmites, and then disappear somewhere in the depths of the island. Around you can find many fairly large and, importantly, clean water bodies suitable for swimming, and an extensive population of swallows and bats lives in the cave itself. During the Second World War, this cave served as a shelter for the last soldiers of the Japanese garrison of Guadalcanal, and its surroundings became the scene of fierce battles (according to various estimates, from 400 to 600 soldiers of the imperial army died in the cave itself, literally resisting to the last bullet). The battlefields of the Second World War in general are one of the main attractions of Guadalcanal in general and the environs of Honiara in particular. It was in these places that the fiercest battles between the Japanese garrison of the island and the US Marines, who outnumbered them by several dozen times, were in full swing. Henderson Field International Airport itself (Henderson Field, named after a US Marine Corps major who died during the Battle of Midway) has its origins in a runway that the Japanese began to build and the Americans were already completing. It was for this piece of land that stubborn battles unfolded, during which both sides suffered the most tangible losses (according to various estimates, from 24 to 38 thousand people only on land). Therefore, it is not surprising that traces of that war are still found in abundance around the capital and the airport, and the nearby waters are literally littered with fragments of various military equipment. Interestingly, one of the straits leading to Guadalcanal still bears the quite official name of Iron Bottom ("Iron Bottom"), and the government of the Solomon Islands was even going to charge the United States and Japan for cleaning it from the wreckage of ships and aircraft, until appreciated the profit that can be made from visiting these places by tourists, as well as lovers of military history and divers from these countries. On the ridge of Skyline Ridge and Mount Austin rises the American Memorial Park with a detailed description of the battles for the island, as well as the Japanese Peace Memorial with its four white monoliths. From here there are organized tours to places whose names speak for themselves - to the shore of Iron Bottom Sound, to the ridge of Bludy Ridge, Alligator Creek and Red Beach, to the Poha River Japanese Memorial and its Vilu Village Museum (also dedicated to the history of the battles for Guadalcanal), Cape Lunga Point and to the bay Grouse. The southern coast (Weather Coast) is quite deserted and underdeveloped. Of all its attractions, only the town of Tulagi (not to be confused with the old capital of the archipelago on the island of Florida) can be noted with its handicrafts and good conditions for sea fishing, as well as the village of Komuvaulu - another center of the Moro movement with colorful local architecture and a tiny museum. And deep in the heart of the Guadalcanal rainforest, on the slopes of the Lhamas (Lamas) mountain range, the magnificent Vihona (Viona) waterfalls rustle, accessible, unfortunately, only by helicopter. central region Covering an area of about 1000 sq. km The central region lies around Guadalcanal and includes the islands of Savo, Russells, Nggela and the Florida group. Once serving as the center of the archipelago (the old capital of the Solomon Islands, the town of Tulagi, is located on the island of Florida), after World War II it practically lost its significance, since many infrastructure facilities were destroyed during the fighting, and those that were built by the fighting armies were clearly temporary and quickly fell into disrepair. Therefore, most of the modern sights of the region are associated either with the traces of those battles, or with the sea and good local shores. Volcanic island permanently shrouded in clouds Savo, lying in the Iron Bottom Sound, is a paradise for divers and fans of other outdoor activities. The almost complete lack of infrastructure is compensated by the abundance of sunken ships (it was here that the famous Battle of Savo Island took place), the constantly smoking crater of the volcano and many practically boiling mineral springs, several ancient cult sites - megapodes, as well as a live bird community and magnificent crystal clear waters. On the island of Florida, you can see the old headquarters of the British colonial administration with its hospital and headquarters, as well as the old Port Parvis, which served first as a base for the British Navy, and then for the Japanese Imperial Navy. And the island of Anukha is widely known for its white sandy shores. Malaita region The Eastern Province, named after the group's largest island, is the second largest and most densely populated of the Solomon Islands, although many of its inhabitants do not live in large cities like Honiara or Gizo, but in villages and towns lost in the jungle and on the islands. The large islands of Malaita are inhabited by Melanesians (about 96 thousand people), and Polynesian tribes (about 2 thousand people) live on the atolls of Ontong Java (Lord Howe), Roncador, Cucumana and Sikaiana. It was these islands that contributed the most to Solomon's reputation as inhospitable islands, and for the same reason it was here that the ancient folk traditions and rituals were preserved to the maximum. A distinctive feature of the island of Malaita is a huge number of artificial islands, which since ancient times were built by local residents right on the atolls or rocky islands of lagoons. The lack of land suitable not only for cultivation, but simply for housing, forced the Malaitans from century to century to pour artificial shores of crushed coral or crushed stone between piles driven into the bottom, which the sea very quickly turned into a fairly solid monolith. Today, about 12 thousand islanders from 15 tribal groups are concentrated on these man-made islands, especially common in the lagoons of Langa-Langa and Lau, and one of the last relic tribes of the planet lives in the mountainous regions of Malaita - the Kwaio group (kuaio). It is in these places that the oldest cult of shark worship has been preserved, in which, according to local beliefs, the souls of ancestors are infused. The locals treat sharks with respect and many of these ancient cartilaginous fish serve as totemic signs of tribes and clans. Sharks are worshiped in many areas of the Solomon Islands, but no island has more rituals and festivities dedicated to this marine predator than on the islands of Laulasi and Busu in the Langa Langa lagoon, which lie 16 km from the capital of the island of Malaita. From Auka you can get on a boat to the artificial islands of the lagoons and become here a witness to the ancient rite of the practice of "calling the shark" or a rather dangerous way of catching it, when a diver, armed only with a rag and a spear (or knife), enters into a one-on-one confrontation with this formidable sea predator. Although more often tourists are shown an equally shocking spectacle of communicating with a shark. Many locals tame sharks from the smallest nurse sharks to the largest and most feared of them. The practice of "calling the shark" is the ancient art of luring predators, and somehow the local sorcerers manage to put the shark to sleep right in the water and then raise them manually to the surface! ! Knocking on stones in certain places under water lures sharks to a depth of 30 cm, where a little boy (mandatory !!) serves a predator that can bite him in half in the blink of an eye, a piece of pork, thanks to her for visiting. The shark then continues to circle the lagoon as if accepting a gift. This ritual, as extremely dangerous, was banned in the 1970s, but parts of this amazing custom are still practiced in many places. Since black pigs are used, black and red (the color of blood) colors are taboo on Laulasi and Busu (and on many other islands in the area too), and visitors should take this into account when choosing clothes and jewelry for the trip. Small town Auki(population about 4 thousand people) since 1920 is the capital of the Malaita region. Until the 20s of the 20th century, the city had an impressive defensive wall along the entire perimeter, capable of holding back attacks from hostile local residents or even well-armed Europeans for quite a long time, which predetermined its choice as the capital. Today's Auki is perhaps the most photogenic city in the country and boasts a fairly decent selection of shops, hotels and restaurants for these places, plus good, even by local standards, cuisine. From here you can get to the village of Lilisana in the Langa Langa lagoon (it is believed that the inhabitants of this particular settlement invented the technology for making pile buildings and artificial islands), to the beautiful beaches of the lagoon itself, to the picturesque cultural villages of Alite, Anoano, Aofia, Aumea, Maeaena, Manaafe and Uru (prior appointment required) and the already mentioned cultural village of Busu, which, besides shark rituals, has many other interesting rituals to offer. Western region The Western Province is considered the recognized leader of the country in terms of the beauty of its coasts and the richness of the underwater world. The largest among the provinces of the archipelago, it occupies 8573 square kilometers (the islands of Vella Lavella, New Georgia and about fifty small islands and reefs), and only 19% of the population lives here. Often referred to simply as West (“West”) in conversations, it attracts many lovers of extreme sports and water sports, and it is also perhaps the most developed region of the country in terms of recreation infrastructure - about 16 quite modern resorts have been built here, clearly focused on diving, including one of the best in the country Uepi Island Resort in the famous Marovo lagoon. The largest salt lagoon in the world (its dimensions are approximately 150 by 96 km), Marovo located on the island of New Georgia north of Wangunu Island (in fact, it is a strait between these two islands, turned by the growth of coral reefs into a discontinuous ring of land surrounding the central lagoon). This vast expanse of water with a narrow strip of coral beaches around the perimeter and amazingly blue water is a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Literally thousands of islands frame the Marovo lagoon, from tiny coral reefs to massive volcanic rocks up to 1,600 meters high, many of which still show signs of active volcanic activity, but are quite accessible to visit. The Marovo lagoon is the best place to relax by the sea, it is a unique combination of the scenic beauties of wildlife and the rich traditions of the locals (the shores of the lagoon are inhabited by two separate tribes - Marovo and Roviana). Noteworthy are the Matikuri Resort, Rogosakena Eco Resort and Uepi Island Resort, as well as a section of the traditional World Heritage Village, considered the best tourist village in the country. Logging is limited here in order to preserve the unique composition of flora and fauna inherent in this area, excellent conditions for sea fishing have been created (the lagoon is connected to the open sea by almost a hundred passages in reefs, so the species composition of its inhabitants is more than impressive), and traditional handicrafts of local residents made of wood and shells are widely known far beyond the borders of the country. The second largest city of the archipelago - Gizo is located on the island of the same name (approximately 370 km from Honiara), on the shores of the Vona-Vona lagoon, and is considered the capital of the Western Region and one of the most popular resort areas in the country. Its snow-white isolated coasts and beaches, numerous coral islands and atolls that literally grow from the depths of the ocean, traditional villages and excellent conditions for sea fishing, snorkeling and diving have made it quite famous among outdoor enthusiasts. At the same time, the island itself does not differ much in terms of its level of development from what the combatants saw during the battle for Guadalcanal. On Gizo you can rent a private boat and explore the magnificent coral reefs of the Vauna-Vona or New Georgia lagoons, dive to the numerous ships and aircraft that died in these waters during the last war, climb the Kolombangara volcano (1770 m), and also see megapods - an ancient shrine of local tribes, a crocodile farm, Nusambaruku pile village or visit a dance festival in Mbangopingo. A favorite, albeit rather unsophisticated point of attraction for most tourists is Plum Pudding Island, or Kennedy Island, which gained its fame after the sinking of the torpedo boat PT-109 in August 1943, commanded by the future US President John F. Kennedy - he and it was on this tiny piece of land that his team escaped (now the annual JFK prize swimming competition is held in his honor). You can also take a trip to the small fishing village of Malaita, inhabited by people from other regions of Oceania - this is a great opportunity to observe the different cultures that have peacefully coexisted for many centuries, just minutes away from each other. However, to get to most of the local villages here you can only by boat or along narrow, often almost impassable roads under the crowns of dense forest. Choiseul region Choiseul Island, or Laura, only recently (1995) separated from the Western Province into a separate administrative region. Its population is also heterogeneous, as in other parts of the country - about 16 thousand Melanesians live in the western half of the main island, and immigrants from the Gilbert Islands (about 2 thousand people) live in the east and north. Most of the coast of Choiseul is an extremely narrow strip, bounded from land by mountain ranges and jungles, and from the sea by large shallow swamps and literally a wall of moisture-loving vegetation. Therefore, it is quite difficult to explore it, and all excursions are carried out either along the Choiseul Bay, the Sui River with its waterfalls and the tiny capital of Kumbakal, near which the shores are more favorable for movement, or by sea - in the form of a week-long cruise along the coast of the island with visits to local villages and diving under water (however, apart from good reefs, there is nothing remarkable here - the fighting of the Second World War took place much southeast of this region). Isabel Region The Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendaña da Neira discovered the island of Santa Isabel in February 1568 and set foot on the shore in the bay that today bears the name of Estrella Bay. Almost 75% of the local population, mostly Melanesians belonging to six tribal groups, live in the southeastern part of the island. The longest island of the archipelago, Santa Isabel, is still quite little explored, which is facilitated by the almost complete absence of roads (the only section that deserves the name of the road stretches from the capital of the island, Buala, to the village of Kaevanga on the south coast), so all movements between the settlements of the island conducted by sea. There is also a center of excursion activities, the most popular object of which is the island Arnavon(Amavon), also known as "Turtle Island", because it is here that the natural breeding area of hawksbill - the rarest sea turtles. None of the nearly one hundred islands and reefs of the group Arnavon, stretching between Santa Isabel and Rob Roy Island, is not permanently inhabited, many are only a couple of tens of centimeters above sea level, so this area can also boast unsurpassed fishing. In 1991, the Arnavon Marine Nature Reserve was created here, whose zone stretches from the coast of Santa Isabel to Choiseul. When visiting the park, visitors are accompanied by a whole staff of specially trained guides from among the inhabitants of local villages (2 people from each community), who monitor only the behavior of tourists and control the life of turtles - the local population is so vulnerable and has not yet fully recovered after many years of extermination of these unique animals that such behavior of the staff is simply necessary. Also noteworthy is the pile village of Kia in the north of the island, where all movement is carried out by canoe, and the southwestern island San Jorge(San Jorge is known in local mythology as the habitat of the spirits of the dead - various strange phenomena are indeed not uncommon here). Most of the local villages have good mini-hotels with excellent service by local standards and the level of prosperity, and the main souvenir from these places is tapa (paper mulberry) bark fabric, dyed blue with the juice of local orchids. Makira Region The southeasternmost region of Solomon includes the islands of Makira (San Cristobal), Ulawa, Uki-Ni-Masi, Ovaraha (Santa Ana), Owariki (Santa Catalina) and a dozen more small patches of land stretching towards Vanuatu . A rather compact island group (all islands are located at a distance of about 35-38 km from each other, with the exception of Olav, which lies 75 km south of San Cristobal) covers an area of about 3188 square meters. km and is inhabited by 30 thousand people (two thirds of them live on the northern coast of San Cristobal). Mountainous (up to 1040 m on San Cristobal) and heavily swampy islands are literally dissected by rivers and streams (almost every 2-5 km a watercourse flows into the sea), being considered the "wettest" in the country. Since the islands have been isolated from the outside world for a long time, many relic forms of plants and animals have been preserved here, the same applies to people - the Bauro tribal group is considered by scientists to be one of the most isolated and conservative ethnic groups in the region. The main fame for the islands was brought by local masters of folk dances - almost every village here has its own troupes, widely known far beyond the Solomon Islands. The most colorful dance performances with almost complete preservation of ancient traditions can be seen in Star Harbor, in the village Natanger, on the islands of Ovaraha (Santa Ana), Owariki (Santa Catalina), Tri-Sister and Olava. You can also buy handicrafts here. And in the cave-filled and extremely inaccessible mountainous regions of San Cristobal, according to local residents, the "gnomes of the Pacific Ocean" still live - a short "kakamora" race, to which all sorts of mythical properties are attributed. Temotu Region Formerly called the Eastern Outer Islands, the Temotu region covers an area of 926 square kilometers. km (islands) and 150 thousand sq. km of ocean in the easternmost part of the Solomon Islands. This vast archipelago of widely scattered islands is separated from the main group of the country by a basin Torres with depths up to 600 m. The three groups of volcanic islands that make up the region (Santa Cruz, Tinakula and Utupua) are surrounded by low coral atolls of the nearby Reef Islands and isolated extinct volcanoes of the Duff, Tikopia and Anua islands located in the east. This area is virtually untouched by modern civilization, and the islanders inhabiting it differ in their origin from the inhabitants of the rest of the Solomon Islands. The only attractions here are the island's active volcanoes. Tinakula, colorful rituals of local tribes (it is typical that bunches of red feathers of tropical birds are still used here as a monetary unit - one of the most unusual currencies on the planet), the village of Bola on Santa Cruz with its unusual population, in whose veins the blood of Spanish sailors from the ships of Alvaro de Mendanya (it is here that the navigator himself and 47 members of his crew are buried), as well as the beautiful Graciosa Bay. Rennell and Bellona (Renbel) Region The southernmost island group, singled out as an independent region in 1995, Rennell and Bellona lies south of Guadalcanal and southwest of Makira. These remote atolls were discovered by the captain of the merchant ship Matthew Boyd in 1793. Now this area, covering an area of 671 sq. km and inhabited by only 2.5 thousand people, is one of the natural reserves of nature and Polynesian traditions. The capital of the region - the town of Tigoa lies on the island of Rennell, or Mu-Nggava, as the islanders themselves call it, and Bellona, or Mu-Ngiki, is widely known as the land of excellent carpenters and wood carvers. Island Rennell considered the largest elevated atoll on the planet (86x15 km), but the main feature of its uniqueness is an elongated lake occupying almost the entire southern part Tengano- the largest freshwater lake in the South Pacific Ocean (now its area is about 15.5 thousand hectares), on which there was a place for 200 islands, and for large bird colonies, and for many rare species of flora, primarily orchids. It is easy to guess that in the era of the formation of the island, the lake was a vast lagoon, which, as the land surrounding it rose above the water, gradually became desalinated, although the water still remains slightly brackish. Therefore, now here you can find completely unique species of once marine fish, turned into freshwater by nature itself (the only analogue is Lake Titicaca in the South American Andes). Due to its unique natural conditions and specific ecology, the eastern part of the island, along with Lake Tengano, was declared a National Wildlife Park (an area of 37 thousand hectares), which was subsequently included in the UNESCO World Wildlife Heritage List. Noticeably smaller and quieter Bellona(Mu-Ngiki) lies northwest of Rennell and has rich phosphate deposits as well as many habitation caves of the region's earliest inhabitants, the legendary Hithi people. Here you can also see a specific folk type of wrestling - hetakai, which has existed on the islands for at least the last 600 years.
