ECOTOURISM MELANESIA: Village homestays in the Solomon Islands

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Ecotourism Melanesia’s
SOLOMON ISLANDS VILLAGE HOMESTAYS

Village stay is a warts-and-all travel experience particularly suited to the Solomons, where villages are safe and friendly, and the traditional lifestyle is still widely practised. Village stay gives visitors the opportunity to experience the local culture first hand by actually staying in a village-style house, trying out traditional foods and observing or joining in on day to day village activities. Village hosts also accompany their guests on excursions away from the village for sightseeing or recreation. Who better to show you the local attractions than the people who live there? Naturally the standard of accommodation and facilities in villages cannot compete with hotels: some aspects of comfort and convenience must be compromised. But only a village stay can offer visitors a real insight into the culture and lifestyle of the Solomon Islanders.

Ecotourism Melanesia offers a selection of village stays located in various provinces across the Solomons. Each village stay is independently operated by a bona fide village family. Established in 1996 under the name Solomons Village Stay, our network of village homestays is the first village ecotourism venture of its type in the South Pacific, giving local villagers an opportunity to earn limited cash income without selling their customary lands to developers or turning to environmentally damaging practices such as rainforest logging. To minimise the impact of visitors on the village culture, limits are placed on the number of guest arrivals at each village stay. Each village stay accepts only one booking at a time, up to a limit of 10 nights per month, so that the impact of tourism on the village is minimised.

Host families are well-established members of their village communities. Most of them follow subsistence lifestyles, growing food in extensive hillside gardens, raising domestic livestock and fishing in surrounding waters. Many village stay hosts carry responsible positions in community and church leadership. All members of the host family are involved in looking after guests, undertaking various tasks such as harvesting from the gardens, fishing, cooking, and acting as interpreters and guides. Village hosts speak English, but will of course be keen to teach you a few words of Solomons Pidgin or their local language.

Accommodation at village stays is usually a guest bungalow situated next to the family home, constructed in traditional style from logs, bamboo, loya cane, sago palm leaves and rough-cut rainforest timbers. Bungalows usually have two bedrooms opening onto a verandah, and can accommodate up to six people. Bedding is supplied by the hosts (mattresses, pillows, sheets and mosquito nets). Guests are provided with a private toilet and a screened-off outdoor bathroom (where showers may involve standing under a gush of piped springwater or scooping rainwater from a drum!).

Meals are provided by village hosts, who will sit you down to three big offerings of local-style food every day, and ply you with copious amounts of tropical fruit and fresh coconut juice in between. Typical village breakfast is billy tea with home-baked bread buns and jam. Lunch often features green vegetables cooked in coconut milk, with fish, sweet potato, rice and fruit. The evening meal is usually cooked motu style under hot stones. This may include vegetables, fish, chicken or pork, all wrapped in banana leaves and cooked to perfection. Guests are welcome to bring with them any additional food items. Village drinking water comes from rainwater tanks or is collected from underground mineral springs.

THINGS TO DO
During your village stay, you are welcome to do as much or as little as you wish: all village-based activities are free. Members of your host family are always available to guide you around the village area, introducing you to others, interpreting what you see and hear, and advising you on matters of cultural etiquette. There is a whole range of village-based cultural and recreational activities which your hosts will be happy to organise for you. Some suggestions:

paddle a dugout canoe

take a rainforest walk

swim and snorkel off the beach

gorge yourself on tropical fruits

listen to 'custom stories' told by the elders

visit pagan worship or burial sites

go fishing: over the reef or off the edge

go for a picnic on a sandy islet

learn to speak some Pidgin

try your hand at weaving, carving

learn about medicinal plants in the bush

visit the village gardens

explore mangrove waterways by canoe

play games with the village kids

swim in a pool under a waterfall

learn about local history and traditions

catch crabs at night with the village kids

help out with village chores

watch how food is cooked under hot stones

Your hosts can also arrange sightseeing trips to local attractions by road or motor canoe, at extra cost if boat or vehicle hire is required.

VILLAGE LOCATIONS

Ecotourism Melanesia has exclusive booking arrangements with village stays located across the Solomons. Most village stays are close to airfields serviced by Solomon Airlines. Village hosts will normally meet you at the nearest airfield and transfer you to their village by motor canoe or by road. Some villages also offer outings by motor canoe for sightseeing, picnics, fishing, and access to pristine snorkelling or bushwalking spots. Motorised outings are paid for in cash on arrival at the village, as required and weather permitting (usually S$150 for boat hire plus S$8 per litre for fuel, plus any fees for access to cultural sites or private land).

Following is a description of each village stay location:

FAARAU VILLAGE STAY (Near Auki, Malaita)
Malaita is the Solomons' most populous island, and the small provincial capital, Auki, is only a half-hour flight from Honiara. Our host village at Auki is a 20 minute ride out of town. Most of the Malaita coastline is fringed by reefs and mangroves with few beaches, and visitor activities focus on Malaita's rich traditional culture: bride price, shell money, customary chiefs and magic men, and the Langa Langa Lagoon with its amazing man-made islands and shark worshippers. The elders tell 'custom stories' you literally won't believe! Malaita has a road system along the western and northern coasts and your hosts can take you sightseeing in bumpy but cheap public passenger trucks. From our host village at Auki you can hike across the interior to the east coast, passing through isolated bush villages where outsiders are rarely seen, and return by truck. VORI VORI VILLAGE STAY (Gizo Island, Western Province)
Gizo is one and a half hour's direct flight from Honiara. However the alternative 'milk-run' flight which drops in at 3 or 4 other airstrips along the way is an absolute must: exhilarating scenery from only 1000 ft for much of the way. Gizo town is the Western Province capital, gateway to the region's great scenery, diving, fishing, and prized ebony wood carvings. A 30 minute outboard canoe ride from town brings you to the other side of Gizo Island, where our village stay hosts live in a small seaside village. The palm-fringed beach goes on for miles, the sea is warm and calm with great snorkelling and the sun sets behind Ranongga Island every evening. The coast road to Gizo town is an easy three-hour walk for those keen on trekking. Your hosts can organise day trips to nearby islands, including famous Kennedy Island. Scuba diving can be arranged through Dive Gizo.

HAURAWA VILLAGE STAY (Southwest Malaita)
The Are Are Lagoon is a long narrow stretch of protected water along the southwestern coast of Malaita, closed off at the saouthern end by Uhu Island. On the nearby mainland is Haurawa Village where Seth Hunahoa has his village stay. A half hour flight from Honiara to Parasi or Afutara airfield followed by a 60 minute motor canoe ride will bring you to Haurawa. This area is seldom visited by tourists, especially in recent years. Seth will take you by canoe up to other villages in the lagoon where there is a shark worship culture and plenty of serious traditional custom evident: skin tattooing, shark teeth jewelry and the ubiquitous betel nut chewing. The lagoon has some great swimming, snorkelling and paddling spots, and good bushwalking in the rainforest on the mainland. It is possible to hike in to bush villages which have not seen foreigners for many years. KUKUNDU VILLAGE STAY (Kolombangara Island, Western Province)
Kukundu mission station is accessible by air from Honiara or by motor canoe from Gizo. The village stay here is in a river-mouth location featuring mangrove labyrinths, sandy beaches and brilliant coral reef, with cool freshwater swimming upstream. Kolombangara Island is almost circular, an extinct volcanic cone with a central crater 1 km deep! Hiking up to the rim is only for hardy trekkers and involves an overnight in a mountain shack. For the less venturesome there are still great views of nearby islands from the lower slopes. You can travel by motor canoe along the coast to the small logging town of Ringgi Cove, or further afield to the various small islands off Gizo. Gizo town is only 40 minutes away by motor canoe.

BUGOTU VILLAGE STAY (Southeast Isabel)
Isabel is one of the friendliest and prettiest provinces of the Solomons but sees few visitors due to a lack of tourism infrastructure. Bugotu Village Stay is located on a small but heavily populated island at the southeastern tip of Isabel, a 90 minute motor canoe transfer from Fera airfield, in waters abounding with fish. The island is a short paddle from the 'mainland'. Activities here focus on the sea: fishing, swimming, snorkelling, dugout canoeing and motor canoe touring. Overland hikes on the mainland lead to a variety of "tabu" sites, some with ruins. Isabel is famous for its unique traditional dancing and local groups will perform for you for a modest fee. This is a very out-of-the-way location, a true rural Solomons experience. KARAKA VILLAGE STAY (Vella Lavella Island, Western Province)
Located on the north coast of Vella Lavella, the Ulo River thermal area is a geothermal hotspot often referred to by locals as "the volcano". There are hot springs and bubbling mud pools, and a population of flightless megapode birds lay eggs in the warm earth. The thermal area is less than an hour's walk from the seaside host village. Day hikes will take you to some extinct volcanic cones in the interior of the island. You will need at least 4 days here to see everything. Karaka Village Stay is 2 hours by outboard canoe from Gizo.

MARINGE VILLAGE STAY (Southeast Isabel)
Maringe offers many of the same attractions as Bugotu but is only a 10 minute canoe ride from Fera airfield and the provincial capital, Buala. Your host here is the village chief, and a full range of bush and water activities is offered. The village is located on a narrow coastal strip, facing the Maringe Lagoon. The Lagoon has a number of small, uninhabited islands and reefs which can be explored by dugout canoe or motor canoe, and there is very good underwater viewing of coral. Behind the village are the steep slopes of Mt Kubonitu (1000m) which can be climbed by the keen - there are tracks and someone from the village will go with you. ROVIANA VILLAGE STAY (Roviana Lagoon, West New Georgia Island)
Munda is a quiet little town serving as a gateway to the Vona Vona and Roviana Lagoons. There are daily flights from Honiara and Gizo, and other connections by air and sea to virtually everywhere else in the Western Province. Munda was an important military airfield during WW2 and there are war relics everywhere: in the bushes, on the beaches, in the water. There is great wreck diving available. Roviana Village Stay is located on Roviana Island, a short canoe ride from the township. Roviana Island has a colourful history of headhunting, animist religion and tribal wars. On the hill behind the village lie the ruins of an ancient coral fortress protecting the stone dog-idol previously worshipped by the tribe. From Roviana Island a variety of excursions by motor canoe can be undertaken into the Roviana and Vona Vona Lagoons for snorkelling, fishing and sightseeing: war relics, waterfalls, bat caves, and cultural sites such as the skull islands where the 'trophies' of yesterday's headhunters were stored.

DOKULU VILLAGE STAY (Simbo Island, Western Province)
Simbo is one and a half hours outboard canoe ride from Gizo. Simbo Island and its people are unique in the Solomons: culturally isolated from other island groups by distance they have developed their own unique society. They are a shy but friendly people who welcome visitors. Having no airfield, Simbo is seldom visited by tourists. Dokulu Village Stay is the only organised accommodation on the island. Visitors can visit the hot springs and active volcanic areas, and see how food is cooked in the hot earth. Tasting ground-cooked megapode eggs is a must. Visitors can also visit shrines where skulls have been kept since Simbo's dark days of headhunting. CHUCHULU VILLAGE STAY (Marovo Lagoon, East New Georgia Island)
Touted as the "crucible" of ecotourism in the Pacific, the Marovo Lagoon is held to be the largest marine lagoon of its type in the world and has been proposed for World Heritage listing. The Lagoon embraces a myriad of small islands in calm waters off the maternal coasts of New Georgia and Vangunu, with their deep jungles and navigable rivers. In recent years various environmental organisations have assisted village communities with setting up low impact "eco-resorts" which have opened up the area to small numbers of tourists. Chuchulu Village Stay is located on the East New Georgia mainland, right in the middle of the Marovo district. A variety of interesting day trips by motor canoe are available, taking in uninhabited islands, local villages, pagan worship sites, caves, rainforest/wildlife areas and trips up some of the larger rivers (yes there are crocodiles!). Chuchulu is accessable by a 20 minute motor canoe ride from Seghe airfield on New Georgia (Solomon Airlines flights from Honiara, Gizo and Munda almost daily)

GEPAE VILLAGE STAY (Northwest Vangunu Island, Marovo Lagoon)
A one hour ride through the Marovo Lagoon from Seghe airfield brings you to Gepae Village, situated in a mangrove and rainforest ecosystem with an abundance of surrounding marine and terrestrial wildlife. Your bungalow is right by the water's edge and native canoes are available for paddling to your heart's content. Snorkelling areas and sandy white beaches are a short boat ride away. Being further from the airfield and the larger resorts, Gepae is a more traditional village experience. Your hosts are a young couple, Joshua and Laena.

BOOKING INFORMATION

TARIFF:
USD$33 per person per night, includes accommodation, all meals, local guides and basic freedom of the village area (subject, of course, to the advice of hosts). Half price for children and secondary students travelling with adult. Bookings must be pre-paid.
TRANSFERS:
Airfield-to-village transfers are charged extra and must be paid in cash directly to the village host. Transfer charges available on request.
ACTIVITIES:
Village-based activities (paddle canoeing, bushwalking etc) are included in the tariff. Outings which require motor canoe transport are charged extra, based on S$150 hire plus S$8 per litre for fuel. Visitation or 'custom' fees may also be payable to local landowners for accessing private property or cultural sites.
NOTES:
1. Bookings for village stays must be prepaid and confirmed four weeks before arrival at village. We accept payments by bank to bank transfer of overseas bank draft.
2. Cancellation penalties apply. Guests should take out travel insurance to cover against unforeseen circumstance which may lead to a forced cancellation of your booking. See our terms and conditions.
3. Minimum village stay is 2 nights and maximum stay in any one village is 10 nights.
4. Guests are advised that Village Stay is an "in situ" cultural experience which does not provide the standard of service typical of conventional tourist facilities. Guests are expected to respect the social and cultural norms of the village community. Brief attire/swimwear cannot be worn in village areas.

For bookings and enquiries, visit our BOOKING INFORMATION PAGE

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This site updated November 2003

FAARAU VILLAGE STAY (Near Auki, Malaita) Malaita is the Solomons' most populous island, and the small provincial capital, Auki, is only a half-hour flight from Honiara. Our host village at Auki is a 20 minute ride out of town. Most of the Malaita coastline is fringed by reefs and mangroves with few beaches, and visitor activities focus on Malaita's rich traditional culture: bride price, shell money, customary chiefs and magic men, and the Langa Langa Lagoon with its amazing man-made islands and shark worshippers. The elders tell 'custom stories' you literally won't believe! Malaita has a road system along the western and northern coasts and your hosts can take you sightseeing in bumpy but cheap public passenger trucks. From our host village at Auki you can hike across the interior to the east coast, passing through isolated bush villages where outsiders are rarely seen, and return by truck.	VORI VORI VILLAGE STAY (Gizo Island, Western Province) Gizo is one and a half hour's direct flight from Honiara. However the alternative 'milk-run' flight which drops in at 3 or 4 other airstrips along the way is an absolute must: exhilarating scenery from only 1000 ft for much of the way. Gizo town is the Western Province capital, gateway to the region's great scenery, diving, fishing, and prized ebony wood carvings. A 30 minute outboard canoe ride from town brings you to the other side of Gizo Island, where our village stay hosts live in a small seaside village. The palm-fringed beach goes on for miles, the sea is warm and calm with great snorkelling and the sun sets behind Ranongga Island every evening. The coast road to Gizo town is an easy three-hour walk for those keen on trekking. Your hosts can organise day trips to nearby islands, including famous Kennedy Island. Scuba diving can be arranged through Dive Gizo.
HAURAWA VILLAGE STAY (Southwest Malaita) The Are Are Lagoon is a long narrow stretch of protected water along the southwestern coast of Malaita, closed off at the saouthern end by Uhu Island. On the nearby mainland is Haurawa Village where Seth Hunahoa has his village stay. A half hour flight from Honiara to Parasi or Afutara airfield followed by a 60 minute motor canoe ride will bring you to Haurawa. This area is seldom visited by tourists, especially in recent years. Seth will take you by canoe up to other villages in the lagoon where there is a shark worship culture and plenty of serious traditional custom evident: skin tattooing, shark teeth jewelry and the ubiquitous betel nut chewing. The lagoon has some great swimming, snorkelling and paddling spots, and good bushwalking in the rainforest on the mainland. It is possible to hike in to bush villages which have not seen foreigners for many years.	KUKUNDU VILLAGE STAY (Kolombangara Island, Western Province) Kukundu mission station is accessible by air from Honiara or by motor canoe from Gizo. The village stay here is in a river-mouth location featuring mangrove labyrinths, sandy beaches and brilliant coral reef, with cool freshwater swimming upstream. Kolombangara Island is almost circular, an extinct volcanic cone with a central crater 1 km deep! Hiking up to the rim is only for hardy trekkers and involves an overnight in a mountain shack. For the less venturesome there are still great views of nearby islands from the lower slopes. You can travel by motor canoe along the coast to the small logging town of Ringgi Cove, or further afield to the various small islands off Gizo. Gizo town is only 40 minutes away by motor canoe.
BUGOTU VILLAGE STAY (Southeast Isabel) Isabel is one of the friendliest and prettiest provinces of the Solomons but sees few visitors due to a lack of tourism infrastructure. Bugotu Village Stay is located on a small but heavily populated island at the southeastern tip of Isabel, a 90 minute motor canoe transfer from Fera airfield, in waters abounding with fish. The island is a short paddle from the 'mainland'. Activities here focus on the sea: fishing, swimming, snorkelling, dugout canoeing and motor canoe touring. Overland hikes on the mainland lead to a variety of "tabu" sites, some with ruins. Isabel is famous for its unique traditional dancing and local groups will perform for you for a modest fee. This is a very out-of-the-way location, a true rural Solomons experience.	KARAKA VILLAGE STAY (Vella Lavella Island, Western Province) Located on the north coast of Vella Lavella, the Ulo River thermal area is a geothermal hotspot often referred to by locals as "the volcano". There are hot springs and bubbling mud pools, and a population of flightless megapode birds lay eggs in the warm earth. The thermal area is less than an hour's walk from the seaside host village. Day hikes will take you to some extinct volcanic cones in the interior of the island. You will need at least 4 days here to see everything. Karaka Village Stay is 2 hours by outboard canoe from Gizo.
MARINGE VILLAGE STAY (Southeast Isabel) Maringe offers many of the same attractions as Bugotu but is only a 10 minute canoe ride from Fera airfield and the provincial capital, Buala. Your host here is the village chief, and a full range of bush and water activities is offered. The village is located on a narrow coastal strip, facing the Maringe Lagoon. The Lagoon has a number of small, uninhabited islands and reefs which can be explored by dugout canoe or motor canoe, and there is very good underwater viewing of coral. Behind the village are the steep slopes of Mt Kubonitu (1000m) which can be climbed by the keen - there are tracks and someone from the village will go with you.	ROVIANA VILLAGE STAY (Roviana Lagoon, West New Georgia Island) Munda is a quiet little town serving as a gateway to the Vona Vona and Roviana Lagoons. There are daily flights from Honiara and Gizo, and other connections by air and sea to virtually everywhere else in the Western Province. Munda was an important military airfield during WW2 and there are war relics everywhere: in the bushes, on the beaches, in the water. There is great wreck diving available. Roviana Village Stay is located on Roviana Island, a short canoe ride from the township. Roviana Island has a colourful history of headhunting, animist religion and tribal wars. On the hill behind the village lie the ruins of an ancient coral fortress protecting the stone dog-idol previously worshipped by the tribe. From Roviana Island a variety of excursions by motor canoe can be undertaken into the Roviana and Vona Vona Lagoons for snorkelling, fishing and sightseeing: war relics, waterfalls, bat caves, and cultural sites such as the skull islands where the 'trophies' of yesterday's headhunters were stored.
DOKULU VILLAGE STAY (Simbo Island, Western Province) Simbo is one and a half hours outboard canoe ride from Gizo. Simbo Island and its people are unique in the Solomons: culturally isolated from other island groups by distance they have developed their own unique society. They are a shy but friendly people who welcome visitors. Having no airfield, Simbo is seldom visited by tourists. Dokulu Village Stay is the only organised accommodation on the island. Visitors can visit the hot springs and active volcanic areas, and see how food is cooked in the hot earth. Tasting ground-cooked megapode eggs is a must. Visitors can also visit shrines where skulls have been kept since Simbo's dark days of headhunting.	CHUCHULU VILLAGE STAY (Marovo Lagoon, East New Georgia Island) Touted as the "crucible" of ecotourism in the Pacific, the Marovo Lagoon is held to be the largest marine lagoon of its type in the world and has been proposed for World Heritage listing. The Lagoon embraces a myriad of small islands in calm waters off the maternal coasts of New Georgia and Vangunu, with their deep jungles and navigable rivers. In recent years various environmental organisations have assisted village communities with setting up low impact "eco-resorts" which have opened up the area to small numbers of tourists. Chuchulu Village Stay is located on the East New Georgia mainland, right in the middle of the Marovo district. A variety of interesting day trips by motor canoe are available, taking in uninhabited islands, local villages, pagan worship sites, caves, rainforest/wildlife areas and trips up some of the larger rivers (yes there are crocodiles!). Chuchulu is accessable by a 20 minute motor canoe ride from Seghe airfield on New Georgia (Solomon Airlines flights from Honiara, Gizo and Munda almost daily)
	GEPAE VILLAGE STAY (Northwest Vangunu Island, Marovo Lagoon) A one hour ride through the Marovo Lagoon from Seghe airfield brings you to Gepae Village, situated in a mangrove and rainforest ecosystem with an abundance of surrounding marine and terrestrial wildlife. Your bungalow is right by the water's edge and native canoes are available for paddling to your heart's content. Snorkelling areas and sandy white beaches are a short boat ride away. Being further from the airfield and the larger resorts, Gepae is a more traditional village experience. Your hosts are a young couple, Joshua and Laena.