Things to do in Kosrae
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kosrae
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Relatively drier trade wind window, breezy, with south and west dive sites sometimes limited by wind.
Shoulder months, seas easing, a reasonable mix for reef and land days.
Calmest water and best diving and snorkelling, but humid and wet, in the wider typhoon season.
Winds build again, fine for land, less reliable for a dive first trip.
What's on
- Kosrae Constitution Day 11 January
A Kosrae state holiday marking the state constitution, with closures.
- Gospel Day 21 August
A Kosrae state holiday marking the arrival of Christianity, central to island life.
- Kosrae Liberation Day 8 September
The island's biggest public celebration, with ceremonies, singing, dancing, sports and communal food.
Best things to do in Kosrae
Lelu Ruins Historic Park
The stone city of the Kosrae kings on Lelu Island, best read with a local guide and treated as a sacred village place.
Kosrae State Museum
A small museum in Tofol with tools, weaving and war material, and the best orientation before visiting Lelu.
Menke Ruins
A little documented interior ruin complex reached only by a guided jungle hike, for travellers who want the quieter site.
Where to stay in Kosrae
Lelu and the causeway
first trip, ruins and diving
Puts Nautilus, Treelodge and Kosrae Village by the ruins, the Blue Hole and the main hotel restaurants.
Tafunsak
budget and the west coast road
A quieter village base on the north west coast, handy for the airport side of the island and Yela trips.
Best restaurants in Kosrae
Bully's Restaurant
The mangrove pier restaurant at Pacific Treelodge, the name visitors single out most for lobster and crab.
Kosrae Nautilus Resort
The resort restaurant by the pool, built on fresh local seafood and sashimi, and the island's most dependable full menu.
Island Hopper Restaurant
A small family restaurant in Tafunsak serving local seafood and international standards, useful on a west side road day.
Outdoor things to do in Kosrae
The Blue Hole
A deep coral ringed hole in the flats near Nautilus, best snorkelled at high tide without standing on coral.
Hiroshi's Point
Kosrae's signature wall dive, dense intact hard coral with barracuda and turtles, reached by mooring buoy boat.
Mount Finkol
The highest point on Kosrae at 619 m, a steep muddy jungle climb that needs a local guide and an early start.
Sipyen Waterfall
A jungle walk near Walung to a falls and pool, muddy after rain and best done in the morning with sturdy shoes.
Yela Valley Ka Forest
A tide timed boat trip into mangrove channels to the largest stand of ka trees in the world, with huge buttress trunks.
Utwe-Walung Marine Park
Mangrove channels explored by canoe or small boat with a local guide, and Kosrae's best half day for non divers.
Best hotels in Kosrae
Kosrae Nautilus Resort
The fullest service stay on Kosrae, 18 air conditioned rooms, a pool and a dive operation by the Lelu causeway.
Kosrae Village Ecolodge & Dive Resort
Thatched cottages in oceanfront foliage with a dive centre and a kitchen known for local seafood and mangrove crab.
Pacific Treelodge Resort
A small cottage resort in mangrove woodland by a river near Lelu, with Bully's restaurant on a pier.
Island Hopper Hotel
The honest budget hotel option in Tafunsak, small and simple with a family restaurant on site.
Is Kosrae expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $90 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $160 a person |
| Splurge | $250 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lelu Ruins Historic Park: a few days ahead
- Kosrae State Museum: a few days ahead
- Menke Ruins: a few days ahead
- Hiroshi's Point: a few days ahead
- Mount Finkol: a few days ahead
- Yela Valley Ka Forest: a few days ahead
- Utwe-Walung Marine Park: a few days ahead
- Kosrae Nautilus Resort: weeks ahead
- Island Hopper flights stopping at Kosrae run only about twice a week each way, so lock dates to the flight first.
- Arrange guides for Lelu, Finkol, Yela and Utwe Walung through your hotel days ahead, and never for a Sunday.
Is Kosrae safe?
- The hospital is limited and serious cases need air evacuation, so remoteness is the main risk.
- Carry insurance that covers medical evacuation and diving, and use a local guide for jungle trails and outer reef sites.
Kosrae travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Planning anything for Sunday, when businesses close and tours, diving and public activity stop.
- Assuming a luxury tier, a restaurant scene or walk in dining exists beyond the few hotel restaurants.
Getting around Kosrae: public transport and more
- A coastal road runs most of the way around the island, with the Walung end the awkward stretch, so allow extra time or a boat.
- Rental cars are arranged through hotels, and taxis are cheap but unreliable, so book transfers with your stay.
Who Kosrae suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | OK |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Kosrae your trip
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