Things to do in Tarawa
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Tarawa
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season, the recommended window, with calmer lagoon crossings and Independence Day week in July.
Shoulder months into and out of the wet season, with heavier showers and more disrupted boat days.
Wettest months and king tide season, with road flooding, rough crossings and Christmas and New Year closures.
What's on
- Independence Day 12 July, with celebrations through the week around it
National celebrations in South Tarawa marking independence in 1979, with parades, dance, sport and canoe racing.
Best things to do in Tarawa
Red Beach
The Betio landing shore of November 1943, where markers for Red Beach 1, 2 and 3 still face the reef flat.
Betio War Relics and Memorials
Guns, bunkers, a landing craft and memorials to both sides, scattered through the living town of Betio.
Te Umanibong
The national cultural museum in Bikenibeu, covering maneaba, weaving, fishing and dance in a small, useful display.
Maneaba ni Maungatabu
Kiribati Parliament at Ambo, housed since 2000 in a building shaped deliberately like a traditional maneaba.
Sacred Heart Cathedral
A simple, lived in cathedral in Teaoraereke, best understood at a Sunday service heard respectfully from inside.
Dai Nippon Causeway
The causeway walk by Bairiki for fishing, high tide swimming on the ocean side and everyday capital life.
Where to stay in Tarawa
Betio
the battle sites and the port
The western end of the road, within walking distance of Red Beach, the relics, the wharf and Betio shops.
Bairiki and Antenon
government, the causeway and an all round base
The administrative centre and the quieter villages just east of it, practical for Betio, the museum and North Tarawa boats.
Ambo and Bikenibeu
Parliament, the museum and the airport side
The middle to eastern strip, with Parliament at Ambo, the museum and cafe in Bikenibeu and a shorter airport run.
North Tarawa
quiet, villages and clean swimming
Reached by boat or a low tide channel crossing, with one ecolodge base and walking access up the islets.
Best restaurants in Tarawa
Mary's Motel Restaurant
The Bairiki patio restaurant at Mary's, serving local and international dishes to guests and non residents alike.
Utirerei Hotel Restaurant
A garden and pond side restaurant in Ambo, praised by guests for its seafood chowder and broad menu.
Chatterbox Cafe
An air conditioned lagoon side cafe in Bikenibeu for coffee, toasties, smoothies and the best craft shop stop.
Otintaai Hotel Restaurant
The large hotel restaurant in Bikenibeu for western and Chinese dishes, when trading and stocked normally.
Pacific Restaurant
A cheap local Chinese restaurant in Banraeaba, with a private room and simple rice, noodle and fish dishes.
Outdoor things to do in Tarawa
North Tarawa
The quiet boat day across the lagoon to villages, maneaba, giant clams and clean swimming water.
Broken Bridge
The clear channel swim stop on the North Tarawa walk, used by local swimmers at the right tide.
Biketawa Islet
A small lagoon islet by organised boat, with local material bungalows, a meeting house and village pace.
Abatao
The first North Tarawa village across the channel, for the giant clam farm, boat building and ecolodge base.
Best hotels in Tarawa
Otintaai Hotel
The government owned largest hotel in Kiribati, in Bikenibeu near the airport, with restaurant and conference space.
Mary's Motel
A family run Bairiki motel by the causeway, with a well liked restaurant and war site trips arranged for guests.
Utirerei Hotel
A quiet Ambo motel off the main road, with a garden restaurant several guests rate among the best on Tarawa.
The George Hotel
A family owned Betio hotel within a short walk of the wharf, town facilities and the war sites.
Fema Lodge
A quiet lagoon side lodge at Antenon, a short drive from Bairiki, with a restaurant and a calmer setting.
Betio Lodge
A simple Betio lodge base with a restaurant and a real coffee cafe, handy for the port and battle sites.
Tabon Te Keekee
A family ecolodge in traditional buia at Abatao, for swimming, hammocks, bicycles and North Tarawa walks.
Is Tarawa expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | A$80 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | A$150 a person |
| Splurge | A$260 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Betio War Relics and Memorials: a few days ahead
- North Tarawa: a few days ahead
- Biketawa Islet: a few days ahead
- Abatao: a few days ahead
- Otintaai Hotel: weeks ahead
- Mary's Motel: weeks ahead
- Utirerei Hotel: weeks ahead
- The George Hotel: a few days ahead
- Book flights, the better motels and any guided Betio or North Tarawa day weeks ahead, especially May to October.
- Confirm airport transfers and any hotel booking again close to travel, and again on the day.
Is Tarawa safe?
- Never swim in the main South Tarawa lagoon and avoid locally caught lagoon fish and shellfish.
- Do not drink tap water, use bottled or boiled water, and insure for medical evacuation from Tarawa.
- Take care on the single causeway road after dark, with traffic, people, dogs and pigs sharing a narrow, dim road.
Tarawa travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Menus list more than kitchens have between supply ships, so ask what is actually available today.
- Do not rely on a card payment, a specific dish or an ATM on a specific day.
- Do not treat Betio relics as souvenirs and do not dig or move any wartime metal object.
Getting around Tarawa: public transport and more
- Local buses run the single main road the length of South Tarawa between Betio, Bairiki, Ambo, Bikenibeu and Bonriki.
- Agree any taxi or hotel car fare before departure, and allow far more time than the distance suggests.
- North Tarawa is reached by boat, or by a low tide channel crossing on foot from the end of the South Tarawa road.
Who Tarawa suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | OK |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | OK |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Tarawa your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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