Pohnpei

Rain-soaked Micronesian island of rivers, waterfalls, dense forest, and the basalt ruins of Nan Madol.

Pohnpei is the largest and tallest island in the Federated States of Micronesia, and one of the wettest places on earth — its peaks collect enough rain to feed over 40 rivers and waterfalls that cascade through dense tropical forest. The island is the seat of the national capital, Palikir, but feels anything but urban. This is a place for hikers, divers and anyone drawn to the genuinely remote.

The island's greatest mystery is Nan Madol, sometimes called the Venice of the Pacific — a ruined city of artificial islets linked by canals, built from massive basalt columns on a reef flat off the southeast coast. It once housed a thriving royal civilisation, and much about its construction remains unexplained. A knowledgeable local guide is essential for a visit.

The other unmissable natural feature is Sokehs Rock, a 190-metre basalt monolith rising above Kolonia's harbour. The hike to the top passes Japanese wartime fortifications and ends with views across the entire lagoon. Among the island's many waterfalls, Kepirohi is the most dramatic and accessible, a 20-metre cascade into a deep swimming pool about an hour from town.

The diving around Pohnpei is superb. The lagoon is rich with nutrients carried by mangrove channels, attracting sharks, sea turtles, manta rays and dense coral gardens. The nearby atolls of Ant and Pakin, reached by boat from Kolonia, offer pristine wall diving and pass drifts in near-total solitude.

On land, Pohnpei is famous for sakau, a kava-like drink pounded from wild pepper root and served at communal ceremonies. Watching it being prepared — the rhythmic pounding, the earthy liquid squeezed through hibiscus bark — is an experience unique to the island. Ask your accommodation to arrange a traditional sakau ceremony at a local nahs (meeting house).

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Getting Around

A single road circles most of Pohnpei's coast, and a few paved roads cut into the interior. Taxis are available in Kolonia and are the standard way to get around — agree on a price before you get in. There is no bus service.

Renting a car is possible and makes sense if you want to explore at your own pace. A 4WD is useful for reaching trailheads and some of the more remote waterfalls. Driving is on the right. For trips to Ant Atoll, Pakin or Nan Madol by water, arrange boat hire through your hotel or the dive operators in Kolonia. Fuel for boats is expensive, so sharing a boat with other travellers keeps costs down.

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Getting There

Pohnpei is served by the Pohnpei International Airport (PNI) in Kolonia, which connects to Guam and Honolulu via United Airlines' Island Hopper service. The Island Hopper is itself a journey worth noting — the flight from Honolulu stops at Majuro, Kwajalein, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk and Guam over two days, and is one of the great island-hopping routes in the Pacific. Flying time from Honolulu to Pohnpei is around 7–8 hours with stops.

There are no ferry connections to other islands. All inter-island travel within the FSM is by air.

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Things to Do

Pohnpei offers a remarkable concentration of experiences for such a remote island: an ancient ruined city, world-class diving, dense jungle waterfalls, and a cultural life centred on sakau ceremonies. Most visitors are here for Nan Madol, the diving around the barrier reef, or both.

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When to Go

Pohnpei is one of the wettest places on earth, recording up to 7,500 mm of rain a year in the interior — more rain than almost anywhere outside the Amazon and Congo basins. There is no real dry season. Rain can fall on any day of the year, and the island is often partially clouded even in the nominally drier months between January and March.

The best conditions for diving and boat trips are roughly December to April, when the wind tends to be more consistent and seas slightly calmer. Water temperatures stay around 28–29°C year-round. Typhoons occasionally affect the region, primarily between July and November, though direct hits are rare. Don't let the weather statistics put you off — tropical downpours tend to be brief and fierce, and Nan Madol visited in mist and drizzle has its own atmosphere.