The provincial capital of Isabel Province is a small settlement of a few hundred people on the southern coast of the island, accessible from the airstrip at Fera by a 15-minute boat ride across Maringe Lagoon. Buala has the province's government buildings, a health clinic, a few small trade stores, and the Church of Melanesia cathedral — a modest structure that nonetheless serves as the centre of Christian life in the province.
Visitors who have business with the provincial government or are arranging transport around the island will pass through Buala. Accommodation options are basic: the provincial rest house or homestays arranged through locals. It is a place to get oriented, change money if you forgot to bring enough from Honiara, and ask about boat transport to other villages on the island.