Santa Cruz Islands

Islands Pacific island group in the Solomons, WWII significance

The Santa Cruz Islands, part of the Solomon Islands, offer remote beaches, WWII wreck dives and visits to Melanesian villages. Divers and historians come for coral reefs and wartime relics.

The Santa Cruz Islands are an island group in the eastern part of the Solomon Islands archipelago. They comprise a number of inhabited and uninhabited islands and are part of the country of the Solomon Islands.

Coastal and marine environments are the main attractions, including beaches, reef diving and traditional village visits; travel between islands is typically by local boat or infrequent scheduled services. Small settlements and locally run guesthouses are found on the larger islands.

The islands are part of the sovereign territory of the Solomon Islands and have long-standing local communities with distinct languages and cultures. They are distant from the main urban centres of the country and retain a largely rural island character.

Geographically the Santa Cruz group lies in the far east of the Solomon Islands chain in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, well removed from the national capital of Honiara and surrounded by coral reefs and open ocean.

How to Get to Santa Cruz Islands #

Santa Cruz Islands (Temotu Province) are reached mainly by air from the Solomon Islands capital. Regular domestic flights operate from Honiara (Honiara International Airport) to Lata (Nendo) Airport on Nendo Island, operated by Solomon Airlines; from Lata you can transfer by local boat to other islands in the group. There are also occasional passenger/cargo ship services between Honiara and the Santa Cruz group but schedules are irregular - plan via local operators in Honiara.

Tips for Visiting Santa Cruz Islands #

Plan your visit in the drier months (roughly May-October) to avoid Solomon Islands' cyclone season and get better conditions for diving and boat transfers.
Use Lata (on Nendo, the main island of the Santa Cruz group) as the usual gateway from Honiara-arrange inter-island flights or boat transport and local accommodation in advance because services are infrequent.
Take boat trips early in the morning for the clearest water and visibility for snorkelling/diving, and always ask village leaders for permission before visiting or photographing communities.