Mikronesien

Travel

AIR: The region's major airline is Continental Micronesia (CS).

Approximate flight times: Flight durations from London to destinations in the Pacific vary considerably depending on the route taken. The most common route would include a stopover in Los Angeles and Honolulu; eg the flight time from London to Honolulu is 19 hours 30 minutes and from Honolulu to the Marshall Islands 4 hours 30 minutes.

International airports: Saipan (SPN), Guam (GUM) and Koror Babeldaob (ROR) when entering from the north and west, Pohnpei (PNI) from the south and Majuro (MAJ) from the south and east.

Regional airlines: Scheduled inter-island travel, charters and sightseeing are offered by several local airlines. There is excellent provision for travelling from Guam and Majuro to the various islands.

Flights between the islands tend to be rarer. Airlines include:

Air Marshall Islands (CW): This government-owned airline runs charters, sightseeing tours and point-to-point flights between Majuro and other islands in the Marshalls; also international flights to Honolulu, Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu.

Continental Micronesia (CS): Operates between islands in all four groups, and to Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, Australia, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Several smaller airlines fly to Guam.

SEA: The major ports are Pohnpei, Majuro, Saipan, Tuik, Yap and Koror. The following cargo/passenger lines serve the islands: Nauru Pacific, Royal Shipping Co, Daiwa
Navigation Co, Oceania Line Inc, P&O, Saipan Shipping Co and Tiger Line.

There are numerous boats for touring, ranging from small speed boats to large glass-bottomed boats for fishing, sightseeing, sunset cruising, scuba diving and
short-distance travel. A ferry provides service between Saipan and Tinian. Inter-island vessels provide limited and irregular service between Saipan and the smaller islands.
Requests for reservations should be directed to the Office of the Government of the following: Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas; Office of Transportation in
Majuro, Marshall Islands; Koror, Palau; Kolonia, Pohnpei; Moen, Chuuk and Colonia, Yap. Cabin space is limited, and passengers may be required to sleep on deck (bring
own mat). The field trip ships are leased by the governments to private firms, and rates are subject to change.

Cruise lines: Princess, Royal Viking and Norwegian American currently offer cruises to the islands.

AIR: Continental Micronesia (CS) flights link the major islands with Guam, Tokyo, Manila and Honolulu. Air Nauru provides services twice a week from Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk and Guam. Flights also run daily between Pohnpei and Kosrae on Pacific Missionary Aviation aircraft.

International airport: Pohnpei (PNI) is 5km (3 miles) from Kolonia.

Departure tax: US$5 for domestic and international departures.

SEA: International ports are Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap. Nauru Pacific Shipping Lines provide passenger sailings from Honolulu to Pohnpei and Chuuk. Inter-island trading
ships based in Pohnpei, Yap and Chuuk visit the outlying islands.

ROAD: There are good roads in and around major island centres. Bus: No service. Taxi: Available throughout the Federated States and inexpensive. Car hire: Self-drive cars are available in major towns. Documentation: National driving licence or International Driving Permit required.

MS Sun Dancer II, Schöner Tauchen, Peter Hughes, Hideaway Holidays

Carp Island Resort, located on Ngercheu Island, sanctuary to frigate birds, white egrets and a variety of additional bird life, near the fabulous Ngemelis Dropoff, offers
panoramic views of the Rock Islands. White sand beaches, littered with seashells, lure sunbathers. Daily transfers, a one hour boat ride from the city of Koror, depart
the island at 8:00am and return at 4:00pm.
Comfortable accomodation ranges from individual bungalows, duplex seaside cottages and the divehouse, dormitory style for the budget conscious traveler or diver. The
island restaurant offers a variety of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Seafood specials must be requested 24 hours in advance.
Coral reefs teeming with brilliant marine life furnish world class diving for every level of certification, and snorkelers, alike. Certification courses are available at the dive
center. Sports fishing excursions, bottom, casting and trawling, are available.

Palau Politische Karte
Palau

Traditionally, Yap has been renowned for its stone money, carved from the Rock Islands of Palau and transported over 300 miles of open ocean in sailing canoes. These disks are still in use today. Today, diving has overtaken stone money as the island’s most popular attraction. Every day the combination of plankton, tide and current sets the stage for an undersea ballet featuring some of the ocean’s largest creatures. Manta Rays, some weighing more than a ton with wingspans of 14 feet or more, piroutte through Yap’s clear Pacific waters. There’s more to Yap diving than Mantas. Off colorful vertical walls, tropical fish, moray eels, turtles, sharks, lionfish and more parade through ridges past numerous Manta ray cleaning stations. Yap Divers, a 5 star PADI facility has a modern fleet of 21-38 feet radio equipped, fast, covered dive boats to take you on drift dives, wall dives, cavern dives, night dives and of course, Manta dives.

The Manta Ray Bay Hotel is a dedicated dive resort, designed by divers, built for divers. It's 23 rooms offer air conditioning, satellite TV, mini-bars, and VCR's. The Manta Ray Bay Bar and Grill features a variety of cuisine prepared by our Chef, Bill Munn. Manta Ray Bay has been called "The Best Little Dive Hotel in the Pacific".
The Manta Ray Bay Hotel was built with divers in mind. All of the dive facilities and equipment storage are conveniently located within steps of the Hotel. The third floor houses the Manta Ray Bar and Grill, the Island's finest restaurant with a great view of the lagoon. The Nautical Weaver Bar on the back deck is a relaxing way to spend an evening after a day of exciting diving.

Yap Divers, located on the premises of the Manta Ray Bay Hotel, offers a full service dive shop, all levels of instruction, Scubapro equipment rental, morning and afternoon two tank dives to either the Manta sites or the reefs, and night dives on request.

The Pathways Hotel combines modern tourism with preservation of the enviroment and the local culture of Yap. Traditionally built thatched cottages provide comfortable accomodation while featuring air-conditioning, ceiling fans, refrigerator, 24 hour water, private bath and balcony.
Dive packages are available and the hotel can arrange land tours, excursions to local villages and colorful dance ceremonies. While the modern facilities are designed to make you feel totally at home, the Yapese hospitality and service make you never want to leave this charming destination.

Für Liebhaber von Wracks ist Truk eine der weltbesten Tauchplätze. Seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg liegen hier über 60 Wracks von Kriegsschiffen und Flugzeugen der japanischen Flotte. Während des Zweiten Weltkrieg war die 2000 Quadratkilometer grosse Lagune einer der wichtigsten Häfen der Japanischen Marine. Diese Wracks sind bunt bewachsen und heute unter Naturschutz gestellt. Dieser Inselstaat liegt rund 1000 Kilometer süd-östlich von Guam und umfasst über 290 Inseln in 14 Atollen. Chuuk (formerly known as Truk) lagoon is another of Micronesia's incredible undersea phenomena. The giant lagoon is almost 40 miles in diameter and reaches depths of 300 feet. Aside from the sheer beauty of the undersea coral reef beneath the clear water, the bottom of Chuuk lagoon is the final tomb for more than 100 ships, planes and submarines--the legacy of a fierce World War II battle between the Japanese Imperial Fleet and Allied carrier attack planes. For the past 50 years these wrecks have rested on the bottom virtually undisturbed, creating the greatest underwater museum in the world.
The warm tropical water, prolific marine life and ocean currents have transformed the wrecks into breathtakingly beautiful coral gardens and artificial reefs, home to hundreds of exotic marine animals and fish. Today, Chuuk lagoon is a mecca to the world's sport divers, underwater photographers and marine scientists.
To the diving enthusiast, Chuuk offers unquestionably the finest wreck diving experience available. It is a rare opportunity to find so many ship wrecks so close together and so completely intact. Chuuk also grows better with time and exploration. With each year of submersion the wrecks become more gilded in a lacework of brilliantly colored soft coral, sponges, anemones and sea fans. This dense marine life, in turn, attracts great schools of jacks, tuna, grouper and other creatures of the deep.

The S.S. Thorfinn is superbly equipped to serve as your ideal base for your dive adventures in Truk Lagoon, or on a Pan Micronesia "Voyage of Discovery". At 170 feet in length, and a displacement of 1,100 tons, you are assured of stable, deep comfort whether diving in Truk or cruising the fantastically beautiful outer islands of Micronesia.
The S.S. Thorfinn offers 11 spacious air-conditioned staterooms with a total capacity for 22 guests. All of the staterooms feature full vanities, in-room televisions, video cassette players, indirect lighting, full length closets, new carpeting and modern decor. Eight staterooms located on "D" & "E" decks have double or queen-size beds with an additional berth alongside. Private facilities with shower and toilet are fitted in each of these rooms. Three additional rooms on "C" deck are bright and spacious with adjacent semi-private showers and toilets.
A large open air spa deck is located aft of the main guest lounge on "C" deck. Our custom designed hot tub comfortably seats 10 divers, affording them an opportunity to unwind and relax after a dive and enjoy cool drinks under tropical skies. Ample seating space surrounds the spa for pleasant interfacing with other guests.
Under the experienced leadership of Captain Lance Higgs and his Trukese wife Narinta, our experienced Micronesian crew of 21 is dedicated to serve your every need. Our crew to guest ratio of 1:1 is the highest in the Pacific, assuring you a truly pampered visit.

Blue Lagoon Resort, formerly the Truk Continental Hotel, is set in lush tropical gardens on a point of Weno Island with breathtaking views across one of the largest coral
enclosed lagoons in the world.
With its long, narrow, flowing design and shrouded in a garden of tall coconut palms, the hotel blends comfortably into the island's landscape. The 56 air-conditioned
rooms have individual balconies from where the views of Truk Lagoon, outer islands, sunrises and sunsets are magnificent.
The Blue Lagoon Resort has a cosy bar and the restaurant offers excellent cuisine of fresh seafood and tempting Pacific and Asian delicacies. The friendly, attentive service by islanders is a natural part of Micronesian hospitality.

Customized dive services for all levels of expertise: computer diving, unsupervised buddy diving, wreck and reef diving available. Known throughout the dive industry as Micronesia's leader in enviromental protection and historic preservation, Micronesia Aquatics has served divers for more than 20 years.
Micronesia Aquatics, operated by Clark and Chineina Graham on southern Moen Island and adjacent to Chuuk's largest hotel, is a complete aquatics sports facility. Chineina was the first Micronesian woman to dive the wrecks. Clark, a certified instructor, has lived and worked in Micronesia for many years.
The staff of Micronesia Aquatics is well trained and highly qualified with resumes including divemaster and water safety training, years of ocean experience and thousands of dives on the sunken ships of Truk Lagoon. Guides are knowledgeable, courteous and have a sincere desire to share their islands, ocean and culture with
you.

These are high volcanic islands with cloud shrouded peaks, lush rainforests, cascading waterfalls and hidden mountain pools. They are situated far in the eastern portion of Micronesia. Both offer azure seas, pristine, fringing coral reefs, mangroves and sandy beaches as well as ancient stone cities dating from the 12th century.

Better known as Christmas Island, the Republic of Kiribati lies 1300 miles south of Hawaii and is part of the Line Island Group. Previously one of the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati (pronounced ‘kirabas’) is reached from Honolulu by Air Marshall Island charter with just one flight per week. This idyllic tropical paradise on the largest coral atoll in the western Pacific is surrounded by virgin reefs teeming with marine life comparable to the best found anywhere in Micronesia. You must have a visa to enter Kiribati.

Guam Tropical Dive Station is a PADI 5 Star IDC facility. Their professional staff of instructors conduct classes in everything from beginning open water to instructor development, and all specialties.
The Sea Spinner and Sea Explorer, depart daily to the best dive sites around the island. In addition to boat dives, Guam Tropical Dive Station's divemasters conduct FREE beach dives on the weekends. The divemasters will take you to unusual and exciting dive sites around the entire island.
Guam Tropical Dive Station will be happy to arrange your off island dive trips to any of Guam's neighboring islands, or anywhere else you want to go. GTDS sells and rents only the latest and best in dive equipment from such international dealers as Sherwood, Oceanic, Mares, Apollo, Underwater Kinetics, Ikelite, etc. Guam Tropical Dive Station has a full service and parts department to repair and maintain your equipment.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

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