Location

The Solomon Islands is third largest archipelago in the South Pacific, centered around longitude 160 degrees east and latitude 9 degrees south of the equator. Solomon Islands lie northeast of Australia and southwest of Hawaii. Solomon Islands comprises of 992 islands ranging from large landmasses with rugged mountains and virgin forests, to low lying coral atolls of which 347 islands are inhabited. The archipelago forms a double chain of islands covering 1.35 million sq km of sea and extends for 1.667km in a south-easterly direction from Papua New Guinea. There are six bigger islands of which are Choiseul, Santa Ysabel, Guadalcanal, Malaita and Makira. The country's capital, Honiara, is situated on the north-west coast on the island of Guadalcanal.

Climate

Tropical, with average daytime temperatures ranges between 25 to 30 degrees Celsius and high humidity. Evenings may be as cool as 19 degrees. Heavier rainfalls are between the months of October and April. There are no defined seasons, but November to May is known for the wetter months of which squalls and tropical cyclones may occur.

Language

There are 87 indigenous languages including the Melanesian tok pisin which is used predominantly. English is used and understood throughout the Solomon Islands.

Dress

Health

Like many other tropical countries, malaria can be a problem in the Solomon Islands. Appropriate malarial
medication should be taken and it is wise to consult your doctor a few weeks before leaving home.
Water is normally safe in the major resorts, but precautionary boiling is recommended in other areas. If in doubt, please do ask.

Entry Requirements

Citizens of the (British) Commonwealth, United States and most European Countries do not need visas.
If you have a valid passport and return ticket or onward ticket, you can acquire a visitor's permit valid for
three (3) months on arrival. The responsible authority on entry requirements and issuing permits into
Solomon Islands is the Solomon Islands Immigration Department of the Ministry of Commerce, Industries & Employment

Duty Free/Departure Tax

200 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco, 2 litres of spirits or equivalent. Goods in excess of SI$500.00 are dutiable. Departure Tax is SI$40.00.

Time

11 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Electricity

240 volts. Available to Honiara, other major urban centres and other major resort areas.

Currency/Banking

The standard unit of currency is the Solomon Islands Dollar. AUD1.00 will buy approximately SBD6.00 and USD1.00 will buy approximately SBD8.00. Westpac, ANZ and the Bank South Pacific (BSP) open Monday to Friday 9:00am to 3:00pm, and offer the best exchange rates. There are ATM's available at several locations in Honiara. Credit cards and travellers cheques are not usually accepted beyond the main resort areas. Bank South Pacific offers full banking services throughout most parts of the country.

Telecommunication

Solomon Telekom Ltd, Our Telekom provides the Telecomunication in the Solomon Islands. 24 hour international telephone, fax and internet services are available from Honiara, and most provincial centers (including major hotels and resorts in those locations). GSM mobile phone coverage is available in Honiara, Gizo and Auki, although overseas roaming is presently limited. Visitors may still have to purchase local SIM cards for their GSM handsets. GSM handsets sold by Telekom are not locked and can be reused outside of the Solomon Islands with an appropriate SIM. Most Telekom offices have an internet café, plus there are many privately run internet cafes. WiFi hotspots can be found at major hotels and several other locations throughout Honiara, at Gizo and also at the Telekom offices in Noro and Munda. Access to locally hosted websites through these hotspots is free. To access internationally hosted content, prepaid cards are available from Telekom offices and many agencies.

There are two television channels in Honiara, broadcasting the BBC World Service and the Australia Network. Local news and features are broadcast over the Australia network signal at 9pm each night (subject to scheduling changes) and again the next morning.

Observing Customs

The people of the Solomon Island have a rich culture which observes many traditional "kastoms" which vary from province to province.  Please ask about appropriate behaviour and always ask permission before taking pictures of people or places.