YPT Tours to Kiribati
Located in Oceania’s Micronesian subregion, the Republic of Kiribati is comprised of 32 atolls and reef islands. The islands and atolls of Kiribati spread across all four hemispheres, spanning an area larger than India across the Pacific ocean: there’s much to see on our Kiribati Tours!
Nearly all of the Pacific island nations to which YPT can facilitate travel feature WWII relics. However, Kiribati’s capital, Tarawa atoll, which was the site of the decisive “Battle of Tarawa” between US and Imperial Japanese forces in 1943, is home to some of the most stunning ruins of warships, cannons, tanks, and bunkers from both the allies and the axis!
Many of these unintended monuments to WWII sit on Kiribati’s beaches just as they were left in 1943, and it is very easily for travellers on our Kiribati tours to get an up close and personal look at history. If you are not a history buff and are just looking for beautiful scenery, Kiribati has not shortage of pristine beaches and vibrant lagoons.
Additionally, Kiribati is the number one nation most threatened by the effects of climate change, with some predicting that the nation will sink into the Pacific by the year 2100. YPT will offer a discount for any traveller booking one of our Kiribati tours to spread awareness of the threat facing this beautiful nation.
Group Tours to Kiribati
YPT have been running group tours that pass through Kiribati since 2017. Our popular Least Visited Countries Tour, which runs twice annually in summer and winter editions, stops in Kiribati in addition to 11 other countries in Oceania, such as Vanuatu or Marshall Islands, including six of the world’s least visited nations (Kiribati usually ranks as the 3rd or 4th least visited country in the world).
The Least Visited Countries Summer Tour – Summer 2025 dates to be announced soon – $2795 to $11995
Least Visited Countries Combo Tour – December 6th, 2024 to January 3rd 2025 – $2795 to $11995
Independent Tours to Kiribati
If you wish to see more of Kiribati, or its other islands beyond the capital Tarawa, YPT can facilitate customised, private Kiribati tours and itineraries. Our experienced local tour partners have worked with solo travellers as well as groups of hundreds of returning US soldiers returning to Kiribati for milestone anniversaries of the Battle of Tarawa.
Example of a 3-day Kiribati Itinerary
Day One – Tarawa
- Arrive in Tarawa – the capital of Kiribati. You’ll be greeted at the airport by our local guide with welcoming garland flowers and will transfer to your hotel.
- On the way, we will stop by the national archives, a bit of a throwback with physical ledgers and microfilm with documents dating to the early 1900s when Kiribati was known as the Gilbert Islands.
- Dinner and drinks at the your hotel or out on the town in Tarawa.
- After this those wishing for an early night can do so, while those inclined can head to a very cool local bar located right next to our hotel for a sundowner.
- Overnight in Tarawa.
Day Two – Tarawa
Morning
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- #TOUR HIGHLIGHT# Tarawa WWII Tour – Accompanied by our expert guide who has been guiding WWII tours of Tarawa for 40 years, and has arranged ceremonial trips for the returning US veterans who defeated the Japanese after just 76 hours despite the Japanese declaration that the atoll would not be taken for “1,000 years!”
- Black beaches 1 & 2 – Here you will get to see and photograph well-preserved British 8″ guns, as well as the Japanese and Korean war memorials, the British-New Zealand-Australian Coast watchers memorial and explore the Japanese bunker at Green beach.
- Visit Red beaches 1, 2, – See a shockingly well intact American Sherman tank which has been sitting in the Pacific since it was stopped in its advance by Japanese gunfire in 1943, and the remnants of Japanese 95 type tank.
Afternoon
- Lunch in Tarawa.
- Visit Red beach 3 – See 1st Lt. Alexander Bonnyman’s bunker who received the Congressional Medal of Honor after his remains were excavated in 2010, and was amongst 1,000 US marines and 4,500 Japanese marines who died in the battle. Last, you will visit the Japanese commander’s bunker, where he and the rest of the Japanese command staff were killed whilst attempting a retreat to a new command centre.
- Watch local dance performed for you, as you have dinner at the Horizon Café, a popular local hangout. This is also a great chance to have a drink and mingle with the locals.
- Overnight in Tarawa.
Day 3 – Tarawa
Morning
- Breakfast at the hotel and then pick up for our early morning tour.
- Visit and explore the biggest Cathedral in Kiribati, and the Nuns’ Library to learn about the history of the first missionaries who arrived in Kiribati as well as see the Japanese commander’s notice to the people of Kiribati.
Afternoon
- Visit the Parliament.
- Stop at the highest point on Tarawa atoll, located in the village of Eita, for a breath-taking view from a whopping 3 metres above sea level!
- Return to hotel to freshen up before leaving Kiribati.
- Lunch at Ocean Family Seafood restaurant, one of the newest and poshest spots in Tarawa which has a large menu featuring delightful seafood and Chinese entrees.
- Head to the airport to catch your onward departure.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAVEL TO KIRIBATI
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