TUVALU · FUNAFUTI
Funafuti,
Tuvalu.
Two nights or a week on the atoll
Funafuti is narrow: lagoon on one side, ocean on the other. About 11,000 people live in Tuvalu, and most of them live here. From Fiji the flight goes via Suva, not from Nadi. The plane is private and lands on the atoll about twice a week, so the short trip is an arrival day, two nights and the flight out. Staying up to a week leaves time for diving or walking in the shallow lagoon.
FUNAFUTI
Fatele
in the maneapa.
In the maneapa on Funafuti people sit together, clap and drum, then stand up to dance. A fatele is an ordinary community occasion: adults and children both take part. It starts slowly and is loud by the end.
FUNAFUTI
A mound
of rubbish.
At the northern end of Fongafale there is a mound of rubbish, with an excavator working on it. On site, you can see that it is higher than seven metres and higher than any natural point on the atoll. Calling it a “summit of Tuvalu” is easy, but it is not a hill: almost everything on the island is imported, and land is short. The only official landfill sits in a former borrow pit by the road. In 2015 some of those pits were filled with sand from the lagoon. The site is fenced, green waste is composted, and scrap metal is shipped away for recycling.
FUNAFUTI
A plane
on the runway.
A private plane lands at Funafuti and taxis. It is not a regular scheduled flight: departures are about twice a week. The same runway is a public space: when no plane is due, people walk, play and talk on it. Before a landing, they clear it.
PLAN A JOURNEY
Where and when.
Tuvalu: two nights to a week on Funafuti
Two nights, or up to a weekAbout twice a week
Based on our own journey
From Fiji to Funafuti the flight goes via Suva, not from Nadi. The plane is private and lands on the atoll about twice a week, so the minimum is an arrival day, two nights and the flight out.
Funafuti
A narrow strip between lagoon and ocean. When no plane is due, the runway is a public space: people walk and play on it.
Water, if you stay longer
Up to a week leaves room for diving or walking in the shallow lagoon. Neither is required, and both depend on the weather and a boat.
The flight out
The next plane may not be the following day. Even a short trip includes two nights, with a buffer before any onward flight.
Possible additions
Fiji before or after. The connection has to fit the plane, not just the map.
Before booking
Accommodation and transport choices on the atoll are limited. We explain the arrangements before booking.
Durations are planning estimates. Allow extra time for international travel and buffers between island flights. We check flights, accommodation and entry requirements before booking.
YOUR TRIP
Discuss a trip
to Funafuti.
Tell us when you would like to go, how many of you there are and what you hope to see. We will suggest a route and prepare a quote.
From Fiji the flight goes via Suva. Planes are about twice a week, and we do not plan a trip shorter than two nights.
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Timofei
Phone +856 20 57 100 654
Nikita
Phone +856 20 59 466 036
ABOUT YOUR TRIP
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