“The 12 Best Things to Do in Palau” will get in the water, diving with sharks, snorkeling with jellyfish, and kayaking to desert island beaches.  It explains everything you need to know about visiting the “Pristine Paradise of Palau” — where to stay, what to see, what to eat, and more.

Children of Palau,
I take this Pledge,
To preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home.
I vow to tread lightly, act kindly, and explore mindfully.
I shall not take what is not given.
I shall not harm what does not harm me.
The only footprints I shall leave are those that will wash away.

As soon as you land in the Palau Islands, you know you have arrived somewhere a little bit different.  At customs and immigration, you don’t get just any old passport stamp.  You get the above Palau Pledge stamped in your passport, and you must read it and sign it.  The Palau people take environmental protection seriously.  As well they should, since a massive portion of the country’s income is from tourists there to experience the crystal clear underwater scenery.

Why go to Palau?

Palau is an absolutely gorgeous, tiny country of just 18,000 people.  Only Vatican City, Tuvalu, and Nauru are smaller.  Spend a year here, and you’d know everyone.  The Palau island nation consists of one decent-sized island named Babeldaob, a couple smaller islands, and another 340 tiny specks of limestone rock capped by green jungle.   These “Rock Islands” look like something out of a James Bond movie, as your speedboat traverses crystal blue ocean, between steep island cliffs and jungle.

Where is Palau? 

Palau sits in the North Pacific, 600 miles east of the Philippines, 600 miles north of West Papua Indonesia, and 800 miles southwest of Guam.  In other words, it ain’t close to anywhere.  It gets tourism from sorta nearby Taiwan, and guest workers from almost close by Philippines.  But, most tourists coming here are SCUBA divers from far away Europe or the Americas.

Palau has maintained its beauty by restricting the over-development that is so common in other developing countries.  For starters, most businesses can only operate if they have a Palauan citizen owning at least 51%.  No foreigner can buy land in Palau.  They can only lease.  So the Palauan people have stayed invested in the future of their island.  They haven’t been bought out early like in Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji.

Bye-Bye China

In fact, Palau is so committed to preventing over-development, it took on the regional 800 pound gorilla in the room, China.  By 2015, Palau tourism was completely dominated by Chinese arrivals, and the infrastructure could barely keep up.  There were many reports of Chinese visitors taking shells, destroying reefs, disregarding environmental rules.  The Palauan government sought to put limits on Chinese group tours.  China responded by banning ALL its tour companies from sending trips to Palau.  This has deeply hurt the Palau economy, of which fully 50% is tourism.  But, Palau stands its ground, and wishes to continue to offer the world a pristine paradise, rather than become another Cambodia, completely overrun with casinos and Chinese restaurants.

The 12 Best Things to do in Palau:

#1 In Palau SCUBA Diving is World Class. 

The diving in Palau is AMAZING.  The Blue Corner Wall is perennially ranked among the top 5 dive sites on Earth.  Other famous dives are Ulong Channel, and Peleliu Express.  If you aren’t dive certified, you really ought to consider it before you go to Palau.  It’s what everyone you meet will be spending their day doing.  I saw manta rays, blacktip sharks, Napoleon Wrasse, a leopard shark, and so many colorful small fish.  Palau diving is NOT cheap.  Book ahead, especially if you have specific sites you want to dive on.  Be sure to get Nitrox certified.  I was strongly encouraged to get the certification on the spot, to increase my available bottom time.  You’ll need to have the Rock Islands Permit which costs $50.  Your dive shop will sell it.

• • I dove with Sam’s Tours, who were a top class organization.  Two tank dives ($160), including renting gear ($35), cost $195 a day.
  • Fish N Fins Palau has similar prices and excellent reviews.  Also has a liveaboard boat; the Ocean Hunter III.
  • Neco Marine has two tank dives for $160, plus equipment rental.
  • Palau Dive Adventures does week-long dive packages starting at $1150.

#2 Do a kayak/snorkel tour of the Rock Islands. 

I spent a day doing a kayak tour with Sam’s Tours for $130, and it was magical.  We zipped to the rock islands in a speedboat, then unloaded the kayaks into the water.  Paddling silently through steep limestone cliffs, we watched birds, bats, and jellyfish pass by.  We jumped in to snorkel in a protected lagoon rich in ocean life.  The last adventure of the day was getting dropped into a very fast-moving current where we could snorkel over the reef like we had jets on our backs.  So much fun!  You’ll need to have the Rock Islands Permit which costs $50.  This permit is good for ten days, so you only need to buy it once for ten days worth of tours.

#3 Snorkel with Stingless Jellyfish in “Jellyfish Lake”.

Here you can swim and snorkel in a saltwater pool that is fully enclosed from the ocean, and filled with stingless jellyfish.  This just re-opened to tourists after a weather event that killed off most of the jellyfish in 2018.  So I missed out on this one, but it is a top draw of any trip to the Palau Islands for most people.  You’ll need to have the Rock Islands / Jellyfish Lake permit, which costs $100.  If you know you are going to Jellyfish Lake, just buy this $100 permit, not the basic $50 Rock Islands Permit.

#4 Get Wet at Ngardmau Falls. 

These tall and wide waterfalls can be reached by a 30min drive, and then a steep 30 minute hike down a trail.  You can splash around at the base, and even walk behind the falls. The entry fee is now up to $20, so you need to be a really big waterfall fan.

#5 Learn about Palauan Culture at the Etpison Museum

Learn about the Palau Islands history and culture.  Open 9-5 Monday – Saturday.  $10 entry for adults , free for children under 12.

#6 Take a boat trip to Peleliu Island for some WWII history. 

Tanks and bunkers abound where one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific was fought.  You can get there in just over an hour by speedboat from Koror.  There is a $30 permit fee to go on the island.

#7 Swim in the Milky Way lagoon. 

Underneath the turquoise water lies a white mud that is said to provide excellent skin care.  You can scoop it up from the bottom and smear it all over yourself.  You need the Rock Island Permit.

#8 Explore the Belau National Museum. 

It has some Yap giant stone money.  Adults $10, Children $5.  Open Monday to Saturday 9-5.  Sunday 1-5.

#9 Visit the Airai Bai

It’s a big traditional men’s meeting house, and nearby is a Japanese communications building.  Entry is $5.

#10 For Flipper fans, try Dolphins Pacific

See a trained dolphin encounter where you can swim with them for $30.

#11 See the Badrulchau Stone Monoliths

37 giant stone columns with carvings sit in a field.  They date back 2000 years, and no one knows their significance. $5 entry.

#12 Get a massage

There are a couple of locations on the main street downtown for $25.

12 Best Things to do in Palau: Know Before You Go:

Backpacker Daily Budget:

$110 a day.  Palau is NOT a budget destination.  With the only hostel charging $40 for a dorm bed(!!), and cheap street food hard to find, money burns fast in Palau.  Palau seems to be actively discouraging backpackers with numerous government fees for everything imaginable, nearly no hostels, no campsites, and no bicycle rental.

Palau Travel Tips: The government fees are especially onerous. 

For example, if one wants to come to the Palau just to swim in Jellyfish Lake, they must pay: 

• The $100 “Palau Pristine Paradise Environment Fee” which will be included in your airline ticket fare.
• The $50 Palau National Marine Sanctuary Permit.
• The $50 Jellyfish Lake permit.
• A $20 departure tax upon leaving the airport.
• A $30 “green fee” upon leaving the airport.

That’s $250 in government fees, and we haven’t even discussed the cost of the boat tour to Jellyfish Lake, or your accommodations and food!

Cheap Beer index:

$4 for a Red Rooster draft pint in a bar or restaurant.  Red Rooster is the national beer of Palau and comes in four different versions; Amber, Light, Wheat and Stout.  Each is excellent.  This was a real treat after a week stuck with Bud Lite or Steinlager in Micronesia.

Best Time to visit Palau:

At 7 degrees above the equator, the temperature practically never changes on Palau.  Highs are 86-88, lows 78-79, every day, year round.  There is a rainy season, peaking in June and July at 13-14 inches a month.  March and April are the driest months, with 6 inches of rain monthly.  January through April would be the best times to come, but really your Palau vacation can be enjoyable any time of year.

What languages are spoken?  

Palauan and English are both official languages.  There are many Filipino and Chinese workers on Palau, so you’ll hear Mandarin and Tagalog as well.

Do you need a Palau visa? 

Visas are not required for USA, UK, CAN and AUS.  US citizens are issued a free one year visa on arrival.  UK, AUS and CAN citizens are issued a free 30 day tourist visa upon arrival.  This may be extended twice for a fee of US$50 for each extension for a maximum stay of 90 days. 

Palau charges a $100 “Palau Pristine Paradise Environment Fee” to all foreigners who enter the country.  This should be included in your airline ticket fare.

How to get to Palau:

Palau is much easier to get to from Asia than from the USA.  The only international Palau airport is Koror (ROR).

Flights to Palau arrive from:

• Seoul on Asiana and Korean Air
• Taipei on China Airlines
• Macau on Lanmei Airlines
• Sihanoukville-Cambodia on Lanmei Airlines
• Guam on United
• Manila on United

The Chinese government has  effectively banned all flights here from mainland China.

No cruise ships stop here.

Upon arrival in the airport: taxis are available; $20-30 for the 20 minute ride into town.  Best to arrange pickup from your lodging.

If you are coming from the USA or Canada, you should book your flight using United Mileage Plus Miles.  While the cheapest round trip fare from Honolulu to Palau is an eye watering $1480, you can book it for just 55,000 United miles, which have a calculated value of only $825.   I booked a multi-city flight from Maui via Honolulu with three stops in Kwajalein, Pohnpei, and Palau and then back to Maui using just 67,500 United Mileage Plus miles.  If you are booking an island hopping trip, you can choose to stop in any or all of the four Micronesian islands, the two Marshallese islands, and Guam and Palau.  To learn the most efficient way to accumulate United Miles, and how to get to Palau, please check out my page Nine Steps to Free Flights Worldwide.

You are required to pay a $20 departure tax plus a $30 green fee ($50 total) per person when you leave NOTE – This may be included in your airline fare as well now.

Getting around Palau: 

• The only way to get to Koror town from the airport is a $30 taxi.
• There is no public transport.
• Koror has relatively cheap taxis, a 1-2 mile ride is only $2 to $4, but they are very few, and hard to find.  They don’t have a light on the roof to identify them at night, and they don’t drive around looking for a fare, but rather park in spots you may not know about.   You can call one by phone, but of course only if you have a local SIM.  I ended up walking a mile back to my apartment after dinner a couple of times when I couldn’t find a taxi.
• Car rental would be the cheapest way to see Babeldaob island.  IA Car Rental has the best rates, but somehow hasn’t figured out the internet yet.  You may have to call them to arrange a car.

Palau currency: 

U.S. Dollars are the official Palau currency, and are available at many ATMs.   For more info on your cash-versus-credit card options when travelling, check out my post on How to Access your Money in Foreign Countries.

Stay Connected: 

Palau has only one mobile operator:

• PNCC with its mobile brand PalauCel and internet provider PalauNet

SIM cards are sold only at PNCC offices in Koror (across the post office) Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm.  A SIM costs $25 and includes $10 worth of airtime.   Refill cards called GSM mobile airtime cards are available there and at more than 100 local stores.  These data packages are available :

Many foreign phones set up for global roaming won’t work in Palau, because PNCC doesn’t have roaming agreements with many foreign operators.  The mobile network on the islands is supplemented by public WiFi hotspots operated by the two internet providers PNCC/PalauNet and Palau Telecoms. They both sell prepaid airtime for their WiFi hotspot access.

 For more info on your telecom options, check out my post on How to Get Cheap Mobile Phone Service Worldwide.

Palau Accommodations:  

Palau does not have any budget accommodations as you would find in nearby Philippines or Taiwan.  Expect to be underwhelmed by the value of Palau hotels wherever you are staying.  (Warning: Read the fine print on booking sites.  Many rates don’t include the 12% tax AND the $12 city tax per person per night)

• Camping is possible.  There is no organized campsite, but you could convince your dive boat to leave you on one of the rock island beaches for the night, and pick you up the next day.  It’s legal.
• Palau 8090 Dream House has dorm beds for $40, and is the cheapest option on the whole island.  It is within walking distance of downtown.
• I stayed at Skyway Apartments in Malakal for $71 a night on AirBnB.  It was a good value, and great location for diving.
• DW Motel has rooms for $82 a night.  It is located right in downtown.
• Ocean Star Hotel has rooms for $126.  It is right on the ocean, with beautiful views and free breakfast.

Palau Food:  

Dining out is one thing that won’t break your budget.

• try the Bento Boxes in convenience stores.  These are a cheap $3-5 meal.
• Taj has decent Indian food at kinda high prices.
• Drop Off Bar & Grill at the Palau Royal Resort has great pizza

Palau Nightlife: 

Koror has some decent bars for such a small town.  There are a couple of “dive bars” where people start out the night.  And by dive bars, I mean bars located directly in the SCUBA dive centers.  Folks finish their last dive of the day and saddle up to replace the nitrogen in their blood with alcohol.  After that, they may move on to the bar located at their resort.  The rowdiest are the final stops, the downtown bars where locals and tourists come together.  One important note:  Palau does not seem to have banned smoking in bars and restaurants yet, unlike the rest of the planet.  In several locations I had to just walk out due to disgusting amounts of smoke.

• Bottom Time Bar & Grill is the bar in the Sam’s Tours Dive Center.  They have Red Rooster on tap, wine, mixed drinks, and serve food.  It has a great sunset view.  I enjoyed this spot after each dive.  Located on Malakal island
• Drop Off Bar & Grill is located at the swanky Palau Royal Resort and is one of the classier bars on island.  I had a good pizza and ran into some Palauan government bigwigs here.  Smoking allowed.  Located on Malakal island.
• Night Market – Every other Friday there is a big night market in the center of town with food, dance performances, trinkets for sale.  Its well worth visiting.  Watch out, the traditional dancers might pull you up on stage to dance!
• Canoe House is a restaurant and bar that might be THE nightlife spot of Koror.  They have live music on weekends.  The night I went, the US Navy was ashore and had turned it into a frat party.  Located in the center of downtown.

My experience:  

After several days in the Marshall Islands and Micronesia, arriving in Palau was like jumping forward fifty years.  Perfectly paved roads, clean streets, neon lights for restaurants and bars, and even a shopping mall. The infrastructure looks asian, but the views are 100% stunning pacific islander.  The Rock Islands of Palau are steep limestone towers covered in thick foliage. They stretch for a hundred miles to the south of the main island of Babeldoab. The chain starts around the capital town of Koror, so as you drive through there are big rocks and jungle dotting both sides of you as you cross bridges and drive near the shore.

Koror is a pleasant town with everything a tourist might need.  Over fifty restaurants to choose from, a dozen bars, several massage spas, a shopping mall.  You can walk the length of it in 15 min. I stayed on Malakal island, which is just south of Koror town, and connected by a bridge.  All the dive shops operate from Malakal, and my AirBnB apartment is literally across the street from Sam’s Tours. Each morning I could walk 3 minutes to be on the dive boat.  While this was convenient, i wish i had chosen to stay in the center of Koror. All the dive shops will pick you up and drop you back off for free, so it is not necessary to be close to them.  But each night when I wanted to go into town for dinner, I had to track down a taxi, or walk a mile.  I recommend staying right in Koror town, maybe a block or two off the main street.

If you are a diver, Palau is paradise.  You can dive somewhere new for days on end.  If you don’t dive or at least snorkel or kayak, it might be a little boring.  There are no easily accessible beaches from Koror town, so don’t be picturing Hawaii or Tahiti style beach resorts.  If you are satisfied with hanging by the pool, then there are plenty of resort hotels with nice pools, and good restaurants.  All in all, Palau is a first world, underwater paradise, with world-class tourism infrastructure, and a real commitment to protecting its environment.

Get a Palau Islands guidebook:  

There are a couple kinda-out-of-date guidebooks on Palau: 

•  Micronesia and Palau (Other Places Travel Guide) 

• The Palau Guide: A guide to yachting and tourism in Palau

There are several excellent books on diving and marine life in Palau:

• Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Palau and Yap  

• Dive Palau: The Shipwrecks

What to Pack:

Shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt is the uniform.  Bring swimsuits, snorkel, a hat, reef-safe sunscreen, a water-shirt to wear while snorkeling, sunglasses.  To learn how to pack light and be prepared for anything, check out my post The Worldwide Travel Packing List.

Is Palau safe?   

Palau has very low crime, and you should feel very safe while on land.  Koror enforces a curfew between 2:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday, and between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Friday to Sunday, and on national holidays.  You should plan on not walking around after 2:30am, though I can’t imagine why you would anyway as not a single thing is open after midnight.  It is illegal to walk around in public with alcohol.  Homosexuality is technically illegal though unlikely to be enforced.

There is still unexploded ordnance left over from World War II.  Don’t go picking up rusty metal either on land OR underwater!

Bull sharks are common, but have not attacked divers in recent memory.

There are saltwater crocodiles, and no warning signs to indicate their presence. Reconsider going alone to explore the shoreline off the beaten path.

THANKS FOR READING

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The post The 12 Best Things to Do in Palau: Don’t Miss #3! first appeared on Worldwide Wilbur.

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As a longtime Kihei resident, I can give you the real inside-scoop on all the best Kihei has to offer.  I’ve lived in Kihei since 2004.

I came to Hawaii on vacation in 2003, and I knew immediately this is where I wanted to live.  Surely a lot of visitors to Hawaii feel that way, but most just go home and continue on with their lives, and let their vision of Hawaii slowly fade away.  Not me.  The day after I got home from my Hawaiian vacation, I started scouring the interwebs for a job, ANY job, anywhere in Hawaii.  After nine months of searching, applying, and hearing crickets…. I got a job!  I moved out to Kihei, Maui and have been here ever since.

What makes Kihei the best beach town in America?

I was willing to live anywhere in Hawaii, but fate landed me in Kihei, and I couldn’t be happier.  I’ve been to over 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states and I honestly think that Kihei has the best quality of life of any town in America.  Here is why:

• The temperature is in the 70s to 80s and sunny almost every single day.  Kihei only gets 10 inches of rain all year!  It rarely gets above 90, or falls below 60. I don’t even THINK about the weather here. I just assume everyday is going to be sunny, warm and dry.  And I’m almost always right.
• There is no home in Kihei further than a mile from the ocean.  Practically everyone who lives here can walk or bike to the beach.
• You can bike all over town, as the main thoroughfare, South Kihei Road, is pancake flat.
• Kihei has fantastic public beach park services with restrooms, showers, and plenty of parking at nearly every beach.
• Kihei has lots of well-maintained public athletic facilities.  You can get involved in a pick-up game of basketball, beach volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, ultimate Frisbee, roller hockey, Frisbee golf, flag football, swimming at the pool.  You name it, it’s going on, outdoors, year-round in Kihei.
• With only 25,000 residents, Kihei still has small-town politeness.  Drivers will wave you in front of them in traffic.  People smile and say hello.  It’s a real community, full of hard working people.   It’s not a tourist ghetto like Waikiki, Wailea, or Kaanapali.
• Kihei has the best nightlife on Maui.  And, it’s all located in one place, the Kihei Kalama Village, so there is no temptation to be driving around from bar to bar when you shouldn’t be driving.

Here are the 16 Best Things To Do in Kihei:

I’m going to let you in on all the best things to do in Kihei.  Some are gloriously free.  Some are tours with a price tag.  No doubt you will be inundated with a bewildering amount of tour options from magazines, flyers, and even sketchy timeshare high-pressure sales pitches.  After living here 15 years, I know the BEST BUDGET OPTIONS for all these tours and activities.  If you can find a QUALITY tour or activity priced cheaper than what I have listed, please let me know, and I’ll update the page.

The #1 Best Thing To Do in Kihei:  Go to the Beach!

Beaches are the #1 reason to come to Kihei.  And best of all, they are all free.  There are so many beaches in South Maui, they deserve an entire blog post of their own.  Check out “The Ultimate Guide to Kihei Beaches“.

#2 of the Best Things To Do in Kihei Maui:  Snorkel at Molokini Crater

Molokini is a crescent shaped volcanic crater, located just a couple of miles offshore from Kihei.  It is world renowned as one of the best dive/snorkel spots in the world.  If you only do one paid activity during your time here, choose Molokini.

BEST OPTION – Maui Snorkeling  has a big yacht with a 20 foot water slide!  They depart from nearby Maalaea Harbor on a 5 hour tour that gets you snorkeling at Molokini and Turtle Town for $141, with drinks and lunch.  So much fun.

#3 of the Best Things To Do in Kihei Maui:  Get on a Whale Watching Boat

The big expensive whale watch boats all leave from Lahaina.  But there is no need to drive that far, as you can go right from nearby Maalaea.

Sail Maui has a 2 hour trip departing Maalaea Harbor on a gorgeous sailboat catamaran for just $80.  Enjoy only the sounds of the waves and the whales as your ship rides the wind.

#4 of the Best Things To Do in Kihei Maui:  Experience a Lu’au

There is no longer any reason to drive all the way over to the west side to see one of the older, more well-known Lu’aus, as there is now a top class Lu’au in South Maui.   Be forewarned, if you sit near the front, you might find yourself up on stage trying to hula before the night is over.

I recommend the Feast at Mokapu at the Andaz Maui Resort in nearby Wailea.   The show encompasses the song and dance of several South Pacific cultures and the culture of old Hawaii.   Everyone gets a fresh flower lei greeting.  The stage is in front of the ocean, so you get a wonderful sunset ocean view.  No waiting in a buffet line here.  You will be served five star dining, at your table, by their executive chef.  And of course, an open bar.  $250 per adult.

#5 of the Best Things To Do in Kihei Maui:  Paddle a Kayak and Snorkel with Turtles

You can back your car right up to the beach at Makena Landing to drop a rental kayak.  From this spot, you have immediate access to fantastic snorkeling all along the Makena coast, and Turtle Town, which is normally only reached by charter boat.  If it’s your first time, it’s best to go with a tour.

South Pacific Kayaks leads an amazing 4 hour kayak and snorkel tour along Makena coastline for $112.  They go several days a week at 7am.

If you prefer a shorter trip, they also lead a 2.5 hour kayak and snorkel tour for $91.  They go daily at 715am.

#6 of the Best Things To Do in Kihei Maui:  Check out Kihei Fourth Friday Town Party

Every Fourth Friday of the month you’ll find a street party in Kihei’s Azeka Mauka shopping center.  From 6pm to 9pm, they close off the shopping center and one street to cars, and fill the space with all the best food trucks, local pop-up booths selling arts and crafts, clothing, cookies, and jewelry. bouncy castles, games for kids, and a stage with live bands.  Diamonds Bar does a roaring business.  It’s a lot of fun.  And best of all it’s FREE!  People think Maui is expensive, but it has many free activities like hula performances, Fourth Fridays, County beaches, State Parks and more!

#7 of the Best Things To Do in Kihei Maui:  Paddle an Outrigger Canoe

Hawaiian Outrigger Experience departs from the Grand Wailea beach on a real Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe for a one hour tour for $79.  You can learn Hawaiian chants and the art of sport canoe paddling.  They teach the non-instrumental navigational techniques used by the ancient Hawaiians.  You might even get a chance to snorkel with turtles.  It is a real cultural experience.  They go daily at 8am, 9am, 10, and 11am.

#8 of the Best Things To Do in Kihei Maui:  Learn to Surf

Kihei has two competing surf schools right next to each other at The Cove.  Both do a good job, but I recommend Maui Waveriders .  They have their own building directly across the street from the cove, and have professional instructors and quality equipment.  They provide rashguards and water shoes to protect your feet from the sharp reef.  Their 2 hour semi-private lessons, with all equipment included are $95 +tax.  You can even keep the board for a few more hours to surf on your own after the lesson.   Pro Tip: For the glassiest water, go EARLY.

#9 of the Best Things To Do in Kihei Maui:  Experience the Sunday Sunset Drum Circle at Little Beach

Little Beach is really so much more than just a nude beach.  Sunday sunsets are the big draw.  On that afternoon it gets packed.  People gather in a rocking drum circle.  Someone with a bucket of glow-in-the-dark body paint is pressing handprints on all that want one.  People are dancing, swimming, singing, doing cartwheels, and smoking massive amounts of weed.  The vibe is full of positive energy and pure happiness and gratitude for being in such a beautiful place.  After sunset a group of fire-dancers start in, and the drummers turn up the volume.  It’s an experience unlike anything else in South Maui, and I highly recommend a visit.  (And you don’t have to get naked.  Nobody’s judging.  On Sunday it’s probably 20% naked/80% clothed)

#10 of the Best Things To Do in Kihei Maui:  Go Stand Up Paddle Boarding

South Pacific Kayaks does private 2 hour lessons for $123.   The same folks that take thousands of people kayaking each year, do a great job with paddle boarding.  If you haven’t tried it, you really should.  The board is wider and more stable than a surfboard, and by standing up, you have a better view down into the water to see what’s below you than you would surfing with your face attached to the front of the board.  Pro Tip: wear polarized sunglasses with a strap to avoid losing them.  This is a crack of dawn sport for most, as wind and waves are the enemy, and both pick up by noontime.

#11 Get Under the Water and SCUBA Dive:

There is a company doing shore dives for under $100, but I DO NOT recommend them due to some safety concerns.  Mike Severns Diving has a two-tank boat dive to various dive sites, including ALL gear (most places don’t include BCD and wetsuit), leaving from the Kihei Boat Ramp for $134.  Severns Diving is one of the few companies that does dives on the back side of Molokini, which is a really outstanding dive.  They go daily at 615am, every day but Sunday.

#12 Go to the Movies:

Kihei now its very own brand-new four-screen Kihei Cinemas in the Kukui Mall.  You no longer need to drive to Kahului to see “Avengers 27, Seriously, Probably The Last One”.  Budget Tip: Movies before 4pm are at the bargain matinee price of $10.

#13 Golf 18 Holes:

Golfing in South Maui is fantastic.  The famous Plantation Course in Kapalua (home of the Sentry Championship PGA tournament) gets more press, but it can be windy and often rainy there.  Kihei and Wailea are more reliably perfect.

• Kihei has its own golf course, Maui Nui (formerly called Elleair).  The new owner has really upgraded it.  Is it as nice as the Wailea Blue?  Um no.  But it is a lot cheaper, and it has the Sunsets Bar for your 19th hole.  You can golf a round after 2pm for just $51.
• Wailea Blue has the popular Mulligans Irish Pub parked conveniently past the 18th hole.  You can play a round after noon for $143.
• Wailea Emerald has the best views of the four.  You can play a round anytime for $216.
• Wailea Gold hosts the Champions Skins Game in February. You can play a round anytime for $216.

#14 Hike the Kings Trail:

There isn’t much hiking to do in South Maui.  ALL the land mauka (uphill) of Kihei / Wailea / Makena is privately owned with no public access.  But there is one interesting and challenging hike option, the Hoapili Trail, aka The Kings Trail.  This ancient trail, blazed by pre-contact Hawaiians, takes you through a treacherous lava field to a black sand beach.

#15 Explore the Boardwalk at the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge

If you’re a bird watcher, Kealia Pond is heaven.  In these protected wetlands you’ll see a lot of endangered ae‘o (Hawaiian stilt) and ‘alae ke‘oke‘o (Hawaiian coot).  My favorite is the Auku’u, the black-crowned night heron.  The long boardwalk gets you up close to the birds.  The refuge is located halfway between Kihei and Maalaea on North Kihei Road.

#16 Learn About Whales at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

In front of the building is the Kōʻieʻie fishpond, which was built over 500 years ago. Open Mon-Fri 10am to 3pm

Even More Things to Do in Kihei:

Get out and Exercise!  Many sporting activities are available in Kihei:

Windsurfing/Kitesurfing   

• Sugar Beach is the best spot for strong winds, yet flat water.

Beach Volleyball

• Kalama Park has a beach volleyball court right next to The Cove surf spot.
• Kamaole Beach Park 1 has a court.

Basketball

• Kalama Park has two outdoor basketball courts with lights for night games.  You can get in on a pickup hoops game there most evenings at 7pm, or on Saturday and Sunday starting at 8am.  Sunday morning is the biggest game, with two courts going at once and up to 50 people playing.  The age range is from 12 to 70(!) and it’s not all guys, some girls play too.
• Kihei Youth Center has a single court, with no lights.

Tennis

• Kalama Park has four public tennis courts, and Kihei Beach Reserve on Waipuilani Road has six public courts.
• Also check Wailea Tennis Club for their events.

Cycling

• Check the Maui Bicycling League for group rides, events, and maps of South Maui.  The best ride in South Maui is to start anywhere in Kihei, and head into Wailea, continue into Makena, and just keep going til the pavement ends, then turn around and retrace.  The further out you go, the prettier it gets, and the less traffic.

Running

• Every Wednesday the Valley Isle Road Runners group run leaves the Kihei Community Center at 5-530pm for a leisurely 4 mile loop and pizza after at Pizza Madness.  For more info check Maui Running.

Swimming

• The public Kihei Aquatic Center has an Olympic-sized 8-lane 50m by 25yd competition pool, 8-lane lane 25×30 yd warm-up pool & a 10x30ft Keiki pool w/fountain.  Free.  Open M, T, Th, F, Sat. 9:00-4:30, (MWF 6:30-8:00 am early laps) W 10:00-4:30, Sun. 12:00-4:30

Gym

• Maui Powerhouse Gym has a $20 daily rate, and a $70 weekly rate.  This is the biggest, most modern, and best equipped gym in Kihei.  They have lots of free classes for spin, yoga, etc. I’m a member.

Yoga

• Afterglow Yoga Kihei is the highest rated Yoga studio around.  They have a one-week visitor pass for $65.  Classes are daily at 8am and 930am, and during the weekdays an evening class as well.

Playground for little ones

• Kalama Park has a great playground with stuff to climb on.  Maui is a great place to vacation with a baby or young kids.  It has lots of playgrounds, parks, pools open to the public, and everything from Luaus to restaurants to activities are family friendly.

Best Things To Do in Kihei: The Best Shopping

Best local women’s boutique

Mahina – I’ll admit I don’t do a lot of shopping at womens clothing stores, but I know Mrs. Worldwidewilbur makes this her #1 stop for gift buying for the ladies.

Best consignment store

Rainbow Attic – This place is like an upscale yard sale on steroids.  Antiques, Hawaiiana, clothes, they have it all.  I found a Members Only jacket!

Best Scuba/snorkel Shop

Boss Frogs – They’ve got masks, fins, wetsuits, everything but sharks.  You can find them literally everywhere with three locations in Kihei.  The “Snorkel Sets for $1.50 a Day” are a get-you-in-the-door teaser.  Trust me, you won’t want to use these sets that look like 1950s technology.  But they have lots of other great gear at a reasonable price.  The other day I bought a sweet used snorkel there for $20.

Best Surf Shop

Hi-Tech Surf Sports If it involves a board on the water, Hi-Tech has everything you need.

Best Tattoo Shop

Mid-Pacific Tattoo If you’re getting some ink, you want it done right.  You can trust Mid-Pacific.

Best electrology/laser hair removal

Medispa Maui – Sick of shaving?  Pay them a call before showing off your back sweater at the beach.

Best Smoke shop

Still Smokin – Dropped your pipe in the ocean?  They’ll set you straight.

Best Bridal Shop

Elly’s Formal Wear & Bridals – Here for a wedding and had a wardrobe malfunction?  Elly’s to the rescue.

Best Bike Shop

South Maui Bicycles – I love these guys.  They can transform my bike from a no-shifting, brake-squeaking wreck into a smooth machine in an hour.  They rent top-notch multi-speed Trek bikes, way better than the single-speed beach cruisers other places rent,  for $22 a day or $99 a week.

Best Jewelry Store

Topaz Jewelers – This family owned store has been around a long time.  They always fix my broken watches and bent jewelry quickly and are reasonably priced.

Best place for a Facial

Beauty Spa Maui – They have every service under the sun here, but are really well known for facial treatments.  I’ve been in for a massage and they are great at that too!

Best place for a haircut

808 Hair Salon can get your hair to be doing what it’s supposed to be doing.

Best place for a Mani/Pedi

Maui Nail Bar – Get your toes ready for the beach scene here.

Best Adult shop:

The Love Shack – This is the friendliest sex shop you’ll ever enter.  The kindly grandma running the place will make you blush as she offers you lube tester samples.  Conveniently located in “the triangle” between five bars, so your inhibitions will be low enough to stroll right in.

Where to Eat in Kihei:

Kihei has a lot of restaurants, too many to review in the confines of this post.  Please check out my post: “The Ultimate Guide to Kihei Restaurants“

Best Things To Do in Kihei – Need to Know Before You Go:

Backpacker Daily Budget:

$77.  The only way to make Kihei even remotely affordable for a backpacker is to travel in a group of four or more.  Figuring costs of: $130 a night for a condo with a bed and a pull-out sleeper-sofa ($32.50 per person), $35 a day for a car that seats four and $10 a day for gas ($11.25 per person), $7 for breakfast bagel sandwich and a coffee at Café a la Plage, $7 for a lunch of two chicken tacos and a drink at Horhitos taco truck, and $10 for a dinner off Three’s happy hour menu, $9 for three beers at Dog N Duck Irish Pub, and free access to countless beaches, adds up to $77 a day.

Cheap Beer Index:

The cheapest beer you’ll find in Kihei is $3.

• You can enjoy multiple domestic beers for $3 at the Dog and Duck Irish bar anytime.
• South Shore Tiki Lounge has $3 Primo draft 11am to 6pm.
• Lava Rock has $3 beer specials 3-6pm and 9-11pm.
• Diamonds has a different $3 beer special each day.

Best Time to Visit Kihei:

Anytime is a good time to visit.  Kihei has warm weather year round.  In my opinion, the best time is January through March for low humidity, and the chance to see whales.  But it really depends on your plans:

• The temperature hardly changes.  The hottest month is August with highs of 87 and lows of 73.  The coolest month is February at 80 and 65.
• Humidity does change: August is the worst at 84% humidity.  January, February, March, and April are the best with low humidity at around 30%.  If you like sunny, but not muggy, choose winter.
• Rainfall varies quite a bit.  The driest month is June with only 0.3 of an inch.  The “wet season” is December through April 15 with averages between 1.5 and 2 inches per month.  This isn’t really very much rain, but it is possible to get a week where it rains every single day in these months, particularly January and February.
• Ocean temperatures vary by 5 degrees, peaking at 80 in September, and bottoming out at 75 in March.  Visitors will probably judge the ocean to be plenty warm anytime, but as a soft local, I find it chilly in March and nice in September.  If you plan to spend a lot of time in the water, for snorkeling or SCUBA diving, August-September-October might be the best for you.
• Humpback whales visit in the winter, with peak whale density from January 15 to March 31.  You can possibly see one or two as early as October, and as late as May.  If you are going on a whale watch, February and March are perfect.
• Surf swells change seasonally.  Winter brings BIG waves to the North shore, and flat to small waves in Kihei.  Summer brings 3-6 foot waves to the south side in Kihei, and similar waves to the north shore.  The flattest time of year in Kihei is November and December, with over 73% of the time flat.  If you want to surf at Cove Park in Kihei, the best waves of the year come in June, July, and August.
• Price of accommodations change dramatically throughout the year.  Rates peak the week between Christmas and New Year, when every single room on the island is sold out.  Room rates are at their lowest in September and October.  A typical Kihei condo that goes for $199 in January, might be only $130 in October.

What languages are spoken in Kihei?

Everyone speaks English cause Hawaii really is part of America.  However, folks who grew up here will speak Hawaiian Pidgin to each other, and Brah no can speak da kine?   Very few people speak Hawaiian these days.  You also hear a lot of Canadian in the wintertime in Kihei, so take off eh?

Do you need a US visa?

Americans obviously do not need any papers to come to the 50th state.   (many Americans are not aware of this…)  Canadian visitors do not need a visa, and can stay for 182 days out of a year.  AUS and UK visitors need to complete an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before arrival, and then get 90 days to visit.

How to Get to Maui

There are no ferry boats from Oahu.  So, the most common way to arrive is via Kahului Maui Airport (OGG).  The recent arrival of Southwest Airlines to Maui has us locals very excited.  For the last decade, Hawaiian Airlines has had a near monopoly on inter-island flights.  This resulted in round-trip tickets to Honolulu routinely costing over $200 for what is just a 25 minute flight.  Southwest has put an end to that with $78-$88 round-trip fares!  Flights to OGG arrive from 14 Mainland destinations, and 8 Hawaiian ones:

• Honolulu (Oahu)- Hawaiian, Southwest, Mokulele (prop-engine planes)
• Los Angeles – Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, United
• San Francisco – Alaska, Hawaiian, United
• Seattle – Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian
• Portland – Alaska, Hawaiian
• Lihue (Kauai) – Hawaiian
• Kailua-Kona (Big Island) – Hawaiian, Mokulele
• Dallas – American
• San Jose – Alaska, Hawaiian, Southwest
• Oakland – Alaska, Hawaiian, Southwest
• Vancouver, Canada – Air Canada, WestJet
• Sacramento – Alaska, Hawaiian
• San Diego – Alaska, Hawaiian
• Phoenix – American
• Salt Lake City– Delta
• Chicago– United
• Denver – United
• Hilo (Big Island)- Hawaiian
• Hana (Maui) – Mokulele
• Kalaupapa (Molokai) – Mokulele
• Molokai  – Mokulele
• Waimea-Kohala  (Big Island) – Mokulele
• Lanai – Mokulele

Seasonal flights only:

• Anchorage – Alaska
• Bellingham – Alaska
• Calgary, Canada – WestJet
• Edmonton, Canada – WestJet

How to get to Kihei town center from the airport:

Rent a car.  Car rentals are expensive in Maui. It’s hard to find one for cheaper than $40 a day.  The best deal I can find, is Dollar Rent A Car which has a weekly off-peak-season rental of $218 for a week.  That’s pretty hard to beat at just $31 a day before taxes.   Also, Maui has just about the most expensive gas prices in America.  At last check $3.83 a gallon.  The cheapest gas is ALWAYS at Costco, which is right next to the airport.  If you are renting a car, be sure to fill up at Costco before you return it.  Their gas is generally 80 cents/gallon less than the next cheapest station on the island.

Turo.  Turo is the AirBnB of car rental.  If you are not picky about how old your car is, it can be cheaper than renting from an agency in Maui.  You can find older model economy cars around $35 a day.

By taxi: At the airport exit there is a lineup of metered taxis.  These typically cost $40-$45 to get to locations in Kihei.  20 minutes. I can’t think of any reason to take a taxi over Uber or Lyft.

By Uber:  UberX usually costs about $28-$32 to get to Kihei.  20 minutes.  As of February 1, 2019 Uber and Lyft are now allowed to pick up riders at OGG Airport.

By Lyft:  Lyft is also about $28-$32 to get to Kihei.   20 minutes.

By Airport Shuttle:  These big comfortable passenger vans will take you from the airport and drop off people one by one at multiple hotels in Kihei for $18.  They will take two large pieces of luggage.  Must book ahead of arrival.  A little slower than an Uber, but considerably cheaper.  From 30 minutes to 50 minutes depending on the number of dropoffs before yours.

by County of Maui Bus: This is by far the cheapest option, and not horribly inconvenient.  Try downloading the Maui Bus app before you arrive, it makes planning easy.  Bus #35 “Haiku Islander” and Bus #40 “Upcountry Islander” stop at Airport Pickup Zone #3 once per hour.  From there it is a 20 minute ride to the Queen Kaahumanu Mall.  There you’ll have to change to Bus #10 “Kihei Islander”, which makes a quick 20-30 minute drive to drop you off at multiple stops anywhere in Kihei.  $4 ($2 for each bus segment, must have exact amount in cash, no change is given.  Only one suitcase/backpack size item is allowed. )  54 minutes.

How to get around Kihei:

By taxi: A couple of taxis hang around outside the Kihei Kalama Village nightlife area at closing time.   I can’t think of any reason to take a taxi over Uber or Lyft.

By Uber:  Uber has enough drivers in Kihei to reliably get you places during normal hours.  You will almost certainly be out of luck trying to find a ride at 3am.

By Lyft:  Lyft seems to have less drivers available than Uber.

Turtle Tracks:  This new company has four open-air green electric golf cart style vehicles that seat 5.  They drive up and down South Kihei road from as far north as the Azeka Mall and south to the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea.  They drive around daily between 1pm and 9pm.  To get picked up you can call or text 808-866-9979.  You can also just wave them down if you see them going by.  Fares are as little as $3 for a mile or so, up to $12 to go from Azeka all the way to Wailea.

by County of Maui Bus: This is by far the cheapest option.   Try downloading the Maui Bus app before you arrive, it makes planning easy.  There are two buses that serve the Kihei area:  Bus #15 “Kihei Villager” starts in Maalaea and has six stops along the north end of South Kihei Road, finally connecting at the Piilani Shopping Center.  Bus #10 “Kihei Islander”, starts at the Queen Kaahumanu Mall in Kahului, then stops practically everywhere at 19 stops along the entire length of South Kihei Road, getting as far south as Wailea Ike Drive.  Bus fare is $2 for each bus segment, you must have the exact amount, no change is given.  Only one suitcase/backpack size item is allowed.  No surfboards.  The buses do have a bike rack with room for two bikes, so you might be able to bring a bike.

Bicycle: Kihei is a pretty good town for cycling.  South Kihei road is perfectly flat, and usually has a bike lane.  If you plan to spend all your time in Kihei, a bike is all you need.  You can rent a bike from South Maui Bikes for $24 a day

Rented Moped/Scooter:  A scooter is certainly a fun way to get around Kihei.  You could easily cover the entire island on a scooter.  (The road to Hana is FUUUUUUN on a scooter.)  Just be advised that people do get schwacked by cars.  Passing cars on the right is a good way to get hit.  Also, they are hardly any cheaper than rental car at $35 a day.  Not really a budget saving choice, but a fun one.  If I was staying for a month, I’d BUY a used scooter for under $1000, and resell it on facebook marketplace the last day!

Stay Connected in Kihei:

AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint all provide excellent cell coverage in Kihei.  If you are a US citizen coming from the mainland, you’ll see no change in your service if you are with any of these providers.  For tourists coming from other countries, three of these providers have a retail store in the Piilani Village Shopping Center.

• AT&T
• Verizon
• T-Mobile

Where to Stay in Kihei:

Finding a place to lay your head at night is painfully expensive everywhere in Maui.  There are no hostels in Kihei.  The cheapest private room in a house on AirBnB is $106 a night in the low season.  The cheapest studio condo on Booking.com is $130 a night in low season.  The best budget accommodations I can recommend are these two condo complexes

• Kihei Bay Surf
• Maui Vista

Both have a pool, and are right next to the ocean in North Kihei.  They both have lots of rooms available on Booking.com

Kihei Nightlife

Kihei has the best nightlife on Maui.  It has the famous Maui Brewing Company.  Folks drive in from Kahului, Wailuku, and Wailea on Friday and Saturday nights to enjoy it.  Nightlife deserves a post all its own, so please check out my post “The Best Maui Nightlife: Kihei Kalama Village”. 

Get a Maui Guidebook:

Maui Revealed is far and away the best guidebook to Maui.  The author lives a year at a time on each of the four main Hawaiian Islands, and re-reviews everything every four years.  I don’t know why Lonely Planet and other publishers even bother to try to compete.  Get it from Amazon before you come, cause it’s gonna be $24.95 here on island.  I’d like think I’ve just covered Kihei more extensively than any guide available, but you’ll enjoy this book for the rest of the island.

What to Pack:

You can get all this stuff on Maui, but not at Amazon prices.  It’s much cheaper to bring with you quality gear at mainland prices.  You also don’t want to be spending your limited vacation time searching for the right stuff.  Here is what I use, and recommend you bring:

Snorkel, Mask and Fins – The Cressi Palau Short Fins provide a mask with a great fit for all faces, durable quality, and great fins that aren’t so long you fall on your face trying to exit the water.  The best snorkeling package value.  You’ll need this to see all the fishies at each beach you visit.

Travel Towel – The PackTowl Personal Microfiber towel is the best travel towel there is.  It’s comfortable, quick-drying, lightweight, and packs down to the size of a paperback book.  Comes in four sizes and eleven colors.  I have the largest size “Beach” at 36 x 59 inches in Blueberry.  Get this towel, and avoid having to buy a crappy convenience store “ALOHA” towel for $29.95 that you’ll never use again.

Reef Safe Sunscreen – Effective January 1, 2021 the State of Hawaii has banned all non reef-safe sunscreens from sale in the islands.  Why not get ahead of the curve, and bring this excellent sunscreen with you?  Thinksport SPF 50 rubs in easily and feels good on your skin.  And you’re saving our coral reefs.

Sunhat – It’s pretty sunny on the south shore, and you might want a decent hat to go with that reef-safe sunscreen.  These Hemlock Hat Company wide brimmed straw hats are what all the cool kids are wearing at the beach these days.  I have the “Bandit” color.

While these items are of particular importance to make the most of your visit to Kihei, it would be worth checking out my Ultimate Travel Packing List that covers everything you might need for your trip.

Is Kihei Safe?

Yes.  Kihei has very low violent crime.  I’ve never heard of anyone being mugged in Kihei.  We have a HUGE homeless population, but they seem mostly harmless.

The biggest thing to worry about would be moped thefts and car break-ins.  Moped scooters get stolen daily here, someone has a chop shop somewhere and is reselling them.  Cars get broken into if left in empty spots where no one is around.  The nightlife is generally safe.  You can walk anywhere all hours of the night.

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by Worldwide Wilbur, November 2018

Living on Kwajalein Atoll is unlike any other US Army post in the world. 

Army Garrison Kwajalein is a restricted ballistic missile research and testing site, on a remote island leased from the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI).  Totalling just 1.2 square miles, around 1,000 American soldiers, defense contractors providing logistics support, and their family members, are living on Kwajalein Atoll.   It is covered in palm trees, an airstrip, big concrete buildings, green grass, and paved roads.  One one side of the island is the worlds largest lagoon, on the other side, the open Pacific Ocean.  Living on Kwajalein feels like you’ve been transported through time and space to a decaying US Army base located in the Florida keys in 1985.

Kwajalein was a major battleground in WWII.

Kwajalein Atoll had little involvement with the outside world until German occupation from 1899, and then a Japanese takeover after World War One.  Japan used Korean slave labor to fortify and militarize Kwajalein in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s.   U.S. air forces softened up the Japanese defenses by destroying all their aircraft in carrier-based air raids in December of 1943, and January of 1944.  They then took the atoll in a bloody four-day battle known as Operation Flintlock on February 3, 1944.  46,000 US Navy, Marines, and Army soldiers took on about 8,000 Japanese.  36,000 artillery shells were fired from the battleship Tennesee and from Army artillery on captured Carlson island.   B-24’s dropped bombs from the air.

After four days, only a couple hundred Japanese soldiers were still alive and they were captured by amphibious landing Army troops.  Mass graves for the 4,300 Japanese casualties were hastily dug, and are at least one is still somewhere hidden underground.  Residents are not allowed to dig more than 6 inches into their lawns, but that’s less about mass graves than it is about unexploded ordnance from 1944.

Immediately after WWII, the US kept control of the Marshall Islands, and used Kwajalein as the command center for 67 nuclear bomb tests on Bikini and Enewetak Atolls from 1946 to 1963.  In 1964, the United States started anti-ballistic missile testing with the Nike-Zeus program, with Kwajalein as the hub.

What can you do for fun living on Kwajalein Atoll?

• go sailing to desert island Bigej, on a friend of a friend’s sailboat from the Kwajalein Yacht Club.
• go deep sea fishing on another friend’s powerboat.
• Swim and relax at the man-made white sand beach.
• Snorkel right from shore.  The spot by the beach on the lagoon side is best.  It has a concrete stair entry, and very shallow water.
• Go SCUBA diving to one of the many wrecks in the lagoon.  Tank refills are available at the marina shop.
• go Windsurfing or Kitesurfing in the reliable 14mph trade winds.  You’ll have to borrow the equipment from someone, there is none for rent.
• Bicycle laps around the island.  You’ll have to borrow a bike from someone, there are none for rent.
• Play 9 holes on the Kwajalein Atoll golf course by the airstrip.
• Ride the ferry for a day trip to Ebeye Island.  (free) Just walk over and get on.

Kwajalein is among the most remote spots of land on Earth. 

It is 2000 miles from Australia, 2100 miles from Japan, and 2100 miles from Hawaii.  The only way to truly appreciate how enormous the Pacific Ocean is, is to spend a couple of days flying over it.  Hawaii is 5.5 hours from the mainland USA.  Kwajalein Atoll is another 6 hours in the same direction.  And if there was a direct flight to Australia, it would be a further 6 hours.  That’s 17 hours of flying 500 miles per hour, and all you would see in that time is a couple large Hawaiian islands, and some specks of land in the Marshall’s.

Living on Kwajalein Atoll is like being in a perpetual summer camp for adults.  

Everyone cycles slowly from place to place, waving to each person they pass. Someone is having a party every weekend and you are invited.  Everyone knows someone who has a sailboat.  Kwaj attracts the adventurous types. Folks are moving there from Antarctica, or leaving on a sailboat for a year.  Some have been there for twenty years. Some would probably prefer to retire, but you can’t retire and stay on Kwaj, so they keep working. It’s a tight-knit community where people help each other out. 

Kwajalein is in fact a real army base.

Kwaj really is a regular old Army base with the standard brown signs on every concrete building, but with the best background scenery of any base on Earth. You can jump in right off the shore for some excellent snorkeling at one end.  Then relax at a beautiful man-made white sand beach nearby.  The base has all the modern conveniences you’d expect anywhere else.  The grocery store is stocked with all the American staples like Doritos, and doughnuts, and soda.  You can buy the most up to date cell phones and electronic accessories next door.  Apartments and houses have good air conditioning and wi-fi.  People here live a much, much, much better life than on any other remote Pacific island.

Kwajalein Atoll Jobs:  

There are always a few open jobs here.  You must be a U.S. citizen.  Many jobs require a security clearance.   Some are “unaccompanied”, so not so good for married folks. Check out open Kwajalein jobs here: KwajNet

Cost of Living on Kwajalein Atoll:

Living on Kwajalein island is not only a great lifestyle, it can also be very lucrative.   You can eat three meals a day for free at the cafeteria. All housing is owned by the US Army, and is free for contract workers. Electricity and water service is free.  If you are a contractor (as most people are) you don’t have to pay US Federal taxes on your salary, only a 5% Republic of Marshall Islands tax.  If you are smart enough to claim a US state with no income tax as your “permanent residence”, you’d pay no state income tax either.  Most Kwajalein jobs include a stipend for a plane ticket to the mainland once a year for your vacation. You have literally zero expenses, and could conceivably save 85% of your salary!  

What about the Marshallese?

Many Marshallese work on Kwaj, but they all have to be off the island within two hours of the end of their shift.  The Army provides a free ferry to nearby Ebeye island where all the workers live. It seems like a strange version of apartheid, but there are lots of American civilians who work on military bases on the mainland, who also don’t get to live on that base. It’s just that here instead of driving home after work, they take a ferry to another island.  And believe me, Ebeye is not just another island, it is a whole other planet away from Kwaj.

How can you stay active on Kwajalein?

When you aren’t at your job, you can swim in one of two saltwater pools, play on multiple tennis courts, racquetball courts, and basketball courts.  There are playing fields for baseball, softball, and soccer. The Corlett Recreational Center (CRC) has indoor basketball, volleyball and soccer. There is a nine-hole golf course near the airport, a bowling alley, libraries, a fitness center and two movie theaters. You can rent boats for water skiing and fishing at the Kwajalein marina. You can spear-fish, deep-sea fish and scuba dive.  Whatever you like to do, it’s happening in Kwaj, and you can find someone to join you. Except for skiing.  The skiing isn’t so good.

Go before the islands cease to exist.

The average height above sea level in Kwajalein is only 6 feet.  Once sea level rises 16 inches above its current state, the entire Marshall Islands drinking water aquifer will become undrinkable, rendering the entire nation uninhabitable.  Scientists project that this WILL occur sometime between 2045 and 2083.  The population will have to move.  There is no plan for where as yet.

Things to Know Before you go to Kwajalein:

Kwaj Backpacker Daily Budget:

$27.  Your housing will likely be free (there are no independent hotels), your meals $6 each at the cafeteria, beers are $3.  There is not much else to spend money on.

Cheap Beer index:

$3 for a Bud Lite at the only bar on island, the Ocean View Club.

When to visit Kwajalein Atoll: 

At 8 degrees above the equator, the temperature never changes on Kwaj.  Highs are 86, lows 77, every day, year round.  There is a rainy season from mid-April to mid-December, and is rains 10-12 inches a month during this time.  January, February, and March are the driest months, with 4 inches of rain monthly.

What languages are spoken on Kwajalein Atoll?  

English, and also Marshallese by the day-workers from Ebeye.

Do you need a Marshall Islands visa? 

Republic of Marshall Islands visas are not required for US citizens, who can stay as long as they like.  Visas are not required for UK citizens (until Brexit), who can stay for up to 90 days.  AUS and CAN citizens can get a free tourist Visa On Arrival to stay for up to 30 days. They must provide a “police record” dated within last 3 months, and a “health clearance” showing they are free from HIV/AIDS and TB; dated within last 3 months.  All visitors must have a passport valid for at least six months, must have sufficient funds for stay, and have an onward/return air or sea ticket.  (NOTE: These are Republic of Marshall Islands tourism rules, none of which exactly apply to Kwajalein – see below)

However, living on Kwajalein island is restricted to active-duty US military personnel and civilian contractors with proper orders.  Kwajalein tourism is NOT accessible to the general public.  You can only visit if you are “sponsored” by a U.S. citizen working on the island.  Your on-Kwaj contact will process paperwork to get you “Entry Authorization” orders.  United Airlines will not allow you on the plane without these orders.  So, if you want to visit Kwaj, better start networking among military contractors in the Pacific region.  You could start with the KwajNet facebook group.  Or check out Kwajalein jobs here: KwajNet

Getting to Kwajalein Atoll: 

Flights to Marshall Islands:  99% of visitors to Kwaj arrive via United Airlines at Bucholz Army Airfield (KWA).  United Airlines “Island Hopper” Flight 154 departs from Honolulu, Hawaii on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and costs $1400+ roundtrip.  It makes one short stop in Majuro, taking a total of seven hours.  The Island Hopper flight 155 departs from Guam Monday, Wednesday and Friday and costs $1200+ roundtrip.  It makes stops in Chuuk, Pohnpei and sometimes Kosrae, taking around seven hours.   You REALLY want to fight for a window seat on either of these flights.  Seeing these little islands pop up out of the endless blue ocean is magical.  You can de-plane at any of these stops to look around, take pictures, and buy a snack in the tiny one-room airports.

Ideally, you should book your flight using United Mileage Plus Miles.  While the cheapest round trip flights to Marshall Islands from Honolulu are an eye watering $1400, you can book it for just 55,000 United miles, which have a calculated value of only $825.   I booked a multi-city flight from Maui via Honolulu with three stops in Kwajalein, Pohnpei, and Palau and then back to Maui using just 67,500 United Mileage Plus miles.  If you are booking an island hopping trip, you can choose to stop in any or all of the four Micronesian islands, the two Marshall islands, and Guam and Palau.  To learn the most efficient way to accumulate United Miles, please check out my page Nine Steps to Free Flights Worldwide.

Air Marshall Islands also lands here, and provides service to 13 other islands in the RMI.

When you land at KWA, you’ll quickly learn this is not a normal airport.  There will be a flight announcement that it is illegal to take photos of any government buildings once on the tarmac.  Kwajalein is de jure part of the Republic of Marshall Islands, but it is de facto 100% America.  The US pays $18 million a year to the Marshall Islands government to lease Kwaj, which then pays the owners of the islands because all land is privately held.  The lease is in force until 2066, with an option through 2086.

There is no contact with RMI  government for any customs or immigration.  You’ll be met at the stairs by a couple of very serious, large, armed American police.  They’ll direct you to walk into an open-air cage of concrete and fencing.  You’ll sit on plastic chairs, and be given papers to fill out.  The large, serious men with guns will tell you all the rules of being on Kwaj.  No betel nut chewing.  Do not touch fences.  No entering unauthorized areas.  Many of the people in the cage are Marshallese citizens who are continuing on to the nearby island of Ebeye.  Those folks are led into a waiting van, which takes them directly to the ferry to Ebeye.  No one wanders around Kwajalein unknown.  You’ll get a badge which you must wear (or at least have) at all times on the island.  Once you have your badge, you’ll be let out of the cage, where your “sponsor” has been waiting.  Welcome to Kwaj!

Getting around Kwajalein Island: 

There are no personally-owned cars for anyone living on Kwajalein.  It is possible to rent a truck or a golf cart for a couple of hours if you need to move stuff from one end of the island to another.  The vast majority of your travel on island will be by bicycle.  Bicycles aren’t available for rent, but every resident has at least one, and someone will have an extra clunker you can use.  Normen “Auntie” Sablas has a fleet of 85 bikes available for free to visitors.

Kwaj Currency and how to get it: 

U.S. Dollars are used everywhere in the Marshall Islands, and are available at a couple of ATMs.   For more info on your cash-versus-credit card options when travelling, check out my post on How to Access your Money in Foreign Countries.

Kwajalein Internet and Phone Service: 

There are no cell phone towers on the island.  Landline phones are still in use all over the island.  Phone calls are free.  WiFi is available in all homes, and some businesses.  For more info on your telecom options, check out my post on How to Get Cheap Mobile Phone Service Worldwide.

Kwajalein Atoll Real Estate:  

You can’t buy a home here.  In fact, there are only two options for lodging; stay for free with your sponsor in their house or apartment, or stay at the Kwaj Lodge.

• Kwaj Lodge – basic motel rooms.  You won’t find it on Booking.com, cause it can only be booked by your sponsor.

Where to eat on Kwaj:

• Captain Louis S. Zamperini Dining Facility – This Army-style chow hall is the biggest food option on island.  Meals here are free for local staff, so pretty much everyone living on Kwajalein eats here.  It’s all-you-can-eat buffet style, and pretty darn good.  And it’s named for the wartime hero of the book and movie Unbroken who was held here for 42 days and tortured in a Japanese POW camp.  Watch this film before your visit.  You’ll see why it’s kinda funny they named, of all things, a dining facility after Captain Zamperini.
• Subway – tastes just like your Subway at home.
• Burger King – somehow not quite as good as your Burger King back home.
• Donato’s Pizza  – serves by the slice.  Tastes like pizza.

Kwajalein Island Nightlife: 

There are only four types of nightlife on Kwaj, and they generally occur in the following order:

• Start with a backyard barbecue at someone’s house by the ocean.  Only married folks and high-ranking military living on Kwajalein get assigned to an actual house.  These tend to be the kind of folks who can afford to feed lots of people.  They may also prefer to shut it down early.
• Alternately, there might be a party at the Kwajalein Yacht Club.  You don’t even need to own a yacht to attend.
• Next you move on to a party in someone’s apartment.  Apartments get assigned to single folks.  These parties can go late.  But if it starts to wind down…
• You end the night at the Ocean View Club aka “The Snake Pit“.  This is the only actual bar on the island.   It’s an A-frame building open to the air, and it has an ocean-side view. It has a full liquor bar, and beers are $3 and up.   There is a dance floor, and a free computer-jukebox behind bulletproof/drunkproof glass.  You might find 2 or 20 people there on a given night.  It is the last stop of any night out on the town, as is open til 3am.  Expect to find folks too drunk to speak or move.

Get a Marshall Islands guidebook:

There are NO guidebooks that cover Kwajalein.

What to Pack for Kwaj:

You can get the basics you need on Kwaj, but not at Amazon or Walmart prices.  It’s better to bring with you quality gear at mainland prices.  You also don’t want to be spending your limited vacation time searching for the right stuff.  Here is what I use, and recommend you bring:

 Snorkel, Mask and Fins – The Cressi Palau Short Fins provide a mask with a great fit for all faces, durable quality, and great fins that aren’t so long you fall on your face trying to exit the water.  The best snorkeling package value.  You’ll need this to see all the fishies on the barrier reef.

 Travel Towel – The PackTowl Personal Microfiber towel is the best travel towel there is.  It’s comfortable, quick-drying, lightweight, and packs down to the size of a paperback book.  Comes in four sizes and eleven colors.  I have the largest size “Beach” at 36 x 59 inches in Blueberry.

 Reef Safe Sunscreen – Effective January 1, 2021 the State of Hawaii has banned all non reef-safe sunscreens from sale in the islands.  Why not get ahead of the curve, and bring this excellent sunscreen with you for all your beach trips?  Thinksport SPF 50 rubs in easily and feels good on your skin.  And you’re saving our coral reefs.

 Sunhat – It’s pretty sunny here, and you might want a decent hat to go with that reef-safe sunscreen.  These Hemlock Hat Company wide brimmed straw hats are what all the cool kids are wearing at the beach these days.  I have the “Bandit” color.

While these items are of particular importance to make the most of your visit, it would be worth checking out my Ultimate Travel Packing List that covers everything you might need for your trip.

Is Kwajalein safe?  

Kwaj is about the safest place on Earth.  Everyone living on Kwajalein had to pass a government background check to get there.  There is no known crime, other than the occasional drunk “borrowing” of a clunker bicycle.

The water is safe to drink, thanks to the efforts of master water engineer Eric Nystrom.

There are big black-tip and nurse sharks in the water by the marina.  Maybe not the best place to go snorkeling.

If you bicycle around the airstrip, pay attention to the sign that reads “WATCH FOR AIRCRAFT”.  United flight 154 landing on your head is to be avoided.

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Well, Skopje (pronounced SCOPE-yeh) is the capital of the newly named country of NORTH Macedonia 

by Worldwide Wilbur September 2019

First impressions of the city are:  friendly, charming, full of wide open pedestrian-only spaces to enjoy, with some very unusual architecture.  The center of the city, Macedonia Square, was completely rebuilt by the “Skopje 2014 Project” at a cost of up to 700 million dollars, a huge expenditure for one of the poorest countries in Europe.  Today, the city center is filled with massive columned stately government buildings, an absurd number of statues, and even a huge old-timey pirate ship, permanently moored in the river as a hotel.  Everything you see is brand new, and prosperous looking, though often incongruent and out-of-place.  

The “Macedonia Naming Dispute”

To understand why all these massive statues suddenly got built here, it’s important to understand the naming dispute.  I don’t want to embroil myself in the contentious politics of this or take a side.  Long story short: 

By the year 323 B.C. a guy named Alexander the Great had conquered most of the known world.  He came from a region of what is today mostly northern Greece called Macedonia.  Millions of Greek people today trace their lineage and ethnicity back to this ancient Kingdom of Macedonia as a pre-cursor to the ancient Greek Hellenistic civilization and the modern nation of Greece.

As you can see in this map, about 80% of the Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia was in what is today Greece, and 20% was in what is today North Macedonia.

In September of 1991 the country of Yugoslavia was falling apart with both Slovenia and Croatia declaring independence, and the so the “Republic of Macedonia” also declared independence from what remained.  The Greek government immediately objected to the name of the new country, as they claimed Macedonia was appropriating a culture and heritage that is Greek, and not Slavic or Albanian, the two ethnicities that make up most of North Macedonia today.

So, the country name was initially changed to the unwieldy “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” or “FYROM” in all official international forums.  Still, Greece effectively blocked the FYROM from any attempt to join the European Union or NATO until a national name acceptable to both parties had been decided.  In retribution, a pro-nationalist Macedonian government decided to take their claim of Macedonian history into overdrive with the massive expenditures of Skopje 2014, building a hundred statues of ancient Macedonian heroes.

Finally, after 25 years of arguing, on February 12, 2019 the nation became known as North Macedonia.  It seems everyone in both countries were equally dissatisfied, which was the most anyone could hope for.

Today, everyone here still refers to themselves as Macedonians, but the giant statue in Freedom Square is officially called “The Warrior on a Horse” even though he is obviously meant to be Alexander The Great.

7 Cool Things to do in Skopje:

#1 Cool Things to do in Skopje: Walk around the city center counting statues.

One of the best things to do in Skopje is the Free Skopje Walking Tour  They go twice a day at 10am and 5pm.  If you are here on a day trip or are looking for day tours, choose this tour.  Our guide was Vasko, and he was truly fantastic.  Full of knowledge and jokes, we learned a lot about his country in just a short time.  He explained the reasons for each statue we passed, and told us what goes on behind every giant columned new building.  He was old enough to remember the days of Yugoslav Socialism, describe the war years, and explain the controversy about the country name.  He showed us the Mother Teresa Memorial House, and explained how she grew up in Skopje.  His tour was the best part of our visit.

#2 Cool Things to do in Skopje: Shop the Old Bazaar

Among the largest Turkish bazaars in all of Europe, second to only the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, this fine example of an Ottoman marketplace has cobblestone streets, and feels like stepping back 100 years in time.  Smells of meat grilling, shopkeepers calling out to passers by, and coffee mugs clinking fill the air.  In the evenings shops close up and bars and restaurants start to fill.  Try the Hotel Arka‘s top floor cafe for a nice view at sunset.

#3 Cool Things to do in Skopje: Scramble around on the Kale Fortress

Right next to the bazaar is Skopje’s ancient fortress, called the Kale (Turkish word for Fortress)  It sits on the highest point in the city.  First built in the 6th century, it’s been rebuilt many times, and the interior today is mostly ruins.  Entry is free, and the views can’t be beat.

#4 Cool Things to do in Skopje: Hunt for Brutalist Architecture

In 1963 a terrible earthquake leveled 80% of  the city, made 200,000 homeless, and killed over a thousand people.  The entire city needed to be rebuilt and Brutalist architecture was at its peak of popularity.  Dozens of major buildings were built with raw concrete facades, unpainted, with unusual shapes and angles.

#5 Cool Things to do in Skopje: Get outside the city

After a full day in Skopje, we were ready to get out into nature, so we signed up for the Vodno Mountain and Matka Canyon Tour.  For $28 per person, we got out of town to a couple of relaxed nature views.  We started at 1pm and had a ride in a van to Mount Vodno.  We rode the cable car up to Millennium Cross on arrival, and enjoy panoramic views back across Skopje from one of the biggest Christian crosses in the world.

#6 Cool Things to do in Skopje: Scale Vodno Mountain

Erecting a massive Christian cross that lights up at night and is visible from everywhere in the city, even though 25% of your countrymen are ethnic Albanian non-Christians, is such a perfectly Balkan thing to do.  I can’t imagine why there have been so many wars in the region? 

After taking the cable car back down Vodno Mountain we continued to the mountain village of Gorno Nerezi and visited a small 12th-century Orthodox church.

#7 Cool Things to do in Skopje: Cruise the Lake in Matka Canyon

Next, we drove way out of the city Canyon Matka.  You can do a number of things in this gorgeous canyon.  For just a few dollars you can take a boat trip into the Vrelo cave.  You can walk along the canyon for a couple miles. There is a rock climbing wall, where you can rent gear and try scale the canyon wall.  Or, you can just sit and have a meal at a waterside restaurant and watch the boats go by.

Cool Things to do in Skopje- What to Know Before You Go:

Backpacker Daily Budget: 

$26 a day. It’s really cheap in Macedonia.  You can get a bed at City Hostel for just $6. Three budget meals should cost around $12. Two bus, trolley or tram rides add up to $1.50. Three big beers will set you back $6.

Cheap Beer Index:

$1.43 – For just 80 Denars, you can find a cold bottle of Skopsko (I swear that’s what the label reads.  It’s in Cyrillic).  Actually, I’m sure you can find it even cheaper than this, but that’s the best price I saw at the downtown bars.

When to visit Skopje:  

The best time to visit Skopje is in summer.  June, July, August and early September have highs in the 80s, and lows in the 50/60s.  December, January and February only get into the 40s. Rainfall is about the same year-round.

What languages are spoken in Skopje?  

Macedonian is the primary national language spoken by 65% of the population, with Albanian also having official status and spoken by 25%.  Macedonian is a South Slavic language nearly identical to Bulgarian. Younger people may speak English also, as it is now taught in schools.  I found English to be much less common than in neighboring Serbia.

Do you need a North Macedonian visa?

Visas are not required for nationals of USA, UK, Australia, and Canada.  You can stay for 90 days out of a 180 day period visa-free.

How to Get to Skopje:

Skopje International Airport (SKP) is 9 miles south east of the city.  It serves cities all over Europe as well as Dubai, UAE and Hurghada, Egypt.  It is one of the hubs for Wizz Air, which often has the best fares. Learn how to get to Skopje for free on my page How to Fly For Free

The Skopje Central Bus Station is located a 20 minute walk southeast of the center of Old Town.  You can easily catch buses to Kosovo, Serbia, Greece, Albania, and Bulgaria.

Getting around Skopje:

Taxi is pretty much your only option to and from the airport.  There is a big sign outside the airport that lists the exact set fare to all nearby locations.  Downtown Skopje was listed at 1220 Denars ($22) and that is exactly what our driver asked for at the end.  (It’s very unlikely your taxi will be a Lada or a Yugo, but there are still some on the road!)

Walking is all you need to get around most of this compact city.

Local Currency and how to get it:

North Macedonian Denar (55 MKD = $1 as of July 2019) are available at numerous ATMs.    For more info on your cash-versus-credit card options when travelling, check out my post Should I Exchange Money Before I Travel?

Mobile Phone Service in Skopje:

North Macedonia has two networks that offer pre-paid SIM cards for tourists, but only one with 4G/LTE.  The registration of the prepaid subscribers is required, so bring along your passport.  For more info on your telecom options, check out my post Get The Best International Phone Plan

• Makedonski Telekom (aka T-Mobile or Telekom) is #2 operator with 48% share.  It is the ONLY provider that offers 4G/LTE for pre-paid SIM cards.  Its SIM card is sold in their stores for 399 MKD with unlimited calls, 100 SMS and 100 MB data included. They also sell a prepaid surf card with data only for 499 MKD. It comes with 5 GB internet for one month.  Top-up vouchers are available from 100 MKD in lots of stores.
• VIP has pre-paid SIM cards for tourists that only function at 3G speeds.

If you have a European SIM,  be aware that North Macedonia is neither part of the EU, nor of the EEA, so roaming rates on European SIM cards are not capped or regulated in the country and can therefore be much higher. Better buy a local SIM card instead.

Where to stay in Skopje:  

Lodging is very cheap in Skopje.  You can get amazing deals and save money on hotel rooms and apartments.  If you consider AirBnB’s the Debar Maalo section of town is lovely.

Cheapest Good Hostel – City Hostel has dorm beds for just $6!  It’s only a ten minute walk from the city center, and has lots of comfy outdoor garden seating.

Best Cheap Hotel/Apartment – Hotel RM has single rooms with shared bathroom for just $14.  You get a TV, and A/C.

Better Cheap Hotel – Calla Bella Residence has single rooms with bathroom, TV, and AC for $22.  It’s perfectly located a stones throw from the Warrior on a Horse.

Best Hotel in Town – Skopje Marriott has fancy rooms for $130 and up.  Literally right on Macedonia Square.

Skopje Nightlife: 

I would characterize Skopje nightlife as….chill.  It’s a far cry from crazy Belgrade.  But it is a little better than in neighboring Albania or Kosovo.  There are lots of subdued bars downtown among the massive statues.

We enjoyed Kolektiv- Craft Brewery Temov, right smack in front of Alexander the Great.  Great beer, rocking 80’s pop, and decent people watching.

Later on we visited Irish Pub St Patrick, your basic “Irish pub in a box” that every city on earth seems to have.  It’s busy and on the riverfront with nice views of the bridges all lit up.

Finally, we ended the night at Havana Summer Club.  This big outdoor venue next to the Skopje Zoo hosts live music several nights a week.  They had a kick-ass rock band the Wednesday night we were there.  Great bands, cheap beers, under the stars! 

Get a guidebook:

The best guidebook, actually the ONLY guidebook that focuses on North Macedonia is the North Macedonia – Bradt Travel Guide .  Bradt guides are so well researched and extensive.  They cover the history and culture.

What to pack:

You can wear the same clothes you’d wear anywhere in Europe.  To learn how to pack light and be prepared for anything, check out my post International Travel Packing List: All In a Carry-On!

Is Skopje safe?

North Macedonia is very safe.  It has an annual murder rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people.  That puts it on par with Belgium and Canada, and much safer than the USA’s rate of 5.3.

THANKS FOR READING

Full Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.  This means that if you buy anything, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link to stuff I use, love, and recommend.  I don’t accept bribes to endorse garbage. Your clicks help keep this site alive.

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So what would it be like visiting here as an American?  What do people think about the wars of the recent past? Do they think about them?  Does any of it matter anymore? Is it even acceptable to ask? These are the questions I came to Belgrade with, hoping to get answers.

First impressions of Belgrade are mixed.  It is not an obviously beautiful city. You won’t mistake it for Prague or Budapest.  There are lots of grey apartment buildings and graffiti.  There are also beautiful Art Deco style buildings like the one above.  There is a medieval fortress with a wide grassy park around it.  A central square has the requisite “important man on a horse” sculpture.  There is a single, protected cobblestoned street with traditional restaurants.  But in general, Belgrade feels like a lived-in, businesslike city.  Busy, bustling, growing, and hustling.  It’s the kind of place that slowly grows on you, only after you acquire a favorite restaurant, a bar where they know your name, a spot in a park where you can read a book and listen to the birds chirp.  Would I rank it in the top ten “must visit” European cities?  Definitely not.  Would I consider living here?  Sure.

Serbia is not a rich country.  It’s gross national income per person is $6390, about a tenth of the USA.  But you wouldn’t necessarily pick up on that during a visit to Belgrade.  Folks in the city are attractive and well dressed.  The ladies seem to be working overtime to impress.  I saw more collagen-filled lips in Belgrade than in the entire rest of my life.  Permanent duck-face is at epidemic levels in the riverside nightclubs.  The guys aren’t slacking either.  I witnessed two Serb men street racing their Lamborghinis between stoplights downtown.  The average Serb man is 6 feet tall, third tallest in the world behind their neighbor Montenegro, and the Netherlands.  Suits and Italian shoes are their clubbing uniform.  Visitors of both genders may feel a bit… overmatched here.  

13 Awesome Things to Do in Belgrade Serbia:

Things to Do in Belgrade: #1 Start With a Walking Tour

I arrived in Belgrade with my friend Aaron, and we started our visit with the Small Group Walking Tour  For $17 we got an informative walking tour of the old town area.  Our guide was a human Wikipedia talking very quickly and spouting more dates than any person could possibly absorb.  He even had props, postcards for us, and copies of a 500 Billion Dinar note from the early 2000’s era of inflation.  We started in Republic Square, and got to see all the major sights like the National Assembly building, the New Palace where the President of Serbia lives, Nikola Pašić Square, the Hotel Moskva, the Nikola Tesla Museum, the shopping street of Knez Mihailova, and the Kalemegdan Fortress.

#2 Stroll on Knez Mihailova

This is the bustling pedestrian cafe-filled street of the old town, where the beautiful people come to see and be seen.  It is packed all hours of the day and early evening.  Certainly the best people watching spot in the city.  If you are looking for the Adidas store, to buy matching Russian mafia tracksuits, or for Guess, Lacoste or Zara, this is the place.  They even have a Starbucks.  I didn’t spend a whole lot of time here, preferring to find the backstreet bars and restaurants with some character.

#3 Hit the beach at Ada Ciganlija

Not exactly a beach, Ada Ciganlija is an island in the Sava river that was turned into a peninsula and made into a pebbly beach for swimming and outdoor activities.  It ain’t exactly Maui, but you can swim, kayak, boat, canoe, windsurf, waterski, rent a jet ski. If water isn’t your thing you can walk, bike, play volleyball, basketball, tennis, soccer, rock climb, even bungee jump.  There are lots of bars and restaurants too.  We came here nursing a terrible rakija hangover, and did not properly appreciate the place.  Of course, it was mid September as well.  I imagine on a scorching Saturday in July this place is a blast.

Things to Do in Belgrade: #4 Stuff your face in Skadarlija

Skadarska Street is home to a bunch of excellent traditional Serbian restaurants.  We made this cute cobble stoned street our home, staying in a comfy Airbnb next door to the Red Bar.  We had dinner at a different spot here every night, and didn’t have a single bad meal.  And while this street is surely a tourist draw, they serve mostly Serbian families out for a celebration, so don’t worry about falling into a tourist trap.  Evenings are packed here, and roving bands of fiddlers, trumpet players, and singers bounce from place to place serenading diners for some small bills.

Be forewarned, you will have to pass the street-side pop-up 100 Dinar Rakija Bar, and these cobblestones get awful slippery after your third shot.

#5 Have a Sundowner in Kalemegdan Park 

The park is home to the Kalemegdan fortress and a stunning statue by Ivan Meštrović.  This is the highest point in Belgrade, and it’s where locals gather with their sweetheart or a bunch of friends to sip a drink and look out over the city.  There are no laws against drinking in public , so go ahead and bring a bottle of wine or a couple of beers.  You have a lovely view of the confluence of the Sava and the Danube rivers.  After drinks, you can let your inhibitions wild in a shopping spree on Knez Mihailova street just down the hill.

Things to Do in Belgrade: #6 Get Down on the River

If your trip to Belgrade includes a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday; I recommend hopping on the Belgrade River Cruise.  For just $14, you get a 90 minute river tour with an English speaking guide.  It usually meets at 6pm (though start times vary), so the tour doubles as a sunset booze cruise, as they keep plenty of cold beer onboard! 

#7 Learn some Yugoslav History

On Day 2 you should do the Red Belgrade Communist Tour  For $21 you get a 3 hour tour.  It meets at noon Tuesday through Saturday.  You’ll see the Serbian Parliament building where Slobodan Milošević was overthrown in 2000.  Pass by the ruins of the Serbian General Staff Building (above) bombed by NATO in 1999.  The guide takes everyone onto a trolley to visit the part of the city where the Communist Party bigwigs all lived.   Possibly the best part, is visiting the Yugoslav History Museum.  This museum is co-located with the mausoleum of Josip Broz Tito, who ruled Yugoslavia from 1944 to 1980.

Things to Do in Belgrade: #8 See the Other Side of the Sava

One way to explore the other side is the Walking Tour of Zemun.  Zemun was its own city for hundreds of years.  It marked the end of Austro-Hungarian Europe, while Belgrade was the northern reach of the Ottoman Empire.   You can easily see that the architecture is totally different in Zemun then in old Belgrade.  It looks like any historic small town from central Europe.  It also survived many of the bombings that devastated Belgrade over the centuries.  The walking tour takes you all over this quaint and picturesque town, which only became incorporated into Belgrade proper finally in 1955.

#9 Get Around the City on Two Wheels

The Belgrade Bike Tour  was the most fun tour we did in our short visit.  For just $21, our young guide took us all over the city, mostly spending time pedaling in New Belgrade and Zemun.  I’ve been on bike tours that just cover a couple of miles, with lots of stopping and talking, and eating.  Not this guy!  We really covered some ground.   Towards the end of our time, I looked at the Belgrade Fortress from miles away in Zemun, and thought, “Man, we still have to ride all the way back THERE?”  We did this tour on our last day in the Belgrade, and it seemed like we covered every bit of the city.  It was especially cool to find stuff like the Genex Tower, and the “I Love Serbia” sign.  We felt like we could ask our guide anything, and we had some frank discussions about war, politics and corruption.

Stop at the Genex Tower, known as the “Western City Gate”.   Built in 1977, it is a 36-story skyscraper and a phenomenal example of brutalist architecture. The building has two 384 foot tall towers connected by a 2 floor bridge, with a rotating restaurant on top at a height of 459 feet.  Sadly, half of it is completely empty now, and the restaurant has long gone out of business.  It sits incongruently in a large open space, with no commercial activity or other buildings around it.  Just plain weird.  And awesome.

Things to Do in Belgrade: #10 Drink Rakija…if you can handle it.

Hang around Serbia long enough, and someone will offer you a shot of this locally made brandy.  Be sure to maintain eye contact with your host as you toast “Ziveli” (ZHEEE-VEH-LEE).   Sip, don’t chug.  You are meant to enjoy the various flavors of this homemade brandy.  And don’t down too many in one go, as Rakija is very high in alcohol content. 

I absolutely hated Rakija.  I tried several types, but after three or so brave attempts, I gave up and refused any more for the rest of the trip.  Now my friend Aaron on the other hand…liked it enough to buy an entire round for the bar on our visit to The Magic Garden.  That’s 24 shots of Rakija, that we distributed to the patrons near closing time, and set Aaron back around $30.  I preferred the stuff inside those brown bottles seen in the fridge behind the barman. 

#11 Ride Tram #2 Around and Around

If you want a cheap and effortless tour of the city, just hop on Tram #2.  It makes a loop of the city center. A ticket costs about a dollar, and you can get on right from Knez Mihailov street. 

Things to Do in Belgrade: #12 Risk your Life at a Soccer Match: Red Star vs Partizan

The most fierce and violent football rivalry in Europe can be found in Belgrade.  On the off chance that you happen to be in town when these two face each other, you have two choices: Pick a side and join the fun, or stay inside to avoid the tear gas, riot police, and flying fists and bottles.  They weren’t playing each other when we were in town, but we got a dose of the frenzy anyway.  On a peaceful early evening walk through the calm backstreets of Belgrade one night, we suddenly heard chanting.  And then smelled smoke, then saw some fireworks.  Eventually we turned a corner, and were face to face with a squad of fully body-armored Serbian riot police!  They were calmly pulling on elbow pads, adjusting helmet straps, and arranging their clubs and walkie-talkies.  They weren’t blocking our path, so being the idiots we are, we continued TOWARD the chanting.  We discovered a couple of hundred men in a small park chanting slogans, lighting fireworks, and drinking thousands of beers.  A bystander next to us was filming it with her phone, and we asked her what was up?  “Partizan supporter meeting.”  “What are they going to do?” we asked.  Before she could answer, the chanting suddenly stopped and the whole group started walking in our direction.  The girl stopped filming and took off in a quick stride away, saying “You should leave”.  We did.

#13 Party til Sunrise on a Splav

Whoo boy, does Belgrade have nightlife. It was proclaimed best nightlife in the world by Lonely Planet in 2011.  Start your night with a Pub Crawl  We had a blast with these folks on our first night in town.  The first bar had unlimited rakija shots (yechhh), the second bar got us a round of decent Serb beers, and then some more beers in another bar that seemed to be in a random apartment complex common area.  Then finally a walk across the big bridge to Splav Shlep.  It was well worth $17 to have someone lead us around, and have the chance to meet people from all over Europe who joined.

Belgrade doesn’t just have bars and clubs like other places, in the summer they have giant clubs on permanently anchored barges on the riverside called “splavovi”.  These Splavs get going late, around midnight, and some last til 6am!  There are different styles of Splavs, so it’s worth doing some research or asking a local about them to pick one that fits your preference.  Some are like fancy Vegas clubs with go-go dancers, DJ’s, smoke machines, VIP velvet rope seating, bottle service, and snobby waiters.  Some are like frat basement American dive bars, no seating, big dance floor, and you serve yourself at the bar.

Belgrade feels like a city where anything is possible.  Where rules are only guidelines.  Smoking in restaurants, Lamborghinis street racing in downtown traffic, river barges that blast techno til 6am, unlicensed rakija from grandpa’s shed sold everywhere.  It’s kinda the opposite of Switzerland.  And I like that.

Things to Do in Belgrade: Know Before you Go

Backpacker Daily Budget

$30 a day. Belgrade is cheap!  You can get a bed at Play Hostel for just $7. Three budget meals should cost around $14. Two bus, trolley or tram rides add up to $1.50. Entry to Kalemegdan Fortress is free! Three big Jelen Pivo beers will set you back $6.

Cheap Beer Index

$1.14  On a side street in charming Zemun, you can find a draft Lav for only 120 Dinars.  But I recommend upgrading to a Niksicko Tamno dark lager.  I couldn’t get enough of these.

When to Visit Belgrade:

The best time to visit Belgrade is summertime; June through September. June and September have highs in the 70’s. July and August are in the low 80’s. Nightly lows are 50-60 in the summer. Winters are chilly, it rarely gets above 45 in December and January.

What languages are spoken in Belgrade?

Serbian is the common language, but English is a rapidly growing second (or third) language. English is a mandatory subject in all primary schools, and in most universities. It’s very likely any younger person you meet will speak English, often fluently.  We had no problem getting around with just English.

Do you need a Serbian visa?

No. USA, UK, AUS and CAN passport holders all get 90 days to visit visa-free within a six month period.

Getting to Belgrade

The quickest way to arrive is via Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG). The biggest airport in Serbia, it has flights to all over Europe, a few to the Middle East, and Air Serbia even has one flight to New York-JFK. Be sure to search for Air Serbia’s flights, as they seem to beat most other airlines on many routes to Belgrade. BEG’s busiest airlines are:

• Air Serbia (Half of all traffic to BEG)
• Wizz Air 9%
• Lufthansa 6%
• Montenegro Airlines 6%
• Swiss Air 4%

Learn how to get to Belgrade for free on my page How to Fly For Free

To get into the city center from the airport:

By bus: Near the airport exit is a bus station for “Mini Bus A1”. This operates between the airport and Slavija Square, New Belgrade (Fontana, and near Belgrade train station. Tickets can be purchased on the bus for 300 dinars ($3). Mini Bus A1 operates 7 days a week from 05:00 till 21:30. Bus leaves every 60 minutes. During peak hours (8:00 am – 18:00pm) it operates more frequently. 30min drive.  Of course, it’s unlikely yopu have chosen to stay in comparatively boring New Belgrade, so you’ll then have to figure out the city bus system to get to Old Town Belgrade.

CarGo is the Uber of Serbia. Download the app before your trip, plug in your credit card, get a local sim on arrival, and you are set.  This is what I did, and it worked like a charm.  I hailed a car on the app from the arrivals area, and he arrived within 10 minutes.  The fare to Old Town was 1261 Dinar, 30% cheaper than using a fixed-fare airport taxi.

By taxi: Inside baggage claim, right after passport control, there is a yellow and black taxi information desk, where you can order a taxi with a fixed price.  Anywhere in the Old Town is 1800 dinars ($17).  You just say the address to the (English speaking) taxi information desk officer, and they will give you a voucher you will take to the first available taxi driver. You pay when you arrive. 20-30min drive.

Getting around Belgrade

Public transportation in Belgrade is a pain in the ass for foreigners. It’s the largest city in Europe that doesn’t have a Metro. The taxi drivers are to be avoided like a raccoon with rabies. They will happily charge you 8 times the correct fare. There is a bus and trolley system, but good luck figuring it out if you don’t speak Serbian. That leaves you with one good option; CarGo.

CarGo is the Uber of Serbia. Download the app, plug in your credit card, get a local sim, and you are set.  We used this all over the city, at all hours of the day, and it worked great.  We took short rides that ended of costing just $2-3, and long rides from the Splavs that cost $9.  It’s very convenient.

Serbian Currency:

The Serbian Dinar (105RSD to $1USD) are available at ATMs.  For more info on your cash-versus-credit card options when travelling, check out my post Should I Exchange Money Before I Travel?

Stay Connected in Serbia:

Be aware that Serbia is NOT part of the EU, nor the EEA, where international roaming rules are enforced. So roaming rates on European SIM cards are not capped, and can be very expensive. DO NOT rely on an EU sim card. Buy a local SIM card.  Or, better yet, skip the hassle of getting a local SIM and check out my post Get The Best International Phone Plan

Mts – Telekom Serbia holds 45% of the market . Mts sells two 30 day prepaid tourist SIM cards in their own stores, Tabac Press, and Maxim.  Their tourist SIMs are confusing and difficult to activate. Not recommended.

• Tourist SIM: This is good for a 3 day trip. 600 RSD ($5.70) including 3 x 24 hour internet sessions with unlimited 4G/LTE. The clock starts from your first data connection and lasts for 24 hrs no matter if you are online or not.
• Super Tourist SIM: This is good for a 4-30 day trip. 1,800 RSD ($17) including 10 GB data (up to 4G/LTE), 30 international voice minutes, and 120 intra-net minutes on mts.

Telenor is the #2 provider at 31% market share. Prepaid SIM cards are available in Telenor stores or from newsstands in Belgrade like Moj Kiosk or Corner shop . There are currently 2 prepaid plans.  These are easy to use, and a great bargain.

• Telenor pripejd: Good for a 7 day trip. 300 RSD ($3) for a voice and data SIM card with 30 RSD credit valid for 7 days. As a promotion they give you 3 GB data and 900 RSD for domestic calls and SMS.
• Telenor pripejd plus: Good for an 8-15 day trip. 500 RSD ($5) for a voice and data SIM card with 30 RSD credit valid for 15 days. As a promotion they give you 5 GB data and 2500 RSD for domestic calls and SMS.

Where to Stay in Belgrade:

Cheapest Good Hostel – Hostel M has dorm beds for $8.  It’s right by the central bus and train station, so easy to get to on arrival/departure, and not far from the old town.

Best Hostel – Balkan Soul Hostel has dorm beds for $12.  Its got really plush furnishings, very clean, great staff, and perfect location.

Best Cheap Hotel/Apartment – L9 Top Central Rooms and Apartments 2 has rooms with bathroom for just $26.  You get a TV, desk, A/C, mini fridge, 

Most Historic Luxury Hotel – Hotel Moscow  Open since 1908, the most historic hotel in the city has rooms for $127.  Albert Einstein stayed here.

Where to Eat

Be mentally prepared to have your meal liberally flavored with cigarette smoke.  EU rules are not in effect here, and nearly every restaurant is filled with a haze of burning cancer sticks.  Look for outdoor seating.

We enjoyed Tri Sesira on Skardarska Street.

Nightlife in Belgrade:

Whoo boy, does Belgrade have nightlife? It was proclaimed best nightlife in the world by Lonely Planet in 2011.

For excellent Serbian craft beer try:

• Black Turtle pub 3 
• Gunners Pub 
• Miners Pub 
• Samo Pivo 
• Krafter
• Kabinet
• Beerville Beer Bar

These popular bars get going around 11pm:

• Blaznavac 
• Bar Central
• Wurst Platz 
• Passengers Bar 
• Tranzit Bar

Plan to move on to the Splavs no earlier than midnight, unless you are trying to get a table at one of the snobby ones like Freestyler, then you need to be in line at opening time.  There are over a dozen splavs, and lots of info about them online.  We enjoyed Shlep and 20/44.  Hated Freestyler.  

Get a Guidebook

The Serbia Bradt Travel Guide is the best guidebook around. Lonely Planet barely touches on Serbia in their Eastern Europe compendium.

What to pack:

You can wear the same clothes you’d wear anywhere in Europe.  To learn how to pack light and be prepared for anything, check out my post International Travel Packing List: All In a Carry-On!

Is Belgrade Safe?

Serbia is very safe.  It has an annual murder rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people.  That puts it on par with Sweden, Denmark and the UK, and much safer than the USA’s rate of 5.3.

THANKS FOR READING

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The post 13 Awesome Things to Do in Belgrade Serbia – Dont Miss #4 first appeared on Worldwide Wilbur.

When you tell your friends you are going to Ljubljana (pronounced “loob-lee-yah-nah”), you should expect blank looks.  Few people have heard of the capital and largest city of tiny Slovenia. This picturesque city of 300,000 dates back to at least the 12th century, but gets left off most European travel itineraries.  It doesn’t have the fame of Prague, Budapest, or Krakow yet. But once you get here you’ll see why this little city is a gem worth staying for a while.  So let’s explore the best things to do in Ljubljana:

Slovenia has both Adriatic Sea beaches and Alpine villages with stunning castles.  And charming Ljubljana sits right in between.  Americans and Western Europeans of a certain age might readily associate it as part of the former Yugoslavia, and thus arrive expecting to find an “Eastern European post-Communist vibe”.  Visitors will be quickly disabused of that idea. Slovenia was indeed part of Yugoslavia for 73 years. But for the 120 years before that, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and also part of the Venetian Empire even further back.  Slovenians are a Slavic people, but in Ljubljana you’ll feel much more influence from Austria and Italy, rather than from fellow Slavic countries further East.

Contemporary History of Ljubljana:

Slovenia escaped the violent collapse of Yugoslavia nearly unscathed.  They declared independence on June 25, 1991, the very same day that neighboring Croatia declared it’s own independence.  While Croatia suffered a devastating four year war with what today is Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia’s war for independence lasted just ten days!   The Slovenians had plans in place to capture border controls, and surround Yugoslav Army bases. The Yugoslav Army quickly realized it didn’t have any defensible positions or resources to hold Slovenia, especially when it had a much bigger war with Croatia.  After ten days of isolated battles, and 74 deaths, a cease-fire was reached, and Yugoslav troops began withdrawing from Slovenia.

Slovenia has been a model addition to the European Union, which they joined in 2004.  They are a net contributor to EU coffers, the only “Eastern European” country to achieve that so far.  Their economy is growing quickly, having passed both Portugal and Greece in GDP per capita.  For some comparison to their neighbors: The average Slovenian is half as rich as the average Austrian, and 25% poorer than the Italians, but almost twice as rich as Croatians.  Many Slovenians work across the border in Austria, and vacation on the sea in Croatia.

 They have left their communist history behind and have moved full-force into European culture, and capitalism. English is spoken by 75% of the people under the age of 35, roads are smooth, and everything is just gorgeous!

by Worldwide Wilbur September  2019

12 Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

#1 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Join a Walking Tour

One of the best things to do in Ljubljana is to start off your visit with a walking tour of the Old Town.  There are two tours by the city tourism bureau available for just $19 each.  If you arrive early, you can do the 10am Guided Walk & Funicular Ride to Ljubljana Castle.  If you arrive later in the day, try the 2pm Walking Tour and River Cruise.  Both tours have an English speaking guide, last about two hours, and include a stop for a snack.  I arrived later, so I did the River Cruise tour my first day. Our guide (in the red shirt) was full of information and jokes, and we even got to randomly meet the Mayor of Ljubljana during our visit to the Town Hall.  It was the perfect start to a visit.

We saw the Dragon Bridge, created in honor of mythical Greek hero Jason and the Argonauts arriving here and killing a dragon that was menacing the village.

And passed the Franciscan Church known as “the meeting place” to locals.

Prešeren Square is the beating heart of the city, with street musicians, fire jugglers, and people sitting on statues just watching the world go by.

Next to Preseren Square is the Triple Bridge.  Once only a single bridge, in 1929 the city wanted to add a pedestrian lane and widen it.  Architect Jože Plečnik decided it was cheaper and prettier to just add two pedestrian bridges on the sides rather than widen the existing one.  Since 2007 all three bridges are pedestrian only, as is the entire city center, which really adds to the charm of Ljubljana.  It’s so calm and walkable.

 #2 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Get on a River Cruise

At the end of our walking tour we boarded a glass tourist boat for a cruise along the Ljubljanica River.   We admired the bridges and picturesque embankments and basically got to see the city from a different perspective.  These cruises leave from several points on the river for less than 10 euros.  Easily one of the best things to do in Ljubljana.

#3 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Ride the Funicular up to the Castle

If you don’t get on the walking tour with the Ljubljana Castle, you’ll certainly want to add that on your own after your tour.  It is open 9am to 9pm in summer. Pro Tip: All castle tickets are 10% off if you book online instead of at the door.

 Castle tickets for adults are 10 Euro.  If you want to add a round trip Funicular ride, it is 13E.  If you want to also add the Time Machine Tour or the Behind Bars Tour, that gets you to 15E.  

I chose to do the Time Machine tour.   It’s an hour-long interactive tour with six costumed actors who each present a story about the history of the Castle.  In July, August and September it is presented daily at 11am, 1pm and 5pm.  I was afraid it was going to be embarrassingly hokey, but I actually enjoyed it.  The actors do a great job, and interact with the crowd to get some laughs.  It was easily worth the couple extra Euro.

The Behind Bars tour is also an hour-long an interactive tour with six costumed actors who each present a story about life in the dungeon of the castle.  In July, August and September it is presented once daily at 3pm.

There is also an audioguide tour for 15E, if you don’t want to be trapped on an hour-long tour with thespians.

#4 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Tour the City on Two Wheels

The walking tour was the perfect way to get my bearings and learn about the city’s history.  But, even more fun is a 3 Hour Cruiser Bike Tour with Roundabout Travel.  I looked at doing another 3 hour Bike Tour with Ljubljana Tourism, but they only go on Sundays and Thursdays, which didn’t work for me.  The Roundabout trip gets you a ways out of the city, and a chance to see things you probably wouldn’t find on your own.

#5 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Sample Slovenian Food

Hot Horse – Ever think about eating a horse?  Yeah, me neither.  But they do in Slovenia.  And every Slovenian I asked about it seemed to have no idea that people don’t eat horse in most of the world.  I’m not exactly recommending it, but if you are walking around lovely Tivoli Park, there is a fast food stand on the edge of the park that serves one thing only…horse.  Yep, for a few euro, you can get a horse burger.  I tried it, and it pretty much just tasted like a regular burger.  Except for the whip marks from the jockey.  Hey-Oooooo!  (It’s directly across the street from the Union Brewery too)  The old guy that runs the place seems perturbed by the tourists lining up giggling as they order.

But seriously, for real local food, try Sarajevo 1984, which serves delicious Bosnian food.  More info below.

#6 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Have a Drink with a View

The Nebotncik (Skyscraper) building is the highest in Ljubljana at 231 feet.  Back when it was completed in 1933, it was the 9th tallest building in all of Europe.   Ok, so it’s not exactly the Burj Khalifa, but it does have a restaurant at the top, and you get a great view over the city.  I stopped in at sunset and had a beer while frantically snapping photos.  You’ll find it at Štefanova ulica 1.  Bring a jacket, cause it’s often windy and cold up there.

#7 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Do a Pub Crawl

The best way to explore the nightlife is with Pub Crawl Ljubljana.  They meet at 10pm every night of the week during July and August, and every night but Sunday in May, June, and September.  It’s only $17, and you get an English speaking guide that takes you around to five different bars and clubs, with free shots at each stop.  They play some fun drinking games on the way. They keep going til at least 2am. 

#8 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana: Spend a Night Behind Bars

This could happen to you if the Pub Crawl goes off the rails.  But seriously, you can spend a night in a converted prison that now houses the Celika Hostel.  It’s been redesigned into a bright, arty, comfortable place to stay, but the bars are still intact!

#9 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Explore Metelkova Mesto Street Art

Metelkova is officially an “autonomous social and cultural centre”, but up close it appears to be a controlled anarchy of squatters, artists, and the center of Ljubljana’s counter-culture.

The area was once the military barracks of the Yugoslav National Army.  On June 25, 1991, Slovenia declared it’s independence from Yugoslavia. Within days the Yugoslav Army (now Serbia and Montenegro) pulled out of Slovenia, abandoning the barracks.  Immediately after their departure some alternative and youth groups petitioned the city for use of the abandoned buildings. At first the city agreed, but then in 1993 decided to bulldoze some buildings.  Squatters moved in and defended the destruction successfully, and have occupied the space ever since.

Today you’ll find interesting murals all over the buildings, and an art gallery aptly named “Galleria Alkatraz”.  There are several bars that open in the evening.  I wandered through around noon, and it just looked like the remnants of a giant frat party.

#10 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Shop at one of the Markets

Ljubljana has several street markets.  The biggest is the Mestna Trznica “Central Market”.  Here, you’ll find fruit, vegetables, handicrafts, souvenirs and even street musicians.  Open every day but Sunday at Pogacarjev trg 1.

On Saturdays you’ll find two Art Markets – One by  Stari and Gornji trg Square has free creative workshops for adults and children, theater performances, music concerts.  Another at Novi trg Square has painting, sculpture, design, textiles, ceramics, decor, and jewelry for sale.

If you are in town on a Sunday, be sure to catch the Flea Market on Cankarjevo Nabrezje Embarkment along by the river.  Open about 8am til noon.

#11 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Get a Green Escape in the city

Ljubljana’s Tivoli Park is five square kilometers of forest right in the city.  It has miles of paths for biking, walking, or jogging. It’s full of ponds, fountains, playgrounds, and grassy fields and flowers.  I went for a pleasant jog here one morning, and found every fit person in the city doing the same!

#12 of the Best Things to Do in Ljubljana:

Get outside the city to Lake Bled:

There is lots to see outside Ljubljana.  But if you only have time for one day-trip, you must make it a Trip to Lake Bled and Bled Castle  This is by far the number one sight in Slovenia, and for good reason.  I scoured the interwebs for the best deal on a tour, and I found Kompas Tours to have the best price at $56, and the best reviews.  

Lake Bled has emerald-green waters, a picture-perfect postcard church on the island in the middle, a medieval castle on the rocky cliff, and some of the highest peaks of the Slovenian Alps as the background.

Towering 330 feet above the lake, Bled Castle is the iconic image of a medieval fortress, with towers, ramparts, moats and a terrace offering magnificent views. The castle houses a reconstruction of Gutenberg’s wooden printing press, on which for a small fee, a printer will demonstrate old printing techniques using hand-made paper by stamping your name on a certification that you visited.  Be sure to try Bled’s famous cream cake, kremšnita.

For 15 Euros, you can take a Pletna boat, a traditional boat known only to this region, to the tiny tear-shaped island on the lake.  I chose instead to walk the circumference of the lake, a pleasant, shaded 4 mile path.  There are a couple of public beaches where you can jump in, and places to stop for a beer or an ice cream.

So, we’ve agreed that you are going to Lake Bled right?  Well, if you want a full day of sightseeing, you can easily add some things on to your Lake Bled Tour.

For $68, you can do a Day Trip to Bled and Vintgar Gorge.  This is the trip I chose.  We did all of the above, as well as a visit to Vintgar Gorge.   Here we walked a mile on a wooden path through a tight canyon, above the rushing waters of the River Radovna.  The walkway ends at the Šum Waterfall, and you can stop for lunch in a little cafe before making the return walk back to the start.

After that we drove to the stunningly beautiful glacial Lake Bohinj in Triglav National Park.  Here you can jump in and swim, or explore the lakeside on foot, or by kayak/canoe/paddleboard.   I opted to jump in, and it was coooooold!  But the water is so crystal clear and refreshing, I loved it.

Our last stop was a visit to the well-preserved town of Skofja Loka. We walked around the medieval town center, and learned the history of the town.  It was great to see a “real” historic town in Slovenia.  Ljubljana is very beautiful, but it is clear that lots of money has been invested to make the city center look absolutely perfect.  Skofja Loka looked like just a regular town that happened to have lovely 18th century buildings still in use after all this time.  Other popular day trips include Postojna Cave.

If you want to save some money, or just don’t wish to join a tour, there are several other options to get to Lake Bled from Ljubljana including the bus, train, or even a taxi. 

Know Before You Go:

Backpacker Daily Budget: 

$50.   $15 for a decent hostel bed.  $18 for three meals from local street food kiosks.  $6 to get into the castle. $3 for two public bus rides.  $8 for three beers.  

Cheap Beer Index:

$2.46  It is possible to get a Union or Lasko draft at the Pivnica Union Brewery for just 2.20 Euro.  This cool bar is co-located with the Union Brewery in the University section of town.  Local draft beers are usually $2.60 to $3 all over town. But, you can also get excellent Slovenian craft beers on tap in the $3 -$4 range, and the normal tap beer size here is a big 17 oz/500ml, not 12oz/330ml.

When to visit:  

The best time to visit Slovenia is in summer.  June, July, August and early September have highs in the 70s, and lows in the 50s.  December, January and February only get into the 30s. Rainfall is about the same year-round.

What languages are spoken in Slovenia?  

Slovenian is the national language, but English is also spoken as a second (or third, or fourth) language by over 60% of the population, and most of the people you’ll meet in tourism related industries.

Do you need a Slovenia visa?

Visas are not required for nationals of USA, UK, Australia, and Canada.  Slovenia is a member of the EU, and is within the Schengen Zone, where you can stay for 90 days out of a 180 day period visa-free.

How to Get to Ljubljana:

Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU) is 15 miles northwest of the city. It serves cities all over Europe as well as Tel Aviv, Israel and Hurghada, Egypt.  It WAS the home base of Adria Airways, which just went bankrupt on September 24, 2019.  Learn how to get to Slovenia for free on my page How to Fly For Free

From the airport to the city: 

• The cheapest option is the Public Alpetour Bus #28 for 4.10 Euro.  It leaves on the hour for a 50min ride.  4.10e payable to the driver. It drops you off at main bus station, bay #28.  From the bus station it should be walkable distance to any lodging in the city center.  Departure Schedule: From Monday to Friday:  5.00, 6.05, 7.00, 8.00, 9.00, 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00, 17.00, 18.00, 19.00, 20.00.  Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: 7.00, 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00, 18.00, 20.00.  I rode the bus BACK to the airport.  It was cheap and easy.  My only issue was that “Bay 28” was a little hard to find.  Be sure to ask them to point you the right way from the ticket window.

• You can book a Shuttle Bus that drops you at your hotel for 10 euro. The main companies are GoOpti, Nomago, Markun Shuttle, MNJtransfer and ZUP Prevozi.   I chose to ride with GoOpti, as they had a booking desk right outside customs.  Despite being told a van would leave “in a few minutes”, we actually sat and waited 50 minutes to leave until the van was full, a transport practice I thought only existed in Africa.  I realized I should have just taken the bus, which was my choice on the return trip.
• A taxi from the airport should cost 25-35 Euro.  Agree to the price before stepping in the taxi.

By road or train:

You can drive into Slovenia from Austria, Hungary, Croatia, or Italy.  Vienna, Bratislava, Munich, and Budapest are 4-5 hours away. Venice is less than 3 hours, and Zagreb less than 2.  Buses are available.

How to Get Around Ljubljana:

Walking – The city is pretty small, and you can see quite a bit just by walking around.  If you are just here to stroll and experience the city, you are unlikely to need any public transport.  The city center has large areas closed off to vehicles, making Ljubljana a lovely walking city.

Cycling – Ljubljana has an amazing FREE bike share network.  There are 51 BicikeLJ stations around the city, about 500 meters apart one from another, where you can hire and return a bike. The first hour of hire is free of charge. You will just need to pay 1 € for a weekly subscription.  The city is bike-friendly and flat.

City Bus – 42 bus lines connect all parts of the city. Buses run from about 5am til Midnight, depending on the line. You’ll need an Urbana Card to ride.  One trip costs 1.30 € and allows you to change as many buses as you need in 90 minutes.  When you get on, you must hold your Urbana Card to the scanner. When you hear a beep, you have validated your ride.  Urbana Cards can be purchased at news stands, gas stations, tourist offices, and post offices.

There is no metro, Uber or Lyft in Slovenia.

Taxis are generally honest and cheap.  Flagfall is 1 to 1.5Euro, and then .9 to 1.1 Euro per kilometer.  Recommended companies are: Taxi Laguna, Taxi Metro, and Taxi Ljubljana.  Avoid taxis with no company name, often hanging out in front of tourist hotels.

Local Currency and how to get it:

Euros (0.90=$1 as of 2019) are available from numerous ATMs.   For more info on your cash-versus-credit card options when travelling, check out my post Should I Exchange Money Before I Travel?

Stay Connected:

Slovenia has 3 major networks that offer prepaid SIM cards for tourists:

Telekom Slovenije is the biggest operator in the country, with a 45% market share.  Their prepaid SIM card called Mobi is sold in their stores and at service stations and post offices. It’s at 8.50 € for the SIM card including 5 € credit.  You can get the following data packages:

• • 400MB 30days 3.95 
  • 1GB 30 days 7.00
  • 5GB 30 days 10.00

A1 Slovenija is the #2 operator in the country, with a 31% market share.  Their voice and data prepaid SIM is called Simpl and available at their stores at service stations, and post offices for 6 € and contains 5 € credit valid for 30 days.  You can choose between standard SIMPL plan, SIMPL Mali and SIMPL Veliki plans:

• • Simpl: is their default plan. Data stays at 0.15 per MB all the time
  • Simpl mali: with 500 units (= mins, SMS or MB) for 30 days – 5 €
  • Simpl veliki: with 5000 units (= mins, SMS or MB*) for 30 days – 7.99 €

Telemach mob is the #3 operator in the country, with a 15% market share.  Their prepaid voice & data starter package is available at their stores, and at service stations It’s called FREE2GO and sold at 3.99 € containing 2 € valid for 90 days.  They give heavy bonuses for top-ups all valid for 30 days:

• •  2 €: 20 units (MB, mins or SMS)
  • top-up 5 €: 50 units (MB, mins or SMS)
  • 10 €: unlimited on-net mins, 100 units (MB, off-net mins, SMS)
  • top-up 20 €: unlimited on-net mins, 200 units, 20 GB (EU cap: 5.5 GB)

If you have a European SIM, you are all set.  Slovenia is part of the EU, where from June 2017 new international roaming rules are enforced.  You can now ‘roam like at home’ at domestic rates rather than excessive roaming rates.  For more info on your telecom options, check out my post Get The Best International Phone Plan

Where to stay:  

The CHEAPEST Hostel – Hostel Sleeping Beauty  For $15, you get a bed in a well reviewed, central spot.

The BEST Hostel – Kva Hostel  For $25 a night, you get a bed in a squeaky clean, centrally located, friendly facility with free breakfast and bike rental available.

The BEST CHEAP Hotel – Rooms Ambrozic  For $60 a night, you get a single room with a river view close to the old town, a TV, and a private bathroom.

Most Historic Luxury Hotel – Grand Hotel Union  Open since 1905, this Art Nouveau gem has rooms for $170.  

Where to eat: 

Sarajevo 1984 was my favorite restaurant in the city.  While technically serving Bosnian food, the staples are Slovenian traditional favorites as well.  Be sure to try cevapcici (sausages) and kajmak (a tangy soft cheese), and wash it down with a Cockta (Slovenia’s favorite soda).

Ljubljana Nightlife: 

For a small city, Ljubljana punches above its weight in nightlife.  It has an excellent craft beer scene.  I enjoyed some fine microbrews at Daktari, Pop’s Place, and Sir Williams Pub.  The riverside is loaded with al fresco restaurants and primo people watching.  This is an overpriced, but atmospheric place for dinner.

Later on you can hit some more hopping bars like: Captain’s Cabin, Cutty Sark, and Parlament.

And finally, if you really stay up late, you can end up at the clubs such as Cirkus, Club K4, or Orto 

Get a guidebook:

I really liked the Rick Steves Croatia and Slovenia guidebook.  Rick knows Europe.  And he knows budget travel.  He makes very specific itinerary recommendations and isn’t afraid to tell you what stuff is worth skipping.  He helps me cut to the chase and lays out an itinerary to make the best use of your time.

What to pack:

You can wear the same clothes you’d wear anywhere in Europe.  To learn how to pack light and be prepared for anything, check out my post International Travel Packing List: All In a Carry-On!

Is Ljubljana safe?

Slovenia is very safe, one of the safest countries in Europe.  It has an annual murder rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people. That puts it on par with Iceland and Ireland, and much safer than the USA’s rate of 5.3. 

THANKS FOR READING

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Iceland is the hottest chilly travel destination on Earth right now.  It seems like everyone’s going.  And that popularity has ratcheted up already expensive hotels, restaurants, and tours into the stratosphere.  Iceland is seriously, crazy, alternate-universe expensive.  It is very important that you are fully aware of what things cost here before you visit.  If you show up expecting the same prices as back home in Des Moines, Iowa, you are going to have a miserable trip.  “Iceland on a Budget” will show you what the costs are, so you can make some decisions about what fits within your budget.  If you want or need to make some cutbacks, where do you want to make them?  Maybe you don’t really care about where you sleep, as long as you get good food.  Or maybe you are happy to eat just from the grocery store, as long as you can afford to do some awesome adventures.

To help you bring down all those costs, travel to Iceland on a budget will tell you all the tips and tricks to save money and still have fun in Iceland.  We’ll share ways to cut costs on flights, accommodation, getting around, food, alcohol, and sightseeing.  We’ll let you decide which budget cuts work best for your travel style.

by Worldwide Wilbur July 2019

Iceland on a Budget – Ways to Save in Reykjavik:

I extensively research all my trips, and search high and low to find the cheapest deals on all the best tickets and tours.  Following are the most interesting activities, at the best possible prices.  If you find anything cheaper, please let me know in the comments!

Start your visit with a walk around historic Old Reykjavik, and window shop on the main street of Laugavegur.  The Free Walking Tour, gets you a couple hours of history and stories about Reykjavik.  Meet at the green clock in Lækjartorg square every day at 12:00 and 2:00 PM during the summer.  Look for the tour guide in a green jacket.  Make a donation of your choice at the end.  I really enjoyed this tour, and learned a lot about Icelandic culture.  And the price is right too!

Reykjavik is not a huge city, and most of the top points of interest are easily reached on foot.  But, if your feet start to fail you, you can get everywhere via the City Sightseeing Reykjavik Hop On Hop Off Bus.  A 24 hour ticket is $39.  This is a great choice for older folks, or anyone that doesn’t feel like walking miles and miles.

Explore the interesting street art of Reykjavik (free).

Visit the National Museum of Iceland   The best way to discover the rich history of Iceland.  Plenty of swords, drinking horns, and viking regalia to keep the kids happy.  Open Tues – Sun 10am-5pm.  Entry includes and audioguide and is $17 for adults, $8.50 for seniors 67+, free for kids 17 and under.  This is a great way to keep everyone entertained for several hours.

Get on a whale watching tour from the Old Harbour to see puffins, minke whales, white-beaked dolphins, harbor porpoises and humpback whales on a three hour sail.  Adults $91,  kids 7-15 $45, kids 0-6 are free.  This is a pricey trip, but if you’ve never seen a whale, it might be well worth it.

See the iconic Hallgrimskirkja Church.  The largest church in the country, it towers over the center of Reykjavík at 240 feet high.  Entry to the church is free.  If you want to go up to the top of the tower, there is an elevator and it costs $8 for adults, and $1 for children.  Open 9-5 daily in summer.  I skipped the elevator.  All those great photos you’ll see on the interwebs of the colorful houses of Reykjavik from above, they were all taken from the top of the church.

Penetrate the mysteries of the Phallological Museum.  The what?  The Penis Museum.  This fascinating museum was first erected in 1997.   It’s not hard to see why people are stimulated by the size of the collection.  You’d be nuts to miss it.  Best museum gift shop ever.  Open 9am to 6pm in summer.  Entry is $15 for everyone 14+, kids under 13 free.  This was one of the BIG highlights of my visit to Reykjavik.  I considered bringing along my boys (age 6 and 9), but thought the better of it, as their explosions of laughter would have ruined the library-like silence inside the museum.  The owner takes it all very seriously, and has many, many animal species represented.  But really, everyone is there to see this piece de resistance, the sperm whale.  For perspective, I’m 6’1″ and 180.  Yikes!

Visit the Tales from Iceland Museum, a cool little museum with 14 different 5 minute videos on Icelandic culture.  Coffee and cookies served while you watch.  A great way to spend an hour learning about the country.  Open 9-5 daily.  Entry: Adults $18, Children $9, Whole family $42.

Iceland on a Budget -Ways to Save Outside the city:

Bathe in the warmth of the Blue Lagoon. 

Hours vary by season, but it is open at least from 8am to 9pm.  Entry starts at $57 for people 14 and over.  It goes up to $97 during peak hours (basically anytime you’d really want to be there).  Children 2-13 are free with an adult.  Babies are not allowed.

We went to the Blue Lagoon solely because Lonely Planet lists it as the 93rd greatest sight on Earth.  Would I agree?  No.

It is very pleasant.  Lovely, in fact.  It is a top notch facility with friendly and helpful staff, and a modern pool well-integrated into a natural volcanic rock background.  But is it one of the 100 greatest sights on Earth?  Or worth $70-$90 just to soak in a glorified hot tub?  Absolutely not.  I have to mark it down as one of the top tourist traps I’ve ever been to worldwide.  It’s right up there with Times Square New York, and the Blarney Stone in Ireland.  It’s one of those places that capitalized on a catchy name, premium service, and Instagram worthy scenery.  A place that no locals ever go to.  But, I am an obsessive list-checker-offer, so I had to go.  If you are visiting Iceland on a budget, let me urge you to NOT feel like it is a must-do.

A good alternative would be to plunge into the Laugardalur geothermal pools.  One of the largest pools in Iceland, it has Olympic size indoor and outdoor pools, seven geothermal hot tubs, a gym, beach volleyball, running tracks, and a 300 foot water slide.  Open 630am to 10pm daily.  Entry is $8 for adults, $1.33 for kids 6-17, free 0-5 and 67+.

Take a full-day Golden Circle Tour

If you only do one tour in your time in Iceland, it should be this one.  See the Geysir area, where geysers bubble and explode, the thunderous Gullfoss waterfall, and visit Thingvellir National Park.  Grey Line Tours can take you to all three sites on a 7 hour tour with an English speaking guide for just $56.

If i was traveling alone, I would have been on the tour bus, but since I was traveling as a family of four, the math said a rental car was the way to go.  None of these sites charge an entrance fee, but the DO charge for parking.  So, if you were traveling alone in a rental car, you’d be paying for the car – $45, and gas – $15, and two parking fees of $4 and $6, for a total of $70.

The Golden Circle is really a fantastic day of sightseeing.  Not just for the three main sights, but getting out and seeing the countryside’s mixture of electric green grass, and jet-black volcanic rock is lovely.  If you do the drive clockwise, you’ll reach Thingvellir National Park first.  It’s quite amazing to think that you can walk in between the North American and European tectonic plates in this narrow canyon.  And then when you learn the history of the location, as the first meeting place of an Icelandic government a thousand years ago, you can almost feel the ghosts of the past.  There is a scenic path to a waterfall, and lots of placards explaining the history.

The next stop is Geysir, which is a…geyser that shoots steaming water 50 feet into the air every ten minutes.  This area is the the home of the “original” geyser (long since extinct).  Europeans had never seen a geyser before the Vikings came to Iceland.  Their word for the phenomenon is now the standard word for it all over the world.

If you’ve never seen a geyser, it is certainly an amazing thing to witness.  If you’ve been to Yellowstone National Park and seen Old Faithful, well, it’s about the same.

The final main stop on the tour is Gulfoss waterfall.  This did not disappoint!  This huge waterfall blasts through several levels culminating in a deep drop into a canyon.  It’s right up there with the best waterfalls I’ve ever seen.  This was the highlight of the Golden Circle.  We stayed here quite a while just watching the water crash onto the rocks.

Some tours also stop at the Kerio Crater, a colorful remnant of a volcanic explosion.  Entry is just 400 krona for folks 12 and older.  You can walk all the way around the rim on a little trail.

Iceland on a Budget – Tour The South Coast of Iceland

After the Kerio Crater, instead of turning back to Reykjavik, we continued to the coast, via Selfoss.  Selfoss is a decent sized town of 8000, with a Kronor grocery store, which we used to stock up on food for the next few days.  We did not eat out at a single restaurant the entire time we spent in Iceland, but we made excellent dinners at the AirBnB’s we stayed at, with reasonably priced food from Kronor and Bonus stores.

We spent our second night in Iceland at a gorgeous horse farm in the sleepy seaside fishing village of Eyrarbakki.  Our AirBnB here was $260 for the night, and that was actually the cheapest place in the region with enough beds for four!

I bundled up in the 49 degree afternoon summer weather, and enjoyed a Viking Stout on the porch.  I listened to the thunder of horses hooves, while I caught up on what Rick Steves says we should do next.  Rick is always right.

Lindso attempted to get through a $10 bottle of Brennivin mixed with Sprite.  Brennivin is just awful.

Iceland on a Budget – Visit the Westmann Islands

After a day in Reykjavik, and a day doing the Golden Circle, we headed east on day three to visit the Westmann Islands.  Our first stop, an hour into the drive, is the excellent Seljalandsfoss waterfall.  You can walk BEHIND the falls if you don’t mind getting soaked.  It’s a really beautiful waterfall, and easy to get to.  It’s just a mile or so off the Ring Road.  The parking fee is 700 krona ($6)

After the waterfall, it’s just a short drive to the ferry port at Landeyjahöfn.  The Westman Islands ferry is surprisingly cheap by Icelandic standards.  For $91, we got round-trip tickets for two adults, two children, AND could take our car on board!  The ferry is big and comfortable.  You can sit up top in the open air and see the steep cliffs of the islands as they pass.  Or, you can sit below in a dark movie theater and watch Friends re-runs.  There is a cafe with beer and burgers.  The ride only takes 35 minutes.  Be sure to go up top to see the stunning entry into Vestmannaeyjar harbor.

We absolutely LOVED the island of Heimaey.  After driving off the ferry, we walked around the tiny town.  There’s not a whole lot going on.  Only 4,500 people live on the island, but 8 million puffins!

We spent two days here, just driving around the island, and stopping at every photo opportunity, of which there were soooo many.  We stopped to pet sheep, to walk on black sand beaches, and to pick wildflowers.  It’s a mountainous, volcanic island, with a high point of 700 feet, so there are lots of amazing views.  It’s like a mini-Iceland, where you can do a little bit of everything within ten miles.

In 1973, a volcanic eruption began on Heimaey.   The ground split open and lava shot into the sky.  Lava headed toward the harbor, and threatened to close it forever.  During the night, all 5,000 inhabitants of the island had to be evacuated.  A few remaining townspeople sprayed the lava with cold seawater, causing some to solidify and be diverted, thus saving the harbor.   Half of the town’s houses were crushed and the island expanded in length.   Today, you can visit the excellent Volcano Museum and see how it all happened.  My boys really enjoyed seeing an actual house covered by ash.  It’s $19 for adults, and free for kids under 10.

On Heimaey Island we stayed in yet another AirBnB.  This one was a tiny cabin outside of the town, with a million dollar view.  It had three comfy bunk beds wedged perfectly into one tiny bedroom.  At $200 a night it wasn’t a bargain, but it was our favorite place of the trip.

Iceland on a Budget- Drive out to the Jokulsarlon Glacier

On day five, we left the lovely Westman Islands behind for the long drive out to the Jokulsarlon Glacier.  And it really is a loooong drive.  Iceland only has 340,000 people, and 140,000 of those are in or around Reykjavik.  That leaves only 200,000 people for a large island the size of the state of Maine.  Now, for reference,  Maine is far from urban, but it packs 1.3 million people into its hinterlands.  Iceland feels very empty.  You can drive an hour without passing a single village or gas station, or anything.  And Jokulsarlon is a good 5-6 hours drive from Reykjavik.

We passed several waterfalls early on in the drive, some little ones, and some big ones, like the stunning Skogafoss.

Not much further along is the unusual Reynisfjara Beach, and its basalt columns.

And we stopped in the tiny town of Vik for lunch.

Finally we reached the glacier!  Jokulsarlon is a glacier melting into a large lake, which opens to the ocean.  Icebergs the size of houses float towards the sea and break into smaller chunks.

The main tour everyone does here is an Amphibious Boat Tour.  You climb onto this contraption, and it drives straight into the glacial lake.  You motor around, and the guide grabs a tiny iceberg from the water for everyone to hold, and even taste.  The boat doesn’t get too close to the big icebergs for safety reasons.  The whole thing only lasts about 20 minutes.  For my family of four it cost $130.  Pricey, but the kids enjoyed it.

After your boat tour, there are food trucks lined up where you can get soup, seafood, fish n chips, burgers.  There isn’t a town nearby, so you better fill up here if you are heading back to Reykjavik.

At the opening of the glacial lake to the ocean is Diamond Beach.  It’s called that because the smaller chunks of icebergs float up onto this black sand beach like little diamonds.  What an amazing sight!  Seals were cavorting just offshore as the ice washed up.  The kids had fun chucking the ice back into the ocean, and calling out to the seals.

After a long day of driving, we opted for a nearby place to sleep, before heading back to the airport on our last day.  There are VERY few lodging options around Jokulsarlon, and what there is, is VERY expensive.  The only reasonable deal we could find was the Hvoll Hostel.  It was clean, comfortable, and located in an open field with mountain views.  We paid an outrageous $230 for a tiny “family room” with 4 beds, and a shared bathroom.  But, hey, what can you do, that’s Iceland for you.

We really enjoyed the whole trip out to Jokulsarlon, but it was one heck of a tiring drive.  It took up the better part of two days stuck in a little car.  It might be worth considering the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon Full-Day Tour, which takes you to all these sights, and includes the boat tour for $136.  If I had it to do over again, I would not have done the drive, it was just too much for a five day trip.

Iceland on a Budget – Know Before You Go:

Backpacker Daily Budget: 

$95.  Gulp.  Really.  Reykjavik is among the ten most expensive cities in the world to visit.  Everything here is downright PAINFULLY expensive.  $32 for a hostel bed.  $20 for a hamburger.  $10 beers.  It’s the perfect place to go on that diet you’ve been considering, or to finally take up camping.

Cheap Beer Index:

$6.02  It is possible to get a beer for as little as 750 kroner in some places at happy hour.  Download the Appy Hour app which lists active happy hour times and prices at over 30 locations.  It’s not 100% accurate, but it will give you a general idea of what’s on offer.  Sadly, a more usual price for a beer is at least 1200kr or $10US!

Many Icelanders opt to “pre-game” by drinking at home before going out to the bars and clubs late.  You can do the same by hitting the duty free shop in the airport on your way in, or visiting the government owned liquor stores “Vin Budin”.  There is a Vin Budin in any major town, and prices are the same countrywide.  They are closed on Sundays, and in small towns often open only a few hours a day, so check ahead of time.  Here you can get a 12oz can of local beer for $2-3, and  a bottle of wine starts at $10.

Iceland on a Budget – When to visit: 

Iceland is a completely different destination in summer than in winter.

Reykjavik summers are short, cool, and cloudy. July and August are the warmest months with average highs peaking at only 57 degrees.  June and September are still nice, getting into the 50’s.  You’ll have amazing amounts of daylight each day, with a sunset at midnight, and a 3am sunrise, for over 21 hours of sun on June 21!  Of course everyone else also wants to be here in summer, so prices are at their peak, and booking lodging ahead is essential.

Late May or early September are excellent times to come if you need to save money.  Lodging prices drop a little, but the weather is still pretty good with highs of 50.

Winters are long, dark, cold, wet, and windy. The coldest average high in the winter is 36 for all of December, January and February.  Not too much snow sticks around, more rain.  It’s going to be dark.  On December 22, you’ll only have 4 hours of daylight!  The one big draw for coming here in winter is the Northern Lights.  They can be visible October through April, with the best opportunity in December and January.  Another plus is that lodging is much cheaper.  If you are on a really tight budget, and don’t mind cold, you can save a lot in winter.

What languages are spoken?  

Icelandic is the national language, but English is also spoken by literally everyone.

Do you need a visa?

Visas are not required for nationals of USA, UK, Australia, and Canada.  You can stay for 90 days visa-free.

How to Travel to Iceland on a Budget – Getting in, getting out:

There are two ways to get to Reykjavik, by air and by sea:

By Airplane: 99% of visitors fly into Iceland.  Reykjavik-Keflavik International Airport (KEF) has flights to cities all over Europe and North America.  Airfare might be the only thing that is cheap about your Icelandic vacation.  The best option for cheap flights to Iceland is Icelandair, now that WOW Air has gone bankrupt.  You can also get a FREE stopover here on Icelandair.  That way you can incorporate a few days in Iceland into a longer European trip.  This saves you a separate dedicated round-trip flight.

But even if you are buying a ticket just to Iceland, the fares are quite reasonable, usually cheaper than any other European destination.  Last I checked, fares were going for as low as $220 from Boston, $250 from Newark, $378 from Washington.  Consider booking with a cheap direct flight with one of these two airlines, and then booking a separate domestic fare to get to the Icelandair departure city from your home airport.  Learn how to get to Iceland for free on my page:  Nine Steps to Free Flights Worldwide.

Pro Tip:  Keflavik has a duty free store right in baggage claim!  It has the cheapest prices on alcohol of anywhere in Iceland.  If you can juggle any extra bags, you should shop here.  There is also a legit ATM after you exit customs, and a coffee shop/convenience store.  Avoid the airside ATMs!!  They are the dreaded Euronet rip-off exchange rate ATMs.

By Smyril Line Ferry: A passenger & car ferry called the Norröna sails from Hirtshals in northern Denmark to Torshavn in the Faeroe Islands & Seydisfjördur in Iceland, roughly once a week between April & October.  The voyage from Denmark to Iceland aboard the Norröna takes 2 or 3 nights depending on the sailing schedule.  Note: The port of call is Seydisfjördur, on the west end of Iceland, a 9 hour drive from Rekjavik.  The ship has bunk beds, cabins and restaurants.

How to Travel to Iceland on a Budget – Getting around:

Keflavik Airport Shuttle It is a 45 minute drive from Keflavik Airport into the city.  Do NOT just hop in a taxi, unless you want to be presented with a $200+ bill at the end!  There are transfer buses available:

Flybus shuttles depart 35-40 minutes after the arrival of each flight.  If your flight is delayed, the bus will wait for it.  Your ticket is valid on any bus, so if you do somehow miss a bus, you just take the next one. There is no luggage restriction.  When you purchase your ticket online, you want to choose a drop-off at your hotel.  A one-way transfer from Keflavik direct to your hotel is $33 for adults 16+, $17 for kids 12-15, and free for kids 11 and under.  You can get a cheaper ticket for $24, but that only gets you to the BSI bus station on the edge of the city, and then you’ll still have to spring for an expensive taxi ride.

Public bus #55 goes from KEF to the city, but on an infrequent schedule that might not match up with your flight.  A ticket is $16.

Rental Car: if you don’t mind driving, a rental car is almost certainly the way to go.  Tiny micro-compact cars start at about $40 a day.  Gas is the same price at every gas station in Iceland, currently a shocking $7.20 per US gallon!   However, a Golden Circle bus tour is $56 x 2 people = $112, so you can rent a car, with gas, for cheaper than that.  Rentalcars.com has the best deals for rentals in Iceland.  I found this little Hyundai i10 with manual transmission for $200 for five days.  Not cheap, but not too far off what you’d pay elsewhere. The thing had only 66 horsepower, and couldn’t make it up hills except in 3rd gear, BUT it got 48 miles per gallon, which was VERY appreciated with Iceland’s gas prices. I ended up going with ACErebsjwd

• • You should be aware of some special insurance situations in Iceland, they’ll try to sell you sandstorm insurance, which I guess happens a lot on the South Coast.  I declined it and lucked out.
  • Speed limits throughout Iceland are lower than in many other countries.  The fastest limit is 90kph (56mph).  I only ever saw 2 or 3 police cars my whole trip.
  • Headlights must be on at all times.
  • No right turns on a red light.
  • You must yield to the driver on the right at four-way intersections.
  • You must give way to drivers in the inside lane in roundabouts.  This will happen often in Reykjavik.
  • Seatbelts are required for all passengers, even those in the back seat.
  • Cell phones cannot be used without a hands-free headset.
  • Iceland has a very low accepted drunk driving blood alcohol level; .05 per cent. If you’re caught above that, you’ll have your drivers lisence confiscated, and be forced to pay a $600 fine.  Police who are suspicious of a driver give a breathalyzer test, followed by a blood test, which cannot be refused.

Uber and all other ride sharing companies are banned in Iceland.

Public buses will get you to all the towns of Iceland, but they won’t get you to any of the geysers, waterfalls, or fjords.  They aren’t really a viable option for tourists with no other form of transport.

Tour buses are the best option for single travelers, or any folks who really don’t want to get behind the wheel.

Local Currency and how to get it:

Icelandic Krona (124 ISK = $1 as of July 2019) are available at numerous ATMs.   However, Iceland is a cashless economy, so there is no need to withdraw much (or any) Krona.  Credit cards can be used for all purchases.  In fact, many purchases can ONLY be done by credit or debit card.  I sat at a bar and watched customer after customer order a single drink and pay by simply holding a contactless credit card up to a purchase point.  No tipping.  No signatures.  Not even a pin entry.  Iceland is a bit ahead of the US.  For more info on your cash-versus-credit card options when travelling, check out my post on How to Access your Money in Foreign Countries.

Stay Connected:

Iceland has three telecom operators:

• Síminn – priciest and best coverage countrywide.  They sell a voice & data starter called Síminn Prepaid Starter Pack for 2900 ISK ($24). It contains 50 domestic minutes, 50 domestic SMS and 5 GB of data.  Available at the duty-free shop close to the baggage claim in Keflavík airport.
• Vodafone – cheaper but still sufficient if you stick mainly to populated areas.  Their voice & data prepaid SIM is sold for 2,000 ISK ($17) containing unlimited domestic calls plus 1 GB of data for 30 days.  You can get it in Keflavik airport at the 10-11 shop in the arrival hall, and the Elko stores.
• Nova – cheapest and good if you only stay around Reykjavik.  No shop at the airport.

If you have a European SIM, you are all set.  Iceland is not part of the EU, but IS in the larger EEA, where from June 2017 new international roaming rules are enforced. In most European countries you can now ‘roam like at home’ at domestic rates rather than excessive roaming rates.

Free Wi-fi is readily available all over Iceland.  Try downloading the app Wiman to find it.  For more info on your telecom options, check out my post on How to Get Cheap Mobile Phone Service Worldwide.

How to Travel to Iceland on a Budget – Where to stay in Reykjavik:  

When dorm beds start at $32 a night (and go up to $95), you know you are in a pricey place.  Icelandic hostels don’t even include sheets, usually charging $10 extra for them!  Bringing a sleeping bag could save you the price of the bag within a week.  Breakfast is almost never included, but may be offered for $10 to $20.   Camping is a cheaper option, even right in Reykjavik.

If there are more than two of you, you should look into AirBnB options.  AirBnB has really taken off here, as locals are getting in on the tourism bonanza (much to the consternation of their neighbors).  Book early.  Iceland is a hot destination now, and things fill up months ahead of time.

Here are the absolute cheapest places to sleep in Reykjavik (with one insane $95 hostel thrown in for comparison.)

• Reykjavik Campsite is the cheapest option in the city at $20 per person, per night.  Children under 13 stay free with adult supervision. Reservations are not required in advance and space can not be reserved.  This massive field is just a mile out of the city center, can hold 900 people, and is next door to one of Iceland’s largest and most popular geothermal swimming pools.  You get free WIFI in the hostel lounge, hot showers 24hrs, access to kitchen and hot water, bookings and pick up for excursions and car rentals.
• Bus Hostel is located next to the main bus station, which is actually very convenient for going on tours.  They provide bikes so you can ride into downtown in 15 minutes.  They have dorm beds for $32.
• Reykjavík Hostel Village dorm rooms have a mini fridge, desk and shared bathroom. Dorm beds are $33.
• Retro Hostel is in the East Reykjavik neighborhood and has dorm beds for $39.
• Galaxy Pod Hostel is a futuristic hostel with Japanese-style pod sleeping capsules.  The pods have flat screen tv’s, wi-ri, locking curtains for privacy.  Pods are $60.
• At Reykjavik Downtown Hostel bed linen is included and an organic breakfast buffet is served every day.  Fair-trade coffee is available in the bar.  Dorm beds are a steal at just $95 a night!!!!  Seriously.  Hostel beds.  For $95. (I’m including this just for laughs)

How to Do an Iceland Trip on a Budget – Where to eat: 

All restaurants are going to be ludicrously expensive by most standards.  A meal for two with appetizers and no alcohol can easily run you $100, killing your Iceland budget.  Your best bet for budget travel is to stock up in a supermarket and do some home cooking.  Among the store options, two chains stand out for value and selection.  The Bonus supermarket chain with the pink pig sign has the cheapest prices, and even has the same prices out in the smaller towns.  The other option is Kronan chain with the dancing coin mascot, which has less stores nationwide.  Expect to pay twice as much for anything from the ubiquitous 10/11 convenience stores.

We ended up shopping at Kronan several twice, and found everything we needed for snacks and dinners at reasonable prices.

While any sit-down restaurant bill is going to dent your wallet, there are some fast-food options that are tasty but reasonably priced.  Here are some of the most popular:

• Subway – You can get a 12 inch sub starting at $11 for a veggie.
• Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, which means “the best hot dog in town”. Icelanders love hot dogs.  Bill Clinton ate one here.  Ask for the ‘the works’ and get ketchup, sweet mustard, onions, and remolaði, a mayonnaise-based sweet relish.  A hot dog and coke combo is $6.  With all the interesting sauces they have here, it was delicious.
• Noodle Station  a noodle soup dish with vegetables costs $12
• Hlölla bátar makes the best subs for $5 to $8, and burgers for $12-$14.
• Aktu Taktu sells good fast food burgers for $10.
• Mandi has cheap middle eastern food.  You can get kebabs, falafel and hummus for under $10
• Vöffluvagninn sells belgian waffles with whipped cream for $5-$8.
• Grocery stores such as Bonus, Netto, Kronan sell pre-made sandwiches, wraps and Skyr yogurt for cheaper than anywhere else.
• IKEA – Yes, the furniture store!  It has a cheap and popular diner inside that even serves beer.

How to Travel Iceland on a Budget – Nightlife: 

Reykjavik has loads of nightlife.  You’ll find bars with craft beer, wine bars, cocktail bars, and many clubs that pump until 5am.  (Be sure to try Brennivin!)  There is ZERO nightlife outside of the capitol.  Don’t be fooled into thinking the city is dead because the bars are empty at 11pm.  Many people “pre-game” by drinking at home, and don’t hit the bars until midnight.  It’s common for bars and clubs to still be packed at 4 am on Friday and Saturday, with most closing around 5-6am.   Sunday to Thursday bars will close around 1am.  I wished I had been in town on the days that the Beer Tasting and Tapas Tour is offered, but I missed it.

There are far too many great venues to list, but here are a few that i visited on my own personal pub crawl:

Bravó at Laugavegur 22 has a small bar seating area, and lots of cushiony table seating along big windows facing the main street.  I really enjoyed sitting here with a couple of Viking Stout beers for 800 krona during happy hour.

Kaffibarinn  on Bergstaðastræti 1  I had an excellent Kaldi Dark Lager here for 800 kroner.  It’s a bright, friendly place with a DJ spinning subdued house music.

Lebowski Bar has happy hour from 4-7, where I got a pint of Guinness for 850 krona and watched some Women’s World Cup soccer on their massive TV in the back.  The entire bar is decked out in The Big Lebowski movie themed memorabilia.

Dillon Whiskey Bar has happy hour from 4-8.  For 850 krona I got a tasteless Gull lager, and sat outside in their backyard.

The Dubliner has an endless happy hour from Noon til 10pm.  In this boisterous bar with a pool table and lots of TV’s, I got another crummy Gull Lager for 750 Krona.

My last stop was the Drunk Rabbit. They had excellent live music in a packed little space, and I enjoyed a fantastic Einstok Toasted Porter for a painful 1200 krona.

Get a guidebook:

I really liked the Rick Steves Iceland guidebook.  Rick knows Europe.  And he knows budget travel.  He makes very specific itinerary recommendations and isn’t afraid to tell you what stuff is worth skipping.  I appreciate the honesty.

How to Travel to Iceland on a Budget – What to pack:

Here is what to wear in Iceland:  You are going to need some extra layers for the cold and rain, and you REALLY don’t want to have to buy them in Iceland at crazy prices.

• A rain jacket.
• A sweater or coat
• Some decent hiking shoes.  Flip flops aren’t going to cut it here.
• A knit hat for windy cold days.
• swimwear and a towel for thermal baths
• a drybag or waterproof cover for your electronics that are going to be around waterfalls, rain, or ocean.
• An eye mask for trying to sleep when its very bright out at 4am.

To learn how to pack light and be prepared for anything, check out my post The Worldwide Travel Packing List.

Is it safe?

Yes, Iceland has one of the lowest crime rates in the world.

Be sensible around geysers, which erupt and can burn you.  Avoid stepping or falling into a hot spring or boiling mud pool which can burn or kill you.

People have slipped to their death near rocky waterfalls, and have been swept into the ocean trying to get wave selfies at rough beaches.

Traveling Iceland on a Budget – Roundup of Top Travel Tips:

• Consider visiting in the shoulder season: May or September.
• Look for cheap flights on Icelandair.
• Pack everything you’ll need, so you don’t have to buy anything in Iceland.
• If there are two of you, rent a car rather than paying for multiple tours.
• Consider camping, check out hostels, try AirBnB.
• Buy your food and alcohol at Bonus or Kronor grocery stores.
• Try some good fast-food options.
• Bring a water bottle, to refill for free and save 10, 000 ISK on drinks
• Download the Appy Hour app which lists active happy hour times and prices at over 30 locations.

THANKS FOR READING

Full Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.  This means that if you buy anything, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link to stuff I use, love, and recommend.  I don’t accept bribes to endorse garbage. Your clicks help keep this site alive.

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Kihei Kalama Village is THE best spot for Maui nightlife.

As a longtime resident of Kihei, I can state this with certainty.  Folks looking for the best Maui nightlife drive in to Kihei from Kahului, Wailuku, and Wailea on Friday and Saturday nights to enjoy it.  The action is centered around the Kihei Kalama Village, which is more commonly known as the “Barmuda Triangle” or to locals just “The Triangle.”  This place has eight bars that are all just a short walk apart, with plenty of parking available onsite. The crowd will be a mix of locals and tourists depending on the bar and the time of night.

When to go?

From 4pm til around 10pm, the bars and restaurants are full of tourists fresh off their whale watching tours.  Every night, but especially Friday and Saturday nights, a huge wave of locals take over from 10pm til closing time at 130am.   The area is safe, with many bouncers and private security guards onsite. You can easily hop from bar to bar to bar, until you find just the right spot.  Which bar is best?  That’s really up to you.  Each offers something a little different.  Just take a walk and check ’em all out!  All the bars listed below are at 1913 South Kihei Road.

Which bar has the best Maui nightlife for your style?

What Ales You is a craft beer bar with over a dozen really excellent beers on tap.  It is unquestionably the best place for microbrews.  Closes “early” at 10pm, so this is the place to start your night with some great IPA’s or saisons or stouts, before downgrading to Bud Lite somewhere else.  They have a cold air-conditioned bar section, and also a hip open air section with couches.   Tues-Sun 11:00AM – 10:00PM; Mon 3:00PM – 10:00PM

Three’s Bar and Grill This restaurant/bar has the best food in the Triangle.  It has become VERY popular and the wait list to get a seat can be long.  I really love the food here, and I’m sad that their secret is out, so I can rarely get a seat here anymore.  Also closes “early” at 10pm, so eat here, then party elsewhere.  Mon-Fri 8:30AM – 10:00PM; Sat-Sun 8:00AM – 10:00PM; They also have the best happy hour (3-6PM & 9-10PM) for food in Kihei with their delicious appetizers half off, and $4 14oz / $6.50 20oz microbrew draft beers, $3.75 for well drinks, house margarita, or house mai tai.

Dog and Duck Irish Pub  This cozy Irish bar has multiple TVs tuned to ESPN, with a full menu and bar. It has great drink specials. 16oz Bud Lite draft is always $3.  Service is fast and friendly.  This bar feels like home to me.  Always my first stop for some rocking Kihei Kalama Village nightlife. Thursday night at 7pm is their very popular Trivia Night.  If you go, my team is gonna beat you.  Mon-Fri 11:00AM – 2:00AM; Sat-Sun 8:00AM – 2:00AM; Happy Hour 3-7PM

South Shore Tiki Lounge  This tiki-themed restaurant/bar has the best pizza in Kihei, and a live guitar/singer every day 4-6pm. Their small open air dance floor gets packed around midnight on weekends, with local DJs spinning top 40 club jams.  Probably the hottest party spot late night on weekends.  Everyday 11:00AM – 2:00AM; Happy Hour 11AM-6PM has $3 Primo draft, and $4 for Pacifico drafts, Sauza Margaraitas, premium well drinks, and Bloody Marys.

Haui’s Life’s a Beach Locally known as the LAB.  Has a nice patio right in South Kihei Road where you can watch the world go by.  Lots of big TV’s tuned to sports, a Golden Tee golf game, and a pool table.  They have a super-cheap happy hour, and lots of LOUD live music. Amongst all the Kihei Kalama Village nightlife, LAB is THE place for karaoke.  The place fills up on Thursday nights after 10pm with wanna-be rock stars.  Hosts a budget-conscious local crowd. Everyday 11:00AM – 2:00AM; Open early for NFL games.

Lava Rock Bar and Grill is a huge open air bar/restaurant on the second floor at the back of the Triangle.  The only bar with ocean views.  Biggest dance floor in the Triangle, and two pool tables.  Sixteen 55″ TV’s showing sports.  16 beers on tap.  Everyday 8:00AM – 1:30AM;  Happy Hour 3-6PM AND 9-11pm has $3 beer specials, $4 drafts.

Kahale’s “Maui’s Local Dive Bar” is sort of a biker bar, but not in an unfriendly way. Hosts an older, local crowd age 30-60.  Most tourists give Kahale’s a pass, but it’s worth a stop.  Serves inexpensive microwavable bar food.  Lots of live music playing 70s and 80s covers.  Everyday 10:00AM – 2:00AM

VIBE Bar and Nightclub is a dark bar with a tiny dance floor and comfy couches. Hosts a mixture of young LGBT and straight clientele.  This is a great place to get some dancing in, or just enjoy some cold air conditioning and comfy seating.  Friendly service and just an all-around positive “vibe” in here.  Open everyday 7:00PM – 1:30AM  “Power Hour” from 7pm to 8pm on Sunday thru Thursday has 50% off all drinks.

More awesome nightlife spots NOT in the Triangle:

Sansei – Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar is the king of sushi in Kihei, but it is also is a bit of a nightlife spot.  They have a late-night happy hour from 10pm til closing that offers 50% off sushi.  And they have karaoke on Saturdays.  Folks that have worked up an appetite across the parking lot at “The Triangle” will pop over to Sansei for some sake bombs, kick-ass sushi, and a turn on the microphone.  Open 5:30pm to 10pm nightly.  On Thursday-Friday-Saturday nights they stay open til 1am-ish.

Maui Brewing Company – This place probably needs no introduction.  What started out as a small craft brewery with a good restaurant over on the West Side, has grown into The Behemoth of All Maui Beer.  Its Kihei tasting room opens at 11am, gets packed with tourists at sunset, and closes early at 10pm.  The beers are great, but you won’t find many deals here, with Wailea prices starting at $6.75 a pint.  Happy hour from 3-6pm drops the price to $5.75.  You won’t find many locals here.

Diamonds – This place feels like your friendly neighborhood bar.  Located in the Azeka Plaza, it’s the northernmost nightlife spot in Kihei.  Under the same ownership as the Dog and Duck, they have good beer specials, great DJs and live bands, and just a mellow place to hang out.  They do a roaring business once a month for Kihei Fourth Friday.

Freds/Moose McGillicuddy’s – These two bar/restaurants are literally on top of each other, Fred’s on the ground floor, and Moose’s on the second floor.  Both are under the same ownership, and both have good food, and a great view of Kamaole II Beach.  Both have lots of TVs for watching the big game.   Just the other day I had the best margarita in Kihei from Freds, and some nachos, and then walked across the street to swim at Kam II and take in the sunset.

The Best Maui Nightlife Spots OUTSIDE of Kihei:

If you’ve chosen to stay on the west side in Lahaina or Kaanapali, there are still a couple of good options for Maui nightlife.  Most locals from the west side are making road trips to Kihei when they really want to party.  But, a huge number of Maui hotels and condos are located over in Kaanapali, and there are a couple of fun places worth checking out.

The Old Lahaina Luau – This is the best Luau on Maui for real Hawaiian cultural performances AND great food.  Come here first, and then head a mile south to downtown Front Street.

The Dirty Monkey – The only really hopping bar in Lahaina, it packs in the tourists and gets a reliable contingent of locals, especially young folks getting off work in the restaurant/hotel industry.  They have DJ’s, a dance floor, and a view of Front Street.

What is your favorite Maui Nightlife location?  Let us know in the comments!

Want to learn more about Maui and the surrounding islands?  Check out Things to Do in Kihei,  Things to do in Lanai, or Things to Do in Molokai.

THANKS FOR READING

Full Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you buy anything, I’ll earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only link to stuff I use, love, and recommend. I don’t accept bribes to endorse garbage. Your clicks help keep this site alive.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

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by Worldwide Wilbur June 2019

As a longtime Maui resident, and a frequent visitor to Lanai, I have explored all over this beautiful island.  I’ve narrowed things down to the ten most amazing things to do in Lanai, and share them below.  But first, let’s learn some facts about this unique Hawaiian island.

Who Owns Lanai?

Can you imagine what it would be like to own a Hawaiian island? Just ask Larry Ellison. The founder of Oracle, and seventh richest man in the world, bought 97% of the island of Lanai for the bargain price of 300 million dollars in 2012. Larry now owns both of the Four Seasons Resorts, a championship golf course, and more than 88,000 acres of land.

You might not be a billionaire in a position to buy an island, but you are more than welcome to visit his. Lovely Lanai, “The Pineapple Island” is open for business. It offers some of the most high-end luxury vacation opportunities in all of Hawaii. Bill Gates famously rented out every room on the island and every helicopter on Maui to ensure privacy at his 1994 wedding. And, with a little planning, it is possible to enjoy a budget visit as well. I’ll show you what to see and do, and how to afford a weekend on Lanai.

How big is Lanai?

Lanai is the 6th largest of the main Hawaiian islands, just behind Molokai, with 140 square miles.  You could fit 28 Lanai’s into the Big Island of Hawaii!   It has just 3100 people, nearly all of whom live in little Lanai City in the center of the island.  It has a high school, a small hospital, but no stoplights.

The island has been populated by the Hawaiian people for over a thousand years.  The first Europeans sighted it in 1779.  Soon after, European, American, and Asian people came to Lanai to farm and serve as missionaries.  In 1922, James Dole, President of Dole Pineapple Company, bought the island for just over one million dollars.  For 70 years it became one of the largest pineapple plantations in the world, garnering the name “The Pineapple Island”.  The plantations last harvest ended in 1992, and tourism has been the mainstay of the economy ever since.

10 Amazing Things To Do in Lanai:

#1 Go Off-Road on a 4×4 Jeep Tour

Some of the best sights of Lanai simply can’t be reached by car. You need to get off the pavement and onto the dirt with a jeep. Then you can see the Garden of the Gods, a strangely beautiful land of colorful rock formations, the Munro Trail Lookout, where you can see breathtaking views of deep canyons, and Shipwreck Beach, with its wreckage of a massive World War II fuel tanker, and nearby ancient petroglyphs.  Wildlife abounds on Lanai, as you might spot axis deer, wild turkey, pheasant, as well as corrals of horses, goats, and sheep.

Expeditions Ferry offers a full-day guided jeep tour, including ferry service from Lahaina Maui. You’ll get to all the above spots, as well as visiting Hulopo’e Beach, the Four Seasons Manele Bay, Lanai City, and The Lodge at Koele.

#2 Snorkel with Dolphins at Hulopoe Beach

It takes a lot of patience and some luck, but it can be done. A pod of little spinner dolphins cruises back and forth along the Hulopoe Bay each day. If you are willing to sit with snorkel mask and fins in hand, and eyes on the horizon, you just might get to meet them. You’ll have to dash into the water and head for where they will be, not where they are, cause they swim a LOT faster than you. You won’t be able to catch them, and even if you could it is illegal to “harass” dolphins. But if you get close enough they’ll see you, and if they are in the mood, they’ll pop over to say hello. That moment a fellow mammal looks you straight in the eye…is magical.

Even if you don’t get to meet a dolphin, Hulopoe Beach is a wonderfully scenic location to hang out, swim, snorkel, and have a barbeque. The waves are calmest in summer, which is the best time for both swimming and snorkeling. The beach is just about perfect, and consistently ranks among the top ten beaches in Hawaii.

#3 Explore the Garden of the Gods

Don’t expect any actual “gardens” here. Instead you’ll be seeing big boulders, reddish orange sand, and outstanding views of Molokai.  At sunset the colors morph into a landscape not unlike Mars. Best reached on foot, mountain bike, or a 4×4 jeep.

#4 Pet a Kitty at the Lanai Cat Sanctuary

The Lanai Cat Sanctuary houses, feeds, spays and neuters over 600 cats! Their hard work has saved the lives of hundreds of feral cats as well as the endangered shorebird population of Lanai. Come spend some time with a kitty, and maybe even take one home. Entry is free, donations accepted. Open every day 10am to 3pm. Located out by the airport.

#5 Hike out to Shipwreck Beach

This is one of the most unique things to do in Lanai, because there are no other Hawaiian islands with major shipwrecks onshore.  Way over on a deserted northeast beach, lies a massive 365 foot WWII tanker beached on the reef just 200 meters offshore. The YOGN-42, a WWII U.S. Navy fuel tanker made of iron and cement, was intentionally scuttled here in 1954. It was taking up space in Pearl Harbor, so the Navy hired a contractor to tow it to the empty coast of Lanai and leave it. 65 years later, it sits still slowly rusting away. And, this is just one of several wrecks along this six-mile long beach. Further along lies the YO-21, a Navy oiler that was present in Pearl Harbor the day of the Japanese attack.

It takes 30 minutes to get here from Lanai City. Take highway 430 out of town. At the sign, turn left onto the dirt road. Park at the end of the dirt road, then walk heading left on the beach. Walk about 10 minutes on the beach and you can view the YOGN-42. A jeep will get you right to the beach. A car will have to be left on the highway, and adds to your hike.

#6 Hike, Bike, or 4×4 the Munro Trail

This is the top choice for active things to do in Lanai.  Starting from Lanai City, this 12.8 mile dirt path/road will take you to Lanai’s highest point, Mount Lanaihale an inactive volcano at 3,366 feet, where (on a clear day) you can see six Hawaiian Islands at once (Lanai, Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Hawaii). The views of forests and canyons, towering pines, and white sand beaches are amazing. It can be hiked or mountain biked. Start early. Bring water, a jacket, sunscreen, and a camera. If it has rained recently, it might not be so fun.

Start in Lanai City and head north on Hwy 44. A mile past the Four Seasons Koele, turn right onto the paved road that ends in half a mile at the island’s cemetery. The Munro Trail starts at the end of the road on the left.  The only sign you’ll see is the little one pictured above.

After a long climb, the main trail descends 6 miles to the central plateau. Keep the hills to your left and turn right at the big fork in the road. The trail ends back on Manele Rd (Hwy 440) between Lanaʻi City and Manele Bay. From here you can easily walk downhill a couple of miles to Hulopoe Beach. If you are heading back towards Lanai City, it’s an uphill 5 miles, so maybe walk with your thumb out for a ride.

#7 Venture out to Polihua Beach

This remote two-mile long beach on the desolate north shore is stunningly beautiful. You’ll need a 4×4 vehicle to get there, but the views of Molokai and the solitude make up for the effort. Here you can experience what Hawaii looked like when the first Polynesian sailors arrived hundreds of years ago.

Polihua is 12 miles north of Dole Park in Lanai City. You’ll need a 4×4 jeep or a mountain bike to get there. Head north on Keomuku Hwy. At 1 mile, turn left on Kanepuu hwy, which becomes Awalua hwy, which becomes Polihua rd, which becomes Polihua Trail. You’ll pass the Garden of the Gods along this trail as well. If you are biking, it’s easy on the way out as you drop 1700 feet elevation. Save some energy for the uphill slog back.

#8 Tee off at the Manele Golf Course

Jack Nicklaus designed this stunning seaside 18 hole course formerly known as “The Challenge at Manele”. Lush vegetation, ocean cliffs, and excellent service define this course as one of the best in the world.  Bill Gates got married at the 12th hole tee-box.  Open 730am – 6pm. The only other golf course on Lanai, “The Experience at Koele” has closed permanently.

#9  Appreciate Fine Art at the Mike Carroll Gallery.

This gallery features the beautiful work of Mike Carroll, as well as other local and mainland artists works that feature Lanai.  They also have locally made hand-carved jewelry.  Open 10-5:30 Mon-Sat

#10 Stroll around Lanai City

The best cultural experience of all the things to do in Lanai is to simply visit its only town, and see how people live.  Located in the center of the island, Lanai City is a cool reprieve from the scorching beach. It sits among the shade of towering Cook pines, at 1700 feet of elevation, and feels more like a small town in the Pacific Northwest than a tropical island. It seldom gets much over 80 degrees here, and 50’s are common on winter nights. With only 3000 people, all of its sights are within walking distance, clustered around the grassy open space of Dole Park. While you are there, be sure to:

• Learn about the history of this island at the Lanai Culture and Heritage Center. Open 8:30-3:30 Mon-Fri.

• Do some Hawaiian-style clothes shopping in The Local Gentry. Open 10-6.

• Create something new, or buy a local artists work at the Lanai Art Center

• Get all your gifts for back home at Lanai Hula Hut. 

• Sit under a majestic Cook Pine in Dole Park and watch the clouds drift by.

• Catch a movie at the Hale Keaka Lanai Theater  The historic theater had been shut down since the 1970’s and was just recently restored.
• And beyond all these shops, there are also wonderful athletic facilities open to the public just next to Dole Park.  You’ll find a swimming pool, basketball court, volleyball court, baseball field, soccer/football field, and tennis courts.  Everything is in like-new condition.

Things to do On Lanai – Know Before You Go:

Backpacker Daily Budget:

$78. Lanai is not cheap by any means. The only way to see it on a backpacker budget is by travelling in a group of four, splitting camping fees and car rental. Four people camping at Hulopoe Beach would be $20 per-person per-day. Splitting a rental car will run $25 per-person per-day, plus another $4 for gas. Bring your eggs and dinner cookout supplies from Costco for $10, get a sandwich at Blue Ginger Cafe for lunch in Lanai City for $8. Three beers will run you $12 at Pele’s Other Garden. Entry to all the best natural sites in Lanai are free.

More Budget Tips:

• Instead of renting a car, consider riding a mountain bike. There is no bike rental on island, but you can rent one on Maui and take a bicycle on the Expeditions Ferry for just $10 each way. I brought mine over, and rode it all over the island. You’ll have to be reasonably fit, because the initial climb out of Hulopoe Bay is no joke.  It starts with a back-breaking 1500 foot ascent in just the first 3.2 miles!  If you can survive that, it’s a more mellow 250ft of climbing over the next 4.8 miles to Lanai City.   From Lanai City the ride out to Garden of the Gods isn’t too tough, about 10 miles roundtrip, with only one tough hill by the Lanai Ranch.  But if you ride down to Shipwreck Beach or Polihua Beach, you’ll have to make a massive 1900ft climb a second time on the way back. Biking on Lanai is sooooo much fun. Well marked trails, dirt roads, no traffic.
• Bring all your food and drinks from Costco on Maui. It will be half the price of whatever you can get on Lanai.  The ferry allows large rolling coolers.

Cheap Beer Index:

$4 for a bottle of Bud Lite at Pele’s Other Garden.

Best Time to Visit Lanai:

Anytime is a good time to visit. Lanai has warm weather year round. In my opinion, the best time is January through March for low humidity, and the chance to see whales. But it really depends on your plans:

• The temperature hardly changes. The hottest month is August with highs of 86 and lows of 74. The coolest month is February at 79 and 66.
• Humidity does change: August is the worst at 85% humidity. February and March are the best with low humidity at around 25%. If you like sunny, but not muggy, choose winter.
• Rainfall varies quite a bit. The driest month is June with only 0.5 of an inch. The “wet season” is December through April 15 with averages between 2 and 2.5 inches per month. This isn’t really very much rain, but it is possible to get a week where it rains every single day in these months, particularly January and February.
• Ocean temperatures vary by 5 degrees, peaking at 80 in September, and bottoming out at 75 in March. Visitors will probably judge the ocean to be plenty warm anytime, but as a local, I find it very chilly in March and nice in September. If you plan to spend a lot of time in the water, for snorkeling or SCUBA diving, August-September-October might be the best for you.
• Humpback whales visit in the winter, with peak whale density from January 15 to March 31. You can possibly see one or two as early as October, and as late as May. If you are going on a whale watch, February and March are perfect.
• Surf swells change seasonally. But, Lanai isn’t a good place for surfing anyway.
• Price of accommodations change dramatically throughout the year. Rates peak the week between Christmas and New Year, when every single room on the island is sold out. Room rates are at their lowest in September and October. A typical AirBnB that goes for $300 in January, might be only $200 in October.

What languages are spoken on Lanai?

Everyone speaks English cause Hawaii really is part of the USA. However, folks who grew up here will speak Hawaiian Pidgin to each other. Shoots Brah!

Do you need a U.S. visa?

Americans obviously do not need any papers to come to the 50th state. Canadian visitors do not need a visa, and can stay for 182 days out of a year. AUS and UK visitors need to complete an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before arrival, and then get 90 days to visit.

How to Get to Lanai:

The Ferry from Maui to Lanai:

Expeditions Ferry runs the Lanai ferry from the public dock in Lahaina, Maui to Manele Harbor, Lanai.  The dock is directly in front of the Pioneer Inn on Front Street.  It’s a passenger ferry only, no cars.  Adult tickets are $30 each way, and kids age 2-11 are $20 each way. Under 2’s are free.  You should book online ahead of time as it can sell out.

The ride is usually smooth and takes 45-50 minutes. The ship has air conditioned, plush indoor seating, as well as outdoor seating mostly in the sun on the upper deck.  You have to drag on your own stuff, and there is plenty of room to store it all on racks.  There are bathrooms onboard, and they sell water and soda.  Alcohol cannot be consumed onboard.  If you go between December and March, it’s like getting a free whale watch thrown in! Although, the captains job is to get you across the channel quickly, so he’s not going to stop unless the whale is in the boats path.

PRO TIP: Get to the ferry dock early, because parking is AWWWWWWWFUL in Lahaina. If you have 20 minutes to spare, you can drive around in expanding concentric circles until you find a free parking spot on a distant side road. It might pay off to stalk a tourist walking with big shopping bags. If you show up right before departure, you’ll be stuck parking in one of the overpriced lots by the dock for $10+ per day.

Maui to Lanai Ferry Schedule:

• Ferry from Maui to Lanai at: 6:45am, 9:15am, 12:45pm, 3:15pm, 5:45pm. Tickets are $28.85 adults, $19.23 kids 2-11.
• Ferry from Lanai to Maui at: 8:00am, 10:30am, 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 6:45pm. Tickets are $28.85 adults, $19.23 kids 2-11.

From Manele harbor on Lanai it is 15 minutes by car to Lanai City, and only 3 minutes to the Four Seasons Lanai.  You can easily walk to Hulopoe Bay for the beach or the campground.

Flights to Lanai:

The only airport is Lanai Airport (LNY). It is located in the center of the island, 4 miles away from Lanai City. All flights to Lanai Airport are turbo-prop aircraft. No jet planes land here. Flights to Lanai Airport arrive from just two destinations on two airlines:

• Honolulu (Oahu)- Ohana by Hawaiian starting at $138 round-trip. They fly big twin turbo-prop planes.
• Kahului (Maui) –Mokulele starting at $118 round-trip.  Mokulele flies tiny single-engine nine-seater planes. Window seat guaranteed.

From the airport it is 10 minutes by car to Lanai City, and 25 minutes to the Four Seasons Lanai/Manele Bay.

How to Get Around Lanai:

Getting around Lanai is expensive. All car rentals are 2-3 times what you would pay on the mainland. But, if you want to explore the island, you’ll need to rent a car on Lanai, ideally a 4×4 jeep. Only 30 of the islands 400 miles of roads are paved. The paved roads are in good shape, and with only three main roads that all lead to Lanai City, you can’t really get lost on this small island. Oh, and be forewarned that there is only one gas station, and gas is around $4.70 a gallon!

Be careful when booking a car with an internet booking site. There are NO NATIONAL CHAIN CAR RENTALS on Lanai. Dollar Rent A Car closed down in 2018. Most of these sites have no common sense built in, and will show you available cars FROM ANOTHER ISLAND! Yep. If you aren’t paying attention, you might end up booking a car, just 10 miles away ON MAUI! Whoops!

Lanai Car Rental:

Here is EVERY car rental option on Lanai, listed from most expensive to least expensive:

• If you plan to arrive by ferry, and want to rent a 4×4 jeep, Expeditions Ferry offers a combo roundtrip ferry ticket and full-day jeep rental for $300. This is the most convenient option for getting around, as they whisk you right from the ferry, to the car lot, and put you in a jeep, which can go anywhere.
• Lanai Cheap Jeeps has a hilariously unreadable website and rents Jeeps for $196 a day, and Subaru Crosstreks for $175 a day.
• 808 Day Trip has on-road vehicles only, with SUV’s for $155 a day, and hatchbacks for $135. They deliver to the airport or ferry for free.
• ABB Auto Rentals has 4-door jeeps for $190 a day, and 2-door jeeps for $155 a day. They also have regular (non off-road) vehicles for $124 a day. They list right in their rental rules that they discriminate against campers, and will only rent to the rich and famous staying at the Four Seasons or Hotel Lanai.
• Turo – is a another pricey option for Lanai. I found a few vans and jeeps starting at $128 a day, with pickup/drop-off at Lanai Airport or the boat harbor. If you have never used Turo before, click HERE for $25 off your first rental.
• Lanai Car Rental has a fleet that includes the all-electric and compact Chevy Bolt for $95, the four-wheel drive Jeep Wrangler Sahara for $195, and the Ford Transit minivan capable of transporting up to seven passengers for $155. They knock $20 off all those rates for Kama’aina (Hawaii residents). They do NOT deliver to the airport or harbor. You’ll have to take a taxi to their Lanai City location.

If you are staying at the Four Seasons (either Manele Bay or Lodge at Koele) you can use the Lanai City Shuttle. They go to and from the airport – Lanai City – Four Seasons Koele – Four Seasons Lanai – ferry boat harbor for a $10 (cash only) fee per-person per-way. They arrive at every ferry landing 7 days a week.

If you are really adventurous, and um…cheap, you could attempt to get around solely by the free MEO Bus. This single bus goes back and forth around the island.

There is no Uber or Lyft on Lanai.

There are a couple of taxi services. Arrange rides a day in advance to ensure pick-up.

• Rabaca’s Limousine Service at 808-565-6670

• Lanai Taxi Service at 808-649-0808

Stay Connected:

There is nowhere to buy a SIM card on Lanai. You should sort this out in either Maui or Oahu before you arrive. Cell phone coverage on Lanai is pretty good.  I had strong service at Manele Bay, of course in Lanai City, and even way out at Garden of the Gods I could get a signal on high points.

Where to Stay on Lanai?

Your choices for accommodations are pretty slim on Lanai. It’s either camping for $80 a night, an AirBnB for $225-300 a night, the Hotel Lanai at $300 a night, or the Four Seasons Lanai at $1000 a night. That is literally all there is.

Camping on Lanai:

There is one campground on Lanai; Hulopoe Beach Park is an absolutely fabulous white sand beach on the south shore of Lanai. It is great for swimming and snorkeling. A pod of spinner dolphins stop by at least a couple of times a day. The Four Seasons Lanai is right next door, and if you camp here you’ll get to enjoy seeing the unwashed masses hobnob with the upper crust staying just 100 meters away for twelve times the price.

There are eight campsites on the grassy area set back from the beach, and up to four people are allowed at each site. There are two very nice public bathrooms, cold water showers, barbecue grills, and picnic tables. Hulopoe is a privately owned campground, and the cost to stay here (for non-Lanai residents) is an outrageously expensive $80 per night, per permit. You can stay a maximum of three nights. I’m wondering if Pulama Lanai does not really want campers, and are just having a laugh seeing how high they can raise the fee before people stop coming? But at the same time, bless their heart for keeping this campsite open, as there is nowhere else even remotely affordable near the beach on Lanai.

The beach park is packed and busy on weekends.  While you have to pay $80 to camp back in the grass, Lanai residents can camp right on the beach for FREE, and on weekends they camp in multiple packs of a dozen tents and boom-boxes and inflatable beach toys.  During the week, you’ll find the beach to be much quieter.

To book a campsite, you must email info@lanaibeachpark.com with the following information:

• Contact person name, phone number, and email address
• Dates requested (3 nights maximum)
• Names of all campers in your group
• Travel itinerary (i.e., dates, and times of arrival and departure, and whether traveling by plane or ferry)

Getting to Hulopoe Beach is an easy half-mile walk from Manele boat harbor.  There is the Manele General Store (open 7am to 7pm weekdays, til 4pm Sundays) at the boat harbor if you forget anything, or need to restock beer and ice.

Hotels on Lanai:

This is an easy section to write. There are only TWO HOTELS on all of Lanai at the moment.  The third hotel will be priced in the grand-a-night range when it opens in 2019 or 2020.

• Hotel Lanai – Rooms starting at $300 a night.  Located right in Lanai City, it has a casual elegance and all-around comfiness to it.  Lots of tall pines shade the grounds, and it is a relaxing place to stay and be part of the Lanai community.  It’s the oldest hotel on the island, built in 1923 by the Dole Company, and it was the only hotel on Lanai until 1990.

• Four Seasons Resort Lanai – Rooms starting at $1000 a night.  Clearly one of the finest places to stay in all of Hawaii, the Four Seasons combines service and luxury with a peaceful view over Manele Bay.  The newly re-designed pool is a fabulous rock garden full of little waterfalls, multiple small pools and hot tubs, and foliage covered private nooks to lounge in and feel like you are the only ones there.  Mr. Ellison has invested over 450 million into remodeling the resort.
• Four Seasons Lanai at Koele – In the cool air just above Lanai City, this equally luxurious retreat has just re-opened after 4 years of renovations.  Rooms start at $1000 a night with a three night minimum.

Lanai Condo Rentals: There are no condos on Lanai. None. Zero.

AirBnB on Lanai: There are only a half-dozen home rentals in Lanai City on AirBnB. The cheapest one is a small plantation house going for $225 a night. There is also a room in a B&B for $224 a night. There are no privately owned homes or condos anywhere else on the island outside Lanai City.

Best Restaurants in Lanai:

You can get five-star dining at the Four Seasons Lanai (at 10 star prices). Or, you can venture into Lanai City and get good food at normal (for Hawaii) prices. Here are some of the best places:

Lanai City Restaurants:

• Pele’s Other Garden – A popular and reasonably priced spot for pizza and beer. Serving cold sandwiches for $11, hot sandwiches for $12, and pizza starting at $11. Beers are $5. Open Mon-Fri 11am to 9pm, Sat 430pm-8pm, Closed Sun.

• Café 565 – Burgers, plate lunch and Asian local favorites all in the $8-10 range.  I can recommend their specialty, the Korean chicken wings.  Sometimes the only place open in Lanai City in the afternoon.

• Blue Ginger Café – Another great budget dining option on Lanai. You can get burgers and sandwiches mostly in the $10 range, and they have a full breakfast menu. I enjoyed a simple bacon, egg and cheese sandwich for $7.50.  Open 6am to 8pm Thurs-Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon. 6am to 2pm Tues and Wed.
• Coffee Works – Serving up the best coffee on Lanai.  You’ll have to know where to look, cause it’s a block off of Dole Park, right behind the Blue Ginger Café.

• Lanai City Service / The Plantation Deli – Great deli style sandwiches for $9-10.  Don’t be put off by it’s combo deli/gas station location.

• Lanai City Bar & Grille This restaurant and bar in the Hotel Lanai, is undoubtedly THE fine dining option in Lanai City. Entrees from $18-38. Live music on weekends. Open 5pm to 10pm Tues-Sat, 10-2 Sunday, Closed Monday

• Richard’s Market – If you are just looking for some sandwiches to go, or groceries and liquor, this newly renovated market is stocked with everything you could want.  It’s like a little Whole Foods in Lanai!

At the Four Seasons Lanai:

• Views at Manele Golf Course – The um…views are indeed fantastic here, and the prices are a tad cheaper than the other Four Seasons eateries. Sandwiches and salads in the $24-34 range.
• One Forty – Steak and Seafood.
• Malibu Farm – Brunch and Lunch spot with entrees in the $25-50 range. Try the Poke Ceviche.
• The Sports Bar & Grill – The most low-key of the resorts eateries. Burgers and Pizza for $25-29, Entrees for $34-42. Open 11am to 11pm.
• Nobu Lanai – The signature restaurant of the island. Take out a second mortgage before sitting down.

Nightlife on Lanai:

There’s only a handful of options, and most everything closes up early.

• The Sports Bar & Grill (at Four Seasons Lanai)
• Lanai City Bar & Grille (at the Hotel Lanai) stays open til 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and has live music those nights.

Get a Guidebook:

I am unimpressed by the available print and eBook guidebooks to Lanai. Things change, restaurants come and go, and no print guidebook is going to beat the up-to-date information I’ve researched and listed here. But, there is one guide to Lanai that I do recommend:

Lanai Map – Franko’s Lanai Guide Waterproof Map is an invaluable resource for the off-grid adventurer. If you plan to bike and hike or even drive off-road around Lanai, this map will “fill in the blanks” that may show up as empty spaces on Google Maps.

What to Pack:

The basics are available on Lanai, but not at Amazon or Walmart prices. You are far better off bringing with you quality gear at mainland prices. You also don’t want to be spending your limited vacation time searching for the right stuff. Here is what I use, and recommend you bring to Lanai:

Snorkel, Mask and Fins – The Cressi Palau Short Fins provide a mask with a great fit for all faces, durable quality, and great fins that aren’t so long you fall on your face trying to exit the water. The best snorkeling package value. You’ll need this to see all the fishies in Hulopoe Bay

Travel Towel – The PackTowl Personal Microfiber towel is the best travel towel there is. It’s comfortable, quick-drying, lightweight, and packs down to the size of a paperback book. Comes in four sizes and eleven colors. I have the largest size “Beach” at 36 x 59 inches in Blueberry. Get this towel, and avoid having to buy a crappy convenience store “ALOHA” towel for $29.95 that you’ll never use again.

Reef Safe Sunscreen – Effective January 1, 2021 the State of Hawaii has banned all non reef-safe sunscreens from sale in the islands. Why not get ahead of the curve, and bring this excellent sunscreen with you? Thinksport SPF 50 rubs in easily and feels good on your skin. And you’re saving our coral reefs.

Sunhat – It’s pretty sunny on the south shores of Lanai, and you might want a decent hat to go with that reef-safe sunscreen. These Hemlock Hat Company wide brimmed straw hats are what all the cool kids are wearing at the beach these days. I have the “Bandit” color.

While these items are of particular importance to make the most of your visit to Lanai, it would be worth checking out my Ultimate Travel Packing List that covers everything you might need for your trip.

Is Lanai Safe?

It’s got to be one of the safest places in America. For one thing, almost everyone on the island works for Pulama Lanai (Larry Ellison’s company) in some capacity. If you get in trouble, you get fired, and then you gotta move, because there are no other jobs. It’s a company town. But beyond that, Lanai people are just some of the nicest, friendliest folks you’ll meet in Hawaii. They have that small town kindness you’d expect to find in Iowa or Maine.  When I rode my bike around here, at least half the passing cars gave me a wave hello!  That doesn’t happen on Maui.

Years ago I managed to get a kiawe-thorn flat-tire on my scooter way out by Shipwreck Beach. At sunset. I was sadly pushing by moped up the forest road, mentally preparing to spend a miserable night, hungry and chilly, alone in the woods. Out of nowhere, a pickup truck appears. The guy was fishing, and he promptly lifted my scooter into the back. Not only did he go a half hour out of his way to drop me off at Hulopoe Beach, he also stopped at two different friends houses to see if they might have a patch kit. And he offered to come get me the next day to help me get the scooter back the boat harbor! That’s my enduring memory of the people on Lanai.

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As a dedicated passport stamper, I couldn’t possibly spend three weeks in South Africa without visiting the “Highest Pub in Africa” in its landlocked neighbor Lesotho (pronounced LEH-SOO-TOO).  When I say landlocked, I mean completely surrounded by South Africa. There are only three countries in the world that are encircled by another country: Lesotho, Vatican City, and San Marino.  So the only way to drive in is from South Africa, and the most fun way is up the Sani Pass Lesotho.

Some interesting Lesotho facts:

Why does Lesotho exist? What prevented it from being swallowed up by South Africa? It’s all due to the leadership of King Moshoeshoe, who expertly played off the British colonialists against the Dutch Boers, and the soundly defeated both parties in several mountain battles in the 1800s.

Lesotho’s lowest point of 1,400 meters (4,593 ft) is the “highest lowest-point” of any country in the world.

It the most ethnically homogenous nation in the world, as 99.7% of its population hail from the Basotho tribe.

Lesotho has a horrific 25% HIV rate, and the highest tuberculosis rate in the world, leading to extremely low life expectancy of 51 for men and 55 for women.

How do you get to the start of the Sani Pass Tours?

There are about ten border crossings to Lesotho in total, but only one provides a stunning journey up the side of the Drakensberg Mountains. This crossing just happens to be the closest border to Durban, the starting point of my journey. This would be the Sani Pass, a twisting dirt road built in the 1950s that rises from 5,000 feet to 9,436 feet over just 5.6 miles.  I opted to make the day trip from Durban in Kwazulu Natal.

South Africa allows only 4×4 vehicles past their border post, so I could either rent a (very expensive) 4×4 in Durban and do it all myself, or I could go with a tour company 4×4 and let someone more knowledgeable sweat the driving. I chose to go with Sani Pass Tours.com, the most well-known and highly rated outfit.

To get there, I rented a cheap compact car in Durban, and made a 6am departure to the small town of Underberg. It was a lovely drive through farmland and rolling hills, all of it on excellent roads.

I parked in the sleepy little town of Underberg, and had a coffee while I waited to meet up with the tour guide. Soon our group of a half-dozen settled into our big Landcruiser to begin the journey.

The Drakensberg plateau loomed over us, with grassy fields on both sides.

Border Crossing #1

Soon we reached the South African border post, which quickly stamped us all out of the country.

Then we began the serious part of the road, all of it in a no-man’s land between the two nations. Hairpin turn after hairpin turn brought us higher and higher. At particularly scenic drop-offs, the driver would let us out for photos. You can see the remains of vehicles that didn’t negotiate a turn properly.

We weren’t the only people on the route. There were a handful of other 4×4 Sani Pass tour groups. There was one slow-moving, nervous looking driver, in a personally owned 4×4.  Also, one barefoot man dressed in rags carrying firewood on his head. A couple of shepherds with serious looking sticks glared at us. A tiny two wheel drive compact car was abandoned, hopelessly mired in sand off the side of the road facing downhill. Two VERY impressive fully-laden cyclists were chugging upwards. If you want to attempt this on a bicycle, then read this account of the thrills of cycling one of the highest roads in Africa.

Be advised, the Lesotho side will let any vehicle attempt to drive down, but ascending cars and pack mules have the right of way.

At the summit, we took more photos and rejoiced at making it to the top and taking in the cool air.

Border Crossing #2

Lesotho passport control was easy and quick.  We were inside Lesotho!  We were thirsty for the Highest Pub in Africa, but we had another stop first.

Basotho Village

The next part of our Sani Pass tour was a touristy visit to a Basotho village. Of all the villages I have visited in Africa, this one was the most bleak. The village sits randomly in the middle of a high, windswept plateau. It is surrounded by nothing but rocks. No trees, no fruit or vegetable gardens, no obvious source of water even. Just stacked-rock round huts to shelter them from the constant cold wind.  No safari wildlife around either, nothing like in Kruger National Park a few hundred miles away.

We picked up a guide who took us inside a big makhoro (hut) where we could learn about the daily life of the Basotho. They are sheep and goat herders, and must trek into town to trade their flock for everything else they might need. Each shepherd carries an individually carved stick that acts as their identification. If a shepherd goes out to lead his flock to graze for months and never returns, eventually someone will find his stick next to his bones and be able to tell who he was. It sounds like a tough existence.

Outside the hut, the women of the village had on their best Basotho blankets, set out handicrafts we could buy, and performed a doleful clapping song. Meanwhile, the men stood and stared at us unsmiling from the shadows, all dressed in earth-toned blankets of brown and grey. I felt ashamed for the indignity of what their village had to do to survive. The men wanted no part of us, and the women had a palpable disdain for the wooden performance they had to trot out to tourists each day. In every culture in Africa, I always find that it is the women that go the extra mile to fend for their families, and Lesotho is no exception.

I got back in the truck immediately while the others perused the trinkets on offer, though no one bought anything. Everyone tipped our local guide, and I wondered how much of that made it to the villagers.

Sani Pass Tours – The Highest Pub in Africa

Next we were off to the Sani Mountain Lodge, a charming British colonial style outpost on the edge of the pass. It’s known for having “The Highest Pub in Africa”. We enjoyed beers and sandwiches by the fireplace, as fog settled in.

The drive back down was cheerful after our mountain beers, and passed by quickly with no photo stops. I got dropped off back at my rental car around 4pm, and started my 3 hour drive back to Durban. As soon as I got going, the skies darkened, opened up and began pouring sheets of rain.

If you drive on the highways of South Africa, you’ll see the craziest hitchhiking scene in all the world. For complicated reasons relating back to apartheid public planning, the black townships in the suburbs of major cities have no public transportation even to this day. People trying to get to work in the cities have no other option than to walk to the highways and beg for rides. It is not unusual to see a hundred men standing in the breakdown lane, all waving a 10 or 20 rand note in the air, offering to pay for a ride.

Now as a lone foreigner driving along, I’m too scared to let a bunch of guys I don’t know in my car. After all, this is not Kansas. South Africa has loads of violent crime including car jacking at knife or gunpoint. So every day, I pass by all these people. But on this day, under the pouring rain, I passed a line of older ladies looking for rides. Some combination of having had a beer, being bored of driving alone for hours on end, feeling sorry for these ladies getting soaked, and judging that they were unlikely to stab me, led me to pull over.

They ran up to my car, and peered in my window. When they saw I was a white guy they just stood and stared at me.

“Yes?” one said quizzically.

“You want rides right?” I replied.

“Oh. Yes, yes.”

They all climbed in. They didn’t make too much conversation, and we rode in silence for 20 minutes or so. They indicated where to drop them, and then offered me some rand notes, which I refused. It’s the strange little experiences like this that I enjoy so much in my travels.

Sani Pass Tours: Things to Know Before You Go:

Cheap Beer Index: $2.87

You can enjoy a 330ml Maluti for 40 rand at the Sani Mountain Lodge.

When to Visit Sani Pass:

The best time for Sani Pass Tours is summertime; November thru February can get over 70 degrees. Winters are chilly, it gets below freezing nightly in June and July, and ice could close the road.

What languages are spoken in Lesotho?

Basotho is the common language, but English is a common second language

Do you need a Lesotho visa?

No. USA, UK, AUS and CAN passport holders all get 14 days to visit visa-free. 14 days should be enough to visit every inch of this small country.

How you get to the starting point of Sani Pass Tours:

Tourist favorite Cape Town is a long, long way away from Lesotho.  Durban / Pietermaritzburg are the closest major cites, you can easily do day tours from either city. From Durban, head north on the N3 highway to R617 towards Sani Pass Road in Underberg. The drive takes less than 3 hours to Underberg/Himeville. If you have a 4×4, you can make it all the way to the top in 4 hours.

You can also continue on to the capitol of Lesotho. Maseru is six hours further northwest on good roads.  There are lots of Lesotho tours to join from there.

There are plans to pave the road all the way to the top in 2019 by a Chinese company. If you wait a year or ten, you might be able to drive up in any old vehicle.

You can do it yourself if you have a 4×4. Remember the border closes at 6pm. You should get a letter of authorization from the rental company stating they approve for you to bring the vehicle in Lesotho. You may need to show this when leaving SA.

I went with Sani Pass Tours.com. Their 8 hour Lesotho day trips include a comfortable 4×4 drive up and down the pass, a Basotho cultural village visit, and a stop for lunch at the Highest Pub in Africa (on your own $$) for $63.

What is Lesotho’s Currency?

The Lesotho Loti is kept at par with the South African Rand (14.4ZAR to $1USD) and are available at ATMs. Use em all up before you leave, as they won’t be accepted in South Africa. If you have Rand with you, just use them, they will be accepted everywhere.

Stay Connected in Lesotho:

I highly recommend that anyone planning to do a large amount of international travelling switch their service provider to Google Fi. Google Fi allows you to use your same data plan, at the same domestic usage price ($10 per GB, and data is free after 6GB) in 164 countries! With Google Fi, you don’t have to sign up for a pricey “International Plan”. And you don’t get worthless 2G data speeds internationally like T-Mobile’s “One”, you get data at whatever the top speed the local cell towers can offer. Google Fi does have coverage in Lesotho. If you sign up through my referral HERE, you’ll get $20 off your first bill, and I’ll get $20 off my next bill. Everybody wins!

If you don’t already have Google Fi, there are two mobile network operators in Lesotho:

• Vodacom Lesotho has 75% of subscribers. If you have a South African Vodacom SIM, you can roam in Lesotho for free. You can buy a pay as you go SIM card for less than $2 from many stores. You don’t need to register it. 1GB of data, good for one week, is M50 ($3.40)
• Econet (Ezi-Cel, by ETL) has 25% of subscribers. You can buy a pay as you go SIM card called Buddie or Libertie for free with a mandatory M 50 ($3.40) recharge. You don’t need to register it. 1.3GB of data, good for one week, is M50 ($3.40)

Sani Pass Hotels:

In Lesotho:

The Sani Stone Lodge has dorm room bunk beds for just $13 a night. They also have private rooms starting at $41. They have a restaurant onsite, and can arrange cultural tours, horseback riding, hiking and fishing.

The Sani Mountain Lodge allows camping (brrr) for $12, has bunk beds for $19, and private room rondavels starting at $119 a night.

In South Africa:

Sani Lodge Backpackers has bunk beds for $16 a night, and private rooms starting at $45 a night. They have a swimming pool, and herb garden, plush common areas, and get rave reviews. They can arrange your 4×4 drive up the pass.  This place looks a lot warmer and comfier than anywhere at the top of the pass.

Where to Eat:

The Sani Mountain Lodge has a monopoly on gastronomy and astronomy in the area, and serves tasty lunches and dinners.

Nightlife at Sani Pass:

The Highest Pub in Africa is the only bar for miles up in Lesotho. Remember, you are drinking at 9500 feet, so beers will hit you almost twice as hard. Go slow.

Down in South Africa, Sani Lodge Backpackers might have some folks tipping a few under the stars. Otherwise, you’d have to drive into Underberg, which isn’t the most hopping place anyway.

Get a Guidebook:

The Rough Guide to South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland is the best guide available. Much more informative, up-to-date, and accurate than Lonely Planet. I used it every day without fail in my three week road trip across all three countries.

What to Pack:

Bring warm clothes. If it is 80 degrees in Durban at sea level, it’s going to be no more than 50 at the Highest Pub in Africa. Check out my Worldwide Travel Packing List for the best travel gear for your adventures. I’ve already read all the online reviews, and tested it all out, so you can just click and buy the best stuff.

Is Lesotho Safe?

It’s very unlikely you’ll have problems with anyone in the area around Sani Pass. However, the capital city of Maseru has a high crime rate. Muggings occur frequently, and can be violent. Be careful walking around there in daytime, and don’t walk anywhere at night.

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The post The Best Sani Pass Tours to the Highest Pub in Africa first appeared on Worldwide Wilbur.