Clothing

Packing for the Solomon Islands is all about comfort, breathability, and cultural awareness. With the warm tropical climate, lightweight cotton clothing is your best friend—think loose-fitting shirts, flowy dresses, and breathable shorts. Comfortable footwear like sandals or walking shoes will help you navigate everything from bustling markets to jungle trails.

While bikinis and swimwear are perfectly fine at resorts, it’s important to dress modestly when exploring towns or visiting villages. A simple sarong or light cover-up is perfect for throwing over your swimwear when you're off the beach. In local communities, knee-length shorts, skirts, and T-shirts are the way to go to show respect for the local culture.

And while the days are warm, a light sweater might come in handy for the occasional cool evening. Dressing appropriately ensures a comfortable trip while also showing appreciation for the traditions of the Solomon Islands. 

The Wantok System

• Explanation of Wantok 

• Why to learn some words

Village Stays

Village stays are a great way to get to meet with a local community and immerse yourself in traditional life. If you're planning to do a visit stay, you usually want to stay for at least 3 nights, to make the trek out to the village worth your time and to get to properly meet and befriend the villagers, rather than just being an odd foreigner passing through. You also need to plan ahead of time, as many villages are completely off grid, and sometimes only one person in the village has a phone to communicate with Honiara. Othertimes, there's no phones and communications are done through radio or word of mouth!

To book any village stay, you'll need to contact the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau in Honiara, and they'll reach out to the villages for you. Most village stays are around Marau Sound and along the Weather Coast. Food in the villages is usually very simple, and you'll be lucky to have many fresh vegetables. Generally dinner is rice and taro or cassava when in land, or rice and fish if you're on the beach. Canned meat is common. Personally, I recommend bringing some vegetables from Honiara with you and offering to help the women cook, on the condition that they also eat the nutritious food with you. You'll catch them by surprise, make them laugh, and sharing a food is a great way to open conversation. 

When I'm travelling to villages, I also recommend bringing some sauces (even just soy sauce) that can last well in your bag. Spices and sauces are not very common, and meals are often bland by western tastes. Sauces help make the dish a bit more tasty!

Lastly, I love to bring sharp kitchen knives when travelling to villages. Sometimes the women already have good knives, but often these villages are remote and cash income is hard to come by. You can buy sharp kitchen knives from any of the large stores in downtown Honiara, especially opposite the Yacht Club. Sharp knives make for great gifts to the women, can be an excellent conversation starter, and can really help these beautiful ladies when preparing meals for their families even after you've departed!

You can find more information on how to do village stays ethically - both with assistance, or organising them yourself - on the Village Life page.