Attractions in Kiribati

Betio Islet

Betio is a flat islet at the western end of Tarawa Atoll.

Maneaba ni Maungatabu

The Parliament Building of Kiribati is located in Ambo on South Tarawa.

Bairiki National Stadium

The stadium in Bairiki is the largest sporting venue in Kiribati.

Bonriki Plateau

The Bonriki area on Tarawa comprises one of the widest landmasses of the atoll.

London Settlement

London is the primary settlement on Kiritimati Atoll and a key administrative center.

Fanning Coral Gardens

The coral gardens of Fanning Island (Tabuaeran) host some of the most spectacular and well-preserved reef structures in the Line Islands.

Butaritari

Butaritari is known as the greenest atoll in Kiribati.

Banaba Island

Banaba is a raised coral island and the highest point in Kiribati.

Nikumaroro Atoll

This elongated coral atoll has a distinct reef rim and a central lagoon.

Bonriki Airport Terminal

The terminal of Bonriki International Airport is the main gateway to Kiribati.

Kiritimati

Kiritimati is the world's largest coral atoll by land area.

Manra Rim

Manra is a nearly closed atoll in the Phoenix Islands.

Orona Island

Orona Island, also known as Hull Island, is a large atoll with a shallow lagoon and numerous passes that allow constant water exchange.

Cassidy International Airport

This airport on Kiritimati serves as the logistical gateway for tourism and freight transport for Kiribati's eastern island groups.

Tabuaeran

Tabuaeran, also known as Fanning Island, possesses one of the most beautiful and well-protected lagoons in the Central Pacific.

Kanton Island

Kanton is the only inhabited atoll in the Phoenix Islands, boasting a massive and nearly completely enclosed lagoon.

Captain Cook's Landing Site

The historical spot on Kiritimati where James Cook landed on Christmas Eve 1777 and named the island Christmas Island.

Bairiki Independence Site

The central square in Bairiki where the independence of Kiribati from the United Kingdom was officially proclaimed in 1979.

Arorae Navigational Stones

A series of historical stones (Te Kanawa) used by early inhabitants for celestial and maritime navigation between islands.

Ruins

Betio Japanese Command Post

A massive concrete bunker from World War II that served as the headquarters for Japanese defenders during the Battle of Tarawa.

Monument

Captain Cook's Monument

This monument on Kiritimati commemorates the landing of James Cook in 1777.

Monument

Betio Coast Defense Guns

These heavy Japanese coastal defense guns date back to World War II.

Ruins

Butaritari Seaplane Base

Remains of the Japanese naval air base from World War II, which played a strategic role during the Pacific War.

Monument

Australian War Memorial

This memorial on Betio honors the Australian coastwatchers who were executed during World War II.

Church

St. Stanislaus Kostka Church

This church is located in the village of Poland on Kiritimati Island.

Nature

Park

Millennium Marine Park

The Millennium Marine Park protects the waters around Caroline Atoll and hosts one of the highest shark densities in the world.

Kiritimati Bird Sanctuary

Also known as Christmas Island, Kiritimati hosts one of the world's most significant breeding grounds for seabirds.

Phoenix Islands Protected Area

This vast marine protected area encompasses eight atolls and two submerged reefs.

Birnie Island Bird Sanctuary

Birnie is a very small, dry island almost entirely covered by low scrub.

Lake

Abaiang Lagoon

Abaiang Lagoon is an expansive, tranquil body of water in the northern Gilbert Islands, fringed by beautiful motus and coral reefs.

Rawaki Island Nature Reserve

Rawaki, formerly known as Phoenix Island, is an important nesting site for up to 15 different seabird species.

Lake

Teraina

Teraina, also known as Washington Island, is unique for its freshwater lagoon and lush peat bogs in the center of the atoll.

More highlights

valley

Poland Flats

This flat region in western Kiritimati is characterized by extensive salt pans and low vegetation.

battlefield

Red Beach Tarawa

The primary landing site for US Marines during Operation Galvanic in 1943, one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific theater.

forest

Vostok Island

Vostok Island is a small, uninhabited member of the Line Islands, covered almost entirely by a dense, ancient Pisonia forest.

battlefield

Abemama Occupation Site

Historical site of the liberation of Abemama by US forces in 1943 following a brief Japanese occupation during the Pacific War.

battlefield

Makin Atoll Battlefield

The site of the 1942 Makin Raid and the subsequent US invasion in November 1943 on the Butaritari Atoll.