Village stay is a warts-and-all travel experience particularly suited to the Solomons, where villages are safe and friendly, and the traditional lifestyle is still widely practised. Village stay gives visitors the opportunity to experience the local culture first hand by actually staying in a village-style house, trying out traditional foods and observing or joining in on day to day village activities. Village hosts also accompany their guests on excursions away from the village for sightseeing or recreation. Who better to show you the local attractions than the people who live there? Naturally the standard of accommodation and facilities in villages cannot compete with resort hotels: some aspects of comfort and convenience must be compromised. But only a village stay can offer visitors a real insight into the culture and lifestyle of the Solomon Islanders.
Ecotourism Melanesia offers a selection of village stays located in various provinces across the Solomons. Each village stay is independently operated by a bona fide village family. Established in 1996, our network of village stays is the first village ecotourism venture of its type in the South Pacific, giving local villagers an opportunity to earn limited cash income without selling their customary lands to developers or turning to environmentally damaging practices such as rainforest logging. To minimise the impact of visitors on the village culture, limits are placed on the number of guest arrivals at each village stay. Each village stay accepts only one booking at a time, up to a limit of 10 nights per month, so that the hosts can retain their primary identity as villagers rather than hoteliers. The upside of this for guests is that they do not have to "share" their village with other tourists.
Host families are well-established members of their village communities. Most of them follow subsistence lifestyles, growing food in extensive hillside gardens, raising domestic livestock and fishing in surrounding waters. Many village stay hosts carry responsible positions in community and church leadership. All members of the host family are involved in looking after guests, undertaking various tasks such as harvesting from the gardens, fishing, cooking, and acting as interpreters and guides. Village hosts speak English, but will of course be keen to teach you a few words of Solomons Pidgin or their local language.
Accommodation at village stays is usually a guest bungalow situated next to the family home, constructed in traditional style from logs, bamboo, loya cane, sago palm leaves and rough-cut rainforest timbers. Bungalows usually have two bedrooms opening onto a verandah, and can accommodate up to six people. Bedding is supplied by the hosts (mattresses, pillows, sheets and mosquito nets). Guests are provided with a private toilet and a screened-off outdoor bathroom (where showers may involve standing under a gush of piped springwater or scooping rainwater from a drum!).
Meals are provided by village hosts, who will sit you down to three big offerings of local-style food every day, and ply you with copious amounts of tropical fruit and fresh coconut juice in between. Typical village breakfast is billy tea with home-baked bread buns and jam. Lunch often features green vegetables cooked in coconut milk, with fish, sweet potato, rice and fruit. The evening meal is usually cooked motu style under hot stones. This may include vegetables, fish, chicken or pork, all wrapped in banana leaves and cooked to perfection. Guests are welcome to bring with them any additional food items. Village drinking water comes from rainwater tanks or is collected from underground mineral springs.
THINGS TO DO
During your village stay, you are welcome to do as much or as little as you wish: all village-based activities are free. Members of your host family are always available to guide you around the village area, introducing you to others, interpreting what you see and hear, and advising you on matters of cultural etiquette. There is a whole range of village-based cultural and recreational activities which your hosts will be happy to organise for you. Some suggestions:
paddle a dugout canoe
take a rainforest walk
swim and snorkel off the beach
gorge yourself on tropical fruits
listen to 'custom stories' told by the elders
visit pagan worship or burial sites
go fishing: over the reef or off the edge
go for a picnic on a sandy islet
learn to speak some Pidgin
try your hand at weaving, carving
learn about medicinal plants in the bush
visit the village gardens
explore mangrove waterways by canoe
play games with the village kids
swim in a pool under a waterfall
learn about local history and traditions
catch crabs at night with the village kids
help out with village chores
watch how food is cooked under hot stones
Your hosts can also arrange sightseeing trips to local attractions by road or motor canoe.
VILLAGE LOCATIONS
Ecotourism Melanesia has exclusive arrangements with village stays located across the Solomons in the Western, Central, Isabel, Malaita and Makira Provinces. (Village stays and other tourism ventures on Guadalcanal are temporarily closed down pending implementation of the peace agreement between militia groups which have been clashing over land rights and other issues from 1999-2000.) Most village stays are close to airfields serviced by Solomon Airlines. Village hosts will normally meet you at the nearest airfield and transfer you to their village by motor canoe or by road. Some villages also offer outings by motor canoe for sightseeing, picnics, fishing, and access to pristine snorkelling or bushwalking spots. Motorised outings are paid for in cash on arrival at the village, as required and weather permitting (usually SBD$50 for canoe hire plus SBD$5 per litre for fuel, plus any fees for access to cultural sites or private land).
Following is a description of each village stay location:
AUKI VILLAGE STAY (West Malaita)
Malaita is the Solomons' most populous island, and the small provincial capital, Auki, is only a half-hour flight from Honiara. Our host village at Auki is a 20 minute ride out of town. Most of the Malaita coastline is fringed by reefs and mangroves with few beaches, and visitor activities focus on Malaita's rich traditional culture: bride price, shell money, customary chiefs and magic men, and the Langa Langa Lagoon with its amazing man-made islands and shark worshippers. Our village hosts tell 'custom stories' you literally won't believe! Malaita has a road system along the western and northern coasts and your hosts can take you sightseeing in bumpy but cheap public passenger trucks. From our host village at Auki you can hike across the interior to the east coast, passing through isolated bush villages where outsiders are rarely seen, and return by truck.
BUGOTU VILLAGE STAY (Southeast Isabel)
Isabel is one of the friendliest and prettiest provinces of the Solomons but sees few visitors due to a lack of tourism infrastructure. Bugotu Village Stay is located on a small but heavily populated island at the southeastern tip of Isabel, a 90 minute motor canoe transfer from Fera airfield, in waters abounding with fish. The island is a short paddle from the 'mainland'. Activities here focus on the sea: fishing, swimming, snorkelling, dugout canoeing and motor canoe touring. Overland hikes on the mainland lead to a variety of "tabu" sites, some with ruins. Isabel is famous for its unique traditional dancing and local groups will perform for you for a modest fee. This is a very out-of-the-way location, a true "rural Solomons" experience.
MARINGE VILLAGE STAY (Southeast Isabel)
Maringe offers many of the same attractions as Bugotu VS but is only a 10 minute canoe ride from Fera airfield and the provincial capital, Buala. Your host here is the village chief, and a full range of bush and water activities is offered. The village is located on a narrow coastal strip, facing the Maringe Lagoon. The Lagoon has a number of small, uninhabited islands and reefs which can be explored by dugout canoe or motor canoe, and there is very good underwater viewing of coral. Behind the village are the steep slopes of Mt Kubonitu (1000m) which can be climbed by the keen - there are tracks and someone from the village will go with you.
VORI VORI VILLAGE STAY (Gizo Island, Western Province)
Gizo is one and a half hour's direct flight from Honiara. However the alternative 'milk-run' flight which drops in at 3 or 4 other airstrips along the way is an absolute must: exhilarating scenery from only 1000 ft for much of the way. Gizo town is the Western Province capital, gateway to the region's great scenery, diving, fishing, and prized ebony wood carvings. A 30 minute canoe ride from town brings you to the other side of Gizo Island, where our village stay hosts live in a small seaside village. The palm-fringed beach goes on for miles, the sea is warm and calm with great snorkelling and the sun sets behind Ranongga Island every evening. The coast road to Gizo town is an easy three-hour walk for those keen on trekking. Your hosts can organise day trips to nearby islands, including famous Kennedy Island. Scuba diving can be arranged through Dive Gizo.
KUKUNDU VILLAGE STAY (Kolombangara Island, Western Province)
Kukundu mission station is accessible by air from Honiara or by motor canoe from Gizo. The village stay here is in a river-mouth location featuring mangrove labyrinths, sandy beaches and brilliant coral reef, with cool freshwater swimming upstream. Kolombangara Island is almost circular, an extinct volcanic cone with a central crater 1 km deep! Hiking up to the rim is only for hardy trekkers and involves an overnight in a mountain shack. For the less venturesome there are still great views of nearby islands from the lower slopes. You can travel by motor canoe along the coast to the small logging town of Ringgi Cove, or further afield to the various small islands off Gizo. Gizo town is only 40 minutes away by motor canoe.
KARAKA VILLAGE STAY (Vella Lavella Island, Western Province)
Located on the north coast of Vella Lavella, the Ulo River thermal area is a geothermal hotspot often referred to by locals as "the volcano". There are hot springs and bubbling mud pools, and a population of flightless megapode birds lay eggs in the warm earth. The thermal area is less than an hour's walk from the seaside host village. Day hikes will take you to some extinct volcanic cones in the interior of the island. You will need at least 4 days here to see everything. Karaka Village Stay is accessible from Gizo with Solomon Airlines (daily - 2 hr canoe transfer).
ROVIANA VILLAGE STAY (Roviana Lagoon, West New Georgia Island, Western Province)
Munda is a quiet little town serving as a gateway to the Vona Vona and Roviana Lagoons. There are daily flights from Honiara and Gizo, and other connections by air and sea to virtually everywhere else in the Western Province. Munda was an important military airfield during WW2 and there are war relics everywhere: in the bushes, on the beaches, in the water. There is great wreck diving available. Roviana Village Stay is located on Roviana Island, a short canoe ride from the township. Roviana Island has a colourful history of headhunting, animist religion and tribal wars. On the hill behind the village lie the ruins of an ancient coral fortress protecting the stone dog-idol previously worshipped by the tribe. From Roviana Island a variety of excursions by motor canoe can be undertaken into the Roviana and Vona Vona Lagoons for snorkelling, fishing and sightseeing: war relics, waterfalls, bat caves, and cultural sites such as the skull islands where the 'trophies' of yesterday's headhunters were stored.
CHUCHULU VILLAGE STAY (Marovo Lagoon, East New Georgia Island, Western Province)
Touted as the "crucible" of ecotourism in the Pacific, the Marovo Lagoon is held to be the largest marine lagoon of its type in the world and has been proposed for World Heritage listing. The Lagoon embraces a myriad of small islands in calm waters off the maternal coasts of New Georgia and Vangunu, with their deep jungles and navigable rivers. In recent years various environmental organisations have assisted village communities with setting up low impact "eco-resorts" which have opened up the area to small numbers of tourists. Chuchulu Village Stay is located on the East New Georgia mainland, right in the middle of the Marovo district. A variety of interesting day trips by motor canoe are available, taking in uninhabited islands, local villages, pagan worship sites, caves, rainforest/wildlife areas and trips up some of the larger rivers (yes there are crocodiles!). Chuchulu is accessable by short motor canoe ride from Seghe airfield on New Georgia (Solomon Airlines flights from Honiara, Gizo and Munda almost daily).
BOOKING INFORMATION
TARIFF:
USD$33 per person per night, includes accommodation, all meals, local guides and basic freedom of the village area (subject, of course, to the advice of hosts). Half price for children and secondary students travelling with adult. TRANSFERS:
Airfield-to-village transfers are charged extra on a per head basis (each way) and must be paid in cash directly to the village host. Transfer charges available on request. Half price for children and secondary students travelling with adult. ACTIVITIES:
Village-based activities (paddle canoeing, bushwalking etc) are included in the tariff. Outings which require motor canoe transport are charged extra, based on SBD$50 hire plus SBD$5 per litre for fuel. Visitation or 'custom' fees may also be payable to local landowners for accessing private property or cultural sites.
BOOKING NOTES:
1. Bookings for village stays must be prepaid and confirmed four weeks before arrival at village. We accept payments by Visa Card, Mastercard, bank transfers and bank cheques.
2. Cancellation penalties apply. Less than 14 days notice before scheduled arrival - 50% penalty. Unused nights after date of scheduled arrival - 100% penalty. (Travel insurance will usually cover bookings cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances).
3. Minimum village stay is 2 nights and maximum stay in any one village is 10 nights.
4. Guests are advised that Village Stay is an "in situ" cultural experience which does not undertake to provide the standard of service typical of conventional tourist facilities. Guests are expected to respect the social and cultural norms of the village community. Brief attire/swimwear cannot be worn in village areas.
Host families are well-established members of their village communities. Most of them follow subsistence lifestyles, growing food in extensive hillside gardens, raising domestic livestock and fishing in surrounding waters. Many village stay hosts carry responsible positions in community and church leadership. All members of the host family are involved in looking after guests, undertaking various tasks such as harvesting from the gardens, fishing, cooking, and acting as interpreters and guides. Village hosts speak English, but will of course be keen to teach you a few words of Solomons Pidgin or their local language.
Accommodation at village stays is usually a guest bungalow situated next to the family home, constructed in traditional style from logs, bamboo, loya cane, sago palm leaves and rough-cut rainforest timbers. Bungalows usually have two bedrooms opening onto a verandah, and can accommodate up to six people. Bedding is supplied by the hosts (mattresses, pillows, sheets and mosquito nets). Guests are provided with a private toilet and a screened-off outdoor bathroom (where showers may involve standing under a gush of piped springwater or scooping rainwater from a drum!).
Meals are provided by village hosts, who will sit you down to three big offerings of local-style food every day, and ply you with copious amounts of tropical fruit and fresh coconut juice in between. Typical village breakfast is billy tea with home-baked bread buns and jam. Lunch often features green vegetables cooked in coconut milk, with fish, sweet potato, rice and fruit. The evening meal is usually cooked motu style under hot stones. This may include vegetables, fish, chicken or pork, all wrapped in banana leaves and cooked to perfection. Guests are welcome to bring with them any additional food items. Village drinking water comes from rainwater tanks or is collected from underground mineral springs. 