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🇰🇮Things to Do in Kiribati
From Tarawa's WWII battle sites to fishing on Kiritimati's flats - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Kiribati is spread across 33 atolls and reef islands straddling the equator and the International Date Line, making it the only country in the world situated in all four hemispheres. It remains one of the most remote and least-visited nations on Earth, drawing a small but dedicated group of fly-fishing enthusiasts and WWII history travelers rather than general tourists. Here are 3 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Kiritimati (Christmas Island)
The largest coral atoll in the world by land area, renowned among fly fishers for its flats fishing for bonefish and giant trevally, in waters that see very few visitors.
📍 Kiritimati (Christmas Island)
🚉 Fiji Airways flies from Nadi and there are occasional connections from Honolulu - the atoll has one road along the northern lagoon, and hotels arrange the pickups.
Tarawa WWII Sites
The site of the Battle of Tarawa, one of the bloodiest engagements of the Pacific War, with rusting tanks, bunkers and gun emplacements still scattered across the atoll.
📍 Tarawa
🚉 Flights from Fiji and the Marshall Islands land at Bonriki on South Tarawa; a single road runs the length of the atoll, worked constantly by shared minibuses for a flat fare.
Remote Atoll Diving
Kiribati's isolation has kept many of its reefs in pristine condition, with some of the least-dived coral systems remaining anywhere in the Pacific.
📍 Outer islands, Kiribati
🚉 The outer islands are reached by the government ships that sail from Tarawa every few weeks and by the small Air Kiribati planes - schedules shift, so allow far more time than the itinerary suggests.
Mark Kiribati, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Kiribati?
A week suits a Tarawa-focused trip well; a Kiritimati fishing trip is typically booked as its own dedicated week given the distance and specialized nature of the visit.
What's the best time to visit Kiribati?
Kiribati is warm year-round given its equatorial location, with slightly drier conditions typically running roughly May-October.
Is Kiribati good for a first-time visit?
It's genuinely remote - flights are infrequent, and most visitors come for a specific purpose (fishing or WWII history) rather than general sightseeing, so some advance planning is essential.
Do I need a visa to visit Kiribati?
Many nationalities can visit visa-free or receive a visa on arrival for short tourist stays. Check the official visa information for your nationality: mfa.gov.ki.
What are some things to do in Kiribati on a tight budget?
Local food is inexpensive, and simply walking Tarawa's WWII sites costs nothing - though flights to Kiribati itself are a significant fixed cost given the country's remoteness.
Can I rent a car in Kiribati, and what licence do I need?
There is very little to rent one for. South Tarawa has a single road along the atoll, served constantly by shared minibuses that cost a few cents, and Kiritimati has one main track - most visitors use those or a hotel vehicle. Where rental exists, a foreign licence with an International Driving Permit is accepted and the minimum age is generally 21 to 25. The far bigger planning constraint is inter-island transport: flights and ships to the outer atolls run to loose schedules and are frequently delayed. Confirm current arrangements with your accommodation before travelling.