Kanton Island Phoenix Islands, Kiribati
Kiribati
Frequently Asked Questions
In the Phoenix Islands, one of the most isolated archipelagos on the planet, halfway between Hawaii and Fiji. It is a ring of coral with a lagoon eleven kilometres by five, and the only inhabited island in the group.
There is no quay here. Expedition ships anchor offshore and land passengers by zodiac, subject to sea conditions and permission from the Kiribati authorities. Each visit is arranged far in advance and remains a privilege.
About fifty, who come from Tarawa on contracts of a few years. No shops, no traffic, almost no cash: resupply arrives by ship at irregular intervals, and the community shares what it has.
Often with songs, flower garlands and the mutual curiosity of two worlds that rarely meet. The schoolchildren, the tin-roofed houses, the canoes pulled up on the sand: life is organised here with almost nothing, facing an endless horizon.
A long airstrip, abandoned buildings and machinery eaten by salt. In the 1930s, Pan American flying boats called here on the route to New Zealand. The Second World War turned the atoll into an air base, then NASA installed a spaceflight tracking station.
Unusually for the Pacific, the island was jointly administered by London and Washington until Kiribati's independence in 1979. Walking among the remains of that era is like leafing through a century of Pacific history that the vegetation is slowly covering over.
The real wealth of the place. The pass linking the lagoon to the ocean concentrates reef sharks, rays, turtles, moray eels and clouds of colourful fish in exceptionally clear water. These are among the best-preserved waters in the ocean, and scientific teams have monitored the corals here for years.
Yes, the archipelago is part of one of the world's largest marine protected areas, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The expedition guides' instructions protect wildlife that has never learned to fear humans: follow them to the letter.
On the motu, the birds rule unchallenged: frigatebirds, red-footed boobies and terns nest by the thousand, indifferent to visitors. It is one of the great draws of the call, along with the lagoon.
A hat, sun protection and closed shoes for walking on coral. There are no services ashore: no shop, no restaurant, no phone network. Craft purchases, when offered, are settled in cash and support the community directly.
