Visiting Kosrae Micronesia

You’re going where? Kosrae Micronesia. I heard this a couple of times as I was telling people about my plans for my trip through the Central Pacific.

What are you going to do there? I’m not fully sure. I’ve booked my hotel and we’ll see.

So where are you staying? Nautilus Resort on Kosrae.

I’ve heard of that. Why have I heard of that?

Well, that’s a story. The resort was actually won in a raffle. The original owners came up with the idea to sell raffle tickets for the resort. They sold over 75,000 tickets in Australia and Joshua had the winning ticket.  He took over the resort in November and running the resort since then.

kosrae micronesia
When I first decided to visit Kosrae Micronesia I don’t know exactly what I thought it would be like but I was impressed with the island and everything it had to offer.  I guess when I was flying there I started to realise just how far removed these islands are from everything else.

I didn’t know a lot about Micronesia before I visited but I came back and researched it as I saw a lot of similarities to the US.  The Federated States of Micronesia has close ties to the US since World War 2 and became an independent nation in 1986.  There is still an American influence with the US Army bases there, using the US Dollar as currency and receiving their imported goods from both Guam and California.  And of course I loved the fact that I could find cherry coke and Chex mix there!

Micronesia is located between Hawaii and the Philippines.  I visited Kosrae Micronesia in December and flew there via Nauru.  The best months to visit are from December to March.  Micronesia is made up of several islands the cross five different time zones.

Kosrae Micronesia is often called the jewel of Micronesia for its unspoiled environment.  On arriving at the airport I was surprised by the landscape.  After being in Kiribati with the flat, sandy landscape and teal blue waters I found Kosrae to be the exact opposite – mountainous, rocky, lush green with forest.

kosrae micronesia
Now what is there to do in Kosrae you ask?  Well, lots actually.  You won’t find bars, restaurants or clubs or shopping centres but the natural beauty on the island is well worth the trip.  I did a day tour around the island and here were our top stops.

Sipyen Waterfalls –

It had been raining quite a lot on the island leading up to my arrival so a lot of the hikes to the waterfalls were not possible because it would have been too slippery/muddy.  This waterfall though was a short trek from the side of the road to the waterfall.

Wiya Bird Caves –

This was really cool for me 1.) because it was a bird cave not a bat cave and 2.)it was really cool to see the birds flying to and from their nests.  Their nests are used for the famous bird nest soup.  3.)Forest Agriculture – Leading up to the caves our guide pointed out that how this was a farm.  Now he had pointed out several farms along the way and I really couldn’t see what he was talking about.  Then he told me this is forest agriculture where they plant their fruit and veg within the current forest instead of clearing the land to plant.  I found this fascinating once he pointed out all the different types of trees and plants growing – pineapple, guava, taro.  It really is a genius way to farm and with all the bird droppings in flight on the way to the caves the soil was extremely rich.kosrae micronesia

The sleeping woman island  –

Can you see her head to the right of the photo?  If the clouds hadn’t rolled in as I took this photo is actually a bit clearer to see.kosrae micronesia

Snorkelling the blue hole –

The blue hole is located right across the street from Nautilus Resort and they provide snorkel gear for free.  It looks amazing and there are all types of fish found here.  There are also some great diving sites around the island but because I was going to be flying the next day I was not able to go diving.

Kayaking in the mangroves –

The mangrove forest surrounds the island and you can follow the channels of the mangroves right from the back of the Nautilus Resort and they have free kayak hire.  Its extremely beautiful and peaceful kayaking through the channel and taking in the beauty of the island.

As you can see I packed a lot in the few days I was there and there were quite a few other things to do on the island.  Micronesia is one of those places where I can say I was truly off the beaten path, met some really nice people and was able to get an idea of life on the island.

Many thanks to Nautilus Resort for hosting me during my stay in Micronesia and for showing me around the island– like always, all opinions are my own.

 

 

 

 

Nicole

Nicole LaBarge is a travel expert who has been traveling internationally for over 25 years and she has visited over 115 countries all while working a 9-5. She has lived in England, Scotland, Japan and New Zealand. Check out her detailed destination guides and travel product guides.

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