South of the Marshall Islands, North of the Solomons, Nauru is close to 42 km south of the Equator and over 4,000 km away from its nearest neighbor, Australia. Isolated it may be, but Nauru has its own airline, tropical weather and an interesting history. An uplifted coral formation, Nauru's geographic isolation from other island neighbors has shaped its people, their language and history.
Caught between trying to maintain an existence without further endangering its fragile ecosystem and securing a future for its inhabitants and the island itself, Nauru is turning to tourism for the first time. Nauru is opening its doors to the outside world, in the hope that the Nauruan people's peace loving hospitality and big Pacific Island welcome will entice travelers to sample a truly unique destination. With less than 10,000 residents, it is the second least-populated country after Vatican City, with a mostly Micronesian population, Nauru offers travelers a truly unique Pacific Island visit.
Air Nauru, now known as Our Airline, operates a Boeing 737-300 series aircraft out of Brisbane. Our Airline flies Brisbane-Honiara-Nauru-Tarawa-Nadi every Sunday/Monday and Nadi-Tarawa-Nauru-Brisbane every Wednesday. The Nauru airport is in Yaren, next to Parliament House, the police station and the administration offices.
Visitors from commonwealth countries can be granted visas on arrival whereas visitors from non-commonwealth countries need to apply for visas. They can apply for visas via email at visa@naurugov.nr or at nauru.consulate@brisbane.gov.nr.
Remember to bring beach wear for sunbathing/swimming but also conservative wear for visits around the island. Sturdy shoes for a visit to the phosphate interior is a good idea, as is some light wet weather gear for tropical rain. Sun block, insect repellent and all the other Pacific Island necessities would be a good idea; however there are shops on the island to provide some of these products.
History: Settled by Micronesian and Polynesian people, Nauru was annexed and claimed as a colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century. After World War I, Nauru became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. During World War II, Nauru was occupied by Japanese troops, who were bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific. After the war ended, the country entered into trusteeship again. Nauru gained its independence in 1968.
English-Speaking?: YES
Weather: Nauru's weather is tropical with temperatures ranging between 24.4 C and 33.9 C. Heat is kept temperate by cooling sea breezes. The tropical weather has a monsoonal pattern, with a rainy season from November to February. North-east trade winds blow from March to October and average humidity is 80%.
Customs/VISA: Angam Day, held on 26 October, celebrates the recovery of the Nauruan population after the two World Wars and the 1920 influenza epidemic. The displacement of the indigenous culture by colonial and contemporary western influences is significant. Few of the old customs have been preserved, but some forms of traditional music, arts and crafts, and fishing are still practiced.
Nauru join the International Surfing Association - Nauru have become the 87th member of the International Surfing Association (ISA). Nauru has a thriving surfing community, where the Nauru Surf Club works as a watersports center and lifeguarding service...more
Tiny Island Nation Finds Olympic Pride In Weightlifter - Nauru, the smallest nation at the Olympics, did itself proud in weight lifting. Itte Detenamo was one of two competitors from his country and finished fourteenth in his category....more
"Back in 2011 my wife & I visited St. Maarten/Martin as part of a Royal Caribbean Cruise. We were blown away by the beauty of the island. Here's an excerpt of a blog post about our day on the island:
The beach was absolutely beautiful, with the white sand and the teal tinged water, not to mention the great view of the mountains off to the right of where we were resting. The weather couldn't have been better either, with a few clouds to break up the hot sun. We went from laying on the beach chairs to soaking in the Caribbean Sea back to the beach chairs and beers. I could get used to this! The best part was that the beach wasn't overly busy, so it was nice & quiet and you could swim around in the water without bumping into people.
What a great day on St. Maarten. We had such a great time during those few hours while our cruise ship was docked, that we went back to St. Maarten for a full week later on in the year. "
![find flights to Nauru [INU]](images/airplane.jpg "find flights to Nauru [INU]"){kind=small}
