📱 Essential Travel Apps for the Solomon Islands

The Solomons’ largest mobile operator and the best choice for travelers heading outside Honiara. Best 3G/4G coverage across Guadalcanal, Western Province, and Malaita; reasonable on Choiseul and Isabel. SIM cards $2.5 with $2.5 credit included; daily data bundles from $0.8 for 90MB. Buy at Our Telekom stores on the way into Honiara from the airport.

💡 Buy your SIM before flying domestic — outer-island stores have very limited stock

The second mobile operator, with a shop directly inside Honiara International Airport. Convenient if you’re only visiting Honiara, or as a second SIM for redundancy. Coverage is good in town but thinner than Our Telekom in remote areas of Western Province and Malaita. Useful backup if Our Telekom is congested.

The official Solomon Islands Meteorological Service. Daily forecasts in English, marine weather warnings (critical if you’re ferrying or diving), and cyclone advisories during the November to April wet season. Marine conditions in Iron Bottom Sound and the Western Province channels can shift in an afternoon.

💡 Bookmark before you arrive — check the marine forecast the night before any boat day

The national carrier and the only scheduled domestic airline. Book and manage flights to Munda, Gizo, Auki, Choiseul, and Santa Cruz online. Schedules change in the wet season; always reconfirm 24 hours before travel. The website also handles the Brisbane, Nadi, Port Moresby, and Port Vila international routes.

Best overall flight search. Price tracking, flexible dates, and the cleanest interface. Use the calendar view to find the cheapest days to fly into Honiara (HIR). Most international routes connect via Brisbane, Nadi, or Port Moresby—the Brisbane connection runs most frequently.

“Everywhere” search shows the cheapest destinations from your home airport. Good for finding deals on Solomon Islands connections via Brisbane, Auckland, or Nadi. Booking Brisbane–Honiara as a separate ticket from your long-haul to Brisbane is often cheaper than a single through-fare.

Predicts when flight prices will rise or drop. Long-haul fares to the Solomons vary significantly week to week—set price alerts and book at the right moment. Particularly useful for the limited Brisbane and Nadi routes that don’t see daily promotions.

Best for complex multi-city Pacific routes. Combine the Solomons with Vanuatu, Fiji, or PNG on the same trip. Self-transfer combinations can save significantly on long Pacific itineraries; just confirm baggage transfer rules at each hop, especially when changing between Solomon Airlines and Air Niugini.

Works well in central Honiara and along the main coastal road of Guadalcanal. Download offline maps for Guadalcanal, Gizo/New Georgia, and Malaita before flying domestic—mobile signal drops on approach to Munda, Gizo, and Auki airstrips. Essential if you’re self-driving the WWII sites east or west of Honiara.

💡 Download Guadalcanal, Western Province, and Malaita offline before leaving Honiara

Detailed offline maps that work without any data signal—essential for outer-island travel where Google Maps coverage is patchier. Strong on hiking trails (Kolombangara crater paths, Tenaru Falls track) and on local roads that Google sometimes misses. Battery-friendly for long lagoon days.

💡 Download maps for Western Province, Marovo Lagoon, and Kolombangara

User-uploaded hiking trail maps. Limited coverage in the Solomons but useful for the Kolombangara crater-rim treks and the Mt Austen / Bloody Ridge walks around Honiara. Download trail maps before flying out of cell range. Pro version unlocks offline access.

The clearest wind, swell, and rain forecasting site for the Pacific. Critical for planning ferry crossings to Auki, dive days at the Toa Maru, or any boat work in Iron Bottom Sound. Marine layer shows the difference between a calm-water day and a rolling 2-meter chop.

By far the deepest inventory for the Solomons—around 36 properties across Honiara, Gizo, Munda, Lungga, and Kolombangara. Genius loyalty discounts add up over a long trip. Filter for guest rating 8+ and you’ll land on the country’s best mid-range options. Free cancellation on most listings.

Very limited inventory in the Solomons (a handful of self-catering apartments in Honiara) but worth checking for longer Honiara stays. The few listings are usually well-priced expatriate apartments with reliable WiFi—useful if you’re mixing work and travel.

Almost no Solomon Islands inventory—there are no true backpacker hostels in the country. Search anyway in case a budget lodge has listed itself. For genuine budget stays, contact the Anglican and Catholic mission guesthouses in Auki and Honiara direct by email or phone; these don’t appear on global platforms.

Book hotel rooms just for the day to nap, shower, or recharge during the long Brisbane or Nadi layover most Solomon Islands itineraries require. Way better than sleeping at the gate, and cheaper than an extra night. Strong inventory in Brisbane and Sydney—the usual transit cities.

Strong on English but does not support Solomon Islands Pijin or the 63 indigenous languages. English is the official language and most tourism-facing staff speak it well, so Translate has limited need here—use it mainly for any rural conversation where someone’s English is light. Download English offline before travelling.

The default messaging platform across the Solomons—tour operators, lodges, and guides all communicate by WhatsApp rather than email or SMS. Save the numbers of Dive Munda, Sanbis, Uepi, your taxi driver, and any village contact before flying out of cell range. Voice notes work well over weak data.

A few words of Pijin transform every encounter outside Honiara’s hotels. Key phrases: Hao nao iu? (how are you?), Mi olraet (I’m fine), Tanggio tumas (thanks a lot), Wanem nem blong iu? (what’s your name?), Mi laekem (I like / I’d like). Locals respond warmly to even one or two attempts. Pijin is an English-based creole—most words sound familiar once spoken aloud.

Enter your destination, dates, and activities—it builds a packing list based on weather and what you’re doing. Essential for the Solomons’ tropical + diving + village mix: dive computer, rashguard, reef booties, lavalava for village visits, DEET repellent, malaria prophylaxis. Saves the chaos of packing for four different climates in one bag.

Store your luggage at cafes, hotels, and shops in cities worldwide. No coverage inside the Solomons, but extremely useful at your Brisbane or Sydney layover—leave checked bags in the city while you explore for the day before your overnight to Honiara. Insured and secure.

Discounted “surprise bags” of food from cafes and restaurants at the end of the day—saves money and reduces food waste. No coverage in the Solomons themselves but very strong inventory in Brisbane and Sydney, where most Solomons itineraries layover. The Honiara Central Market is the local equivalent: fresh tropical produce from $3.8 per plate at the food stalls.

Recent reviews help find authentic spots and avoid tourist traps. Strong coverage of Honiara restaurants, Heritage Park Hotel, and the WWII tour operators—thinner in Gizo and Munda, very thin in Marovo. Filter reviews by language to see what locals and expat residents recommend. Useful for cross-checking dive operator reputations.

Very thin Solomon Islands inventory—essentially one product, the East Honiara WWII Battlefields Tour by Hapi Isles Tours. Free cancellation 24 hours before departure. For everything else (diving, cultural villages, trekking), email the operator direct or book through Guadalcanal Travel Solomons.

Honiara-based inbound operator running the country’s most reliable day-tour programme. WWII Historical Highlights and Eastern/Western Battlefields tours, Honiara City Shopping Tour, and dive day trips—all with daily fixed departures. Hotel pickup, English-speaking guides, fixed SBD pricing. The best one-stop activity booking for a Honiara base.

Locally-owned operator running the East Honiara WWII tour, the Hotomai Cultural Village tour, half-day Honiara city tours, the Solomon Chocolate Trail, and airport transfers. 20+ years of operation. Best contact is by phone or email; flexible on itinerary changes.

Australian-based Pacific Islands specialist with the most comprehensive Solomon Islands day-tour and lodge inventory online. Tenaru Waterfall Day Trip, dive packages, Marovo Lagoon transfers, and curated multi-island itineraries. Easier than emailing each lodge individually for a complex Western Province trip.

Multi-currency account and debit card with mid-market exchange rates. Hold SBD, USD, AUD, EUR, or GBP in the same account. Withdraw SBD from ATMs in Honiara, Gizo, and Auki for low fees. Outside the four main towns there are no ATMs at all—carry enough cash for your full stay on outer islands.

💡 Load AUD too — most international Pacific operators settle in AUD

Alternative multi-currency debit card. Free ATM withdrawals up to a monthly limit in most plans. Notify Revolut of your Solomon Islands travel dates to prevent the card being blocked for “unusual activity” the first time you withdraw SBD in Honiara.

Real-time exchange rates and offline converter. Useful for converting Solomon Islands Dollar prices on the fly when bargaining at the Honiara market or settling a tour bill. The SBD rate against USD and EUR doesn’t move dramatically week to week, but knowing the exact AUD rate is handy on every Pacific itinerary.

Expense splitting for groups. Track who paid for dive packages, lodge bills, transfers, and village fees. The Solomons are a cash-heavy destination and end-of-trip reconciliations get awkward without a tracker. Auto-converts SBD into your home currency for the final settlement.

999: Police (national)
911: Ambulance & Fire (Honiara only)
+677 23800: National Referral Hospital (Honiara)
+677 20012: Solomon Islands Tourism Police

💡 Outside Honiara, emergency response is slow — your lodge or village chief is the first point of contact

Save before traveling:
• Your embassy in Canberra or Brisbane (no embassies in Honiara for most countries)
• Travel insurance emergency number (24/7 medevac line)
• Bank fraud line (in case of card theft)
• Lodge / dive operator WhatsApp numbers
• Solomon Airlines call centre: +677 23507

Specialist travel insurer covering diving, trekking, and adventure activities in the Solomons. Medical facilities outside Honiara are limited; serious cases evacuate to Brisbane at roughly USD 30,000 per airlift. Diving cover is included in the Explorer plan; check policy wording for the maximum depth allowed.

Australia’s official travel advisory service is the most relevant for the Solomons due to the close diplomatic relationship and the Australian aid presence in Honiara. Current safety advice, cyclone alerts, and political-situation updates. Updated more frequently than other government advisories.