Kiribati - Facts
- The Republic of Kiribati (pronounced “kiribass”), formerly the Gilbert Islands, is a group of more than 30 islands situated in the centre of the Pacific Ocean around the point where the international dateline and the equator cross.
- Besides the 16 original Gilbert Islands, Kiribati also includes Banaba (Ocean Island), the eight Phoenix Islands, and eight of the 11 Line Islands. All of the islands are low atolls enclosing lagoons, rarely more than four meters (12 feet) above sea level. The notable exception is Banaba, which is volcanic.
- Kiribati is very isolated, its small islands spread out over more than one million square miles of ocean. Little grows on these islands except coconut palms and not all of them are inhabited. Kiribati’s future is threatened by rising sea levels.
- The population on Kiribati is around 110,000 with over half living on Tarawa.
- English is the official language. After Tarawa, Gilbertese and I-Kiribati (or a mix of the two) are more commonly spoken.
- The Kiribati dollar and the Australian dollar are both used in Kiribati.
- Time zones vary depending on island group. Gilbert Island Time is UTC+12. Phoenix Island Time is UTC +13. Line Islands is UTC +14.
- Kiribati has a hot, humid, tropical climate with air temperatures very closely related to the temperature of the oceans surrounding the small islands and atolls. See weather for more info.
- Visiting this sprawling archipelago requires careful planning. Following the Pandemic there are now only 2 Ports of Entry: Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands and Kiritimati (Christmas) in the Line Islands. The prevailing winds and currents are from the south. Their remoteness is what makes these islands so intriguing.
- The Line Islands, together with Washington belong to Kiribati and their local names have been confused and are often wrongly depicted in nautical publications. Their correct names are Kiritimati (Christmas), Fanning (Tabuerean) and Wahington (Teraina).
- Kiritimati (Christmas Island) in particular is a convenient stopover point for boats on passage between Hawaii and French Polynesia. The site of former British nuclear tests, the island was handed over to Kiribati on that country’s independence. The island is a sanctuary to millions of seabirds and access to the breeding areas is prohibited.
- Fanning Island (Tabuerean), only 257 kilometres (160 miles) farther north, is a typical Pacific island, clean, welcoming and self-sufficient.
- Navigational aids are not very reliable and it is reported that most atolls are without lights after midnight.
- Most facilities available in Kiribati are concentrated on Tarawa which comprises several islands around a lagoon. Facilities and availability of goods on the other islands are basic and limited, but there is plenty of fish everywhere. Obtaining water can be a problem. For more information see the Yachting Essentials section.
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As of March 2023, I can confirm that Kiritimati Atoll is OPEN, not closed as stated in the noon site page. There is a new entry protocol for Kiritimati that I received from the senior Tourism Officer on Kiritimati, Tekonaba Teburea (tteburea@kiribatitourism.gov.ki). For entry by sea, the below is required:
All passengers for disembark should present to any clinic for RAT test. Individual with positive result should follow the same advice under At Home/Hotel section above.
• Full vaccination certificate (Covid-19 test and Covid-19 vaccination certificate requirements can be exempted to ships which are verified to be mainly at sea and do not frequent ports where vaccination is carried out- eg Fishing vessels.
• Signed declaration and agreement to the Health SOP
• Health Declaration form (free of -19 symptoms recent 14 days)
S/Y Sea Dragon visited Kiritimati from March 3 – March 10, and were allowed ashore. The health department requested that the vessel email the health declaration form and vaccination certificate for each person on board to them upon arrival, and would not allow any contact between ship and shore until this was done, but once this was completed then the crew was allowed to disembark for RAT testing and then the rest of the clearance procedure took place. The vessel arrived on Friday, and folks were allowed ashore Monday afternoon due to delays in emailing documents, and by the time health clearance was granted immigration was closed, so full clearance wasn’t obtained until Tuesday morning. The crew asked about visiting Fanning & Washington, and were told verbally that both were open, but that it was required to clear in first at Kiritimati. If you have any questions about this visit, please feel free to get in touch with me at eric@panexplore.com – I would be happy to pass along the new SOP (including health declaration forms) that I received from the ministry of health via the tourism department.
Thanks so much for these details, they are most helpful. We’ve been in touch with the Tourist Board and updated our Covid information.
We sailed from Bora Bora for Christmas Island in December 2022 but didn’t get permission to enter Christmas Island or Fanning Island. We had to sail on, and arrived in American Samoa just a couple of days ago. All on board are fully vaccinated. We were in contact with government, heath department and port control in Tarawa and they all said we were welcome but Christmas Island police refused to let us enter.
SV Ten Gauge ( Canada) made landfall at Fanning a few days ago on 3 August, 2022, having sailed down from Hawaii. This is their report of what reception they received following the announced border opening on 1 August, 2022.
“We came through the pass into the lagoon at 13h30. We heard no responses to multiple hails from us to Fanning Radio on the VHF. We anchored 200 meters from the dock at Paelau village and tidied up, waiting and calling on the VHF every 15-20 minutes.
“At 15h30 the village barge came out with four uniformed officials and an operator, all masked. From a distance the leader said that I didn’t need to bother putting out more fenders, as they would not come alongside. They stood ten meters off and one of them spoke to us, saying “You are not allowed to be here, you must leave”
“I responded that we could leave, but that we had understood from the Kiribati official government website that after 1 August Kiribati was open to international travel. His response was only to repeat that we had to leave immediately. “You must go out through the pass, right away”. There was no response to anything that we said or asked, other than a similar repetition of the instruction to leave. Zero pleasantries, a purely non-ambiguous instruction.
So we left.
Other than the fact that we got a few smiling waves from school kids in the distance, this is all we know about Fanning and we’re en route to US Samoa.”
I should note that the Senior Customs official for the Cook Islands informed us the same day that Penrhyn remains closed to yachts coming from any direction, on account of Covid. Suwarrow also. The only place a yacht can currently enter or visit the Cook Islands is at Rarotonga.
If you’d like to see that email as verification of my anecdotal report, I could forward it to you.
Best regards
And thank you for all that you continue to do in attempting to keep up to date with shifting goalposts and frequently contradictory information from seemingly reliable sources. Challenging times!
Al and Lucinda
SV Ten Gauge
Internet 4G is available from ATH office in Bairiki or Betio. In Betio, walk straight from the dinghy landing, where you picked up customs, cross the main intersection and it’s the Red door on immediate left. One minute walk from your dinghy.
We paid $50 for 6GB valid for 30 days. This also works in Abaiang Atoll. Can use with Dongle or phone sim card. Another option is The George Hotel. Keep walking 5 minutes more, straight up past ATH and on the left is a green sheet metal wall. The George signal can be reached in the main anchorage with a WiFi extender.
We paid $30 for a week unlimited. They also have daily and weekly available. Can also use there at the Hotel if you do not have a WiFi amplifier on board. George Hotel also rents cars hourly or daily. We paid $10 for 2 hours. They will do a small garbage bag of laundry for $5.
Reported by SV Swift Sure – 7 December, 2017
FYI we had buddy boats ahead of us arriving in Tarawa, and they advised us that Kiribati is not giving permission to visit Butaritari (Makin Island) at this time.
Hopefully one of them will post a comment on that, since without the possibility of visiting Butaritari we sailed directly on to Majuro without calling at Tarawa, therefore I can’t give a first-hand account.
2015 – It is not possible to obtain permission to visit any other islands before checking in at Tarawa and it is not possible to obtain permission to visit other islands after leaving Tarawa unless you intend to return to Tarawa to obtain clearance.
This only refers to the Gilbert Islands and I cannot comment on the other groups.
December 2014 – there is a port fee on departure of $50Aus. Customs requires to view your receipt before they will give you your departure clearance.
Posted on behalf of Sargaço from Brazil:
I remember that there was a difference +- ½ mile between our Open CPN charts and our actual location. We had that same problem in Christmas and Fanning. I wonder if other chart systems have the same problem so it is always good to be aware of that.
Posted on behalf of SY Alita:
I tried to visit Canton Island in the Phoenix Group in September 2014. Apparently, they are now aiming to become a “World Heritage Site”, so you do need a permit to sail there. I applied for and received permission, but one of the requirements would have been to carry and pay a local observer the whole time in the Phoenix Group – including the trip there!
In order to comply with this, I was asked to pay for a round trip ticket between Kiribati and Samoa for my personal observer, in addition to paying him US$ 50 each day aboard – and feeding him of course.
Needless to say, I ended up not visiting the Phoenix Islands.