Kiribati - Kiribati

Kiribati (read: "Kiri-bejs") is a group of islands in Oceania.

Regions

• Tarawa The three places Betio, Bairiki and Bikenibeu have merged to "South Tarawa" and are the only town.

The main islands and atolls are:

• Gilbert Islands
  • Tarawa atoll
  • Tabiteuea Atoll (Drummond’s Island) with 2 islands: Eanikai and Nuguti
  • Banaba (Ocean Island) furthest west
• Phoenix Islands
  • Abariringa (Canton of Iceland)
• Line Islands
  • Tabuaeran (Fanning Island) popular with surfers
  • Teraina (Washington Island)
  • Kiritimati (Christmas Island; Christmas Island)

Time zone

There are three time zones:

• CET 11: Gilbert Island Time on Tarawa
• CET 12: Phoenix Island Time in the canton of Iceland
• CET 13: Line Islands Time on Kirimati / Christmas Island

Cities

• Bairiki - Main town on the atoll Tarawa

getting there

All EFTA citizens are allowed 90 days (Irish and British only 30) per 180 days as a tourist. Business travelers always need one visa (permit to enter and reside).

Allowances from 9 p.m.: 2.25 l schnapps, 4 l wine or beer; 200 cigarettes or 250 g tobacco. Cash worth more than A $ 5000 must be declared.

By plane

Our Airline (Air Nauru), Air Marshall Islands and Fiji Airwais fly the city Tarawa at. So there are connections with Nauru, the Marshall Islands and Nadi on the main island Viti Levu, Fiji.

There are irregular connections between the Gilbert Islands through the Air Kiribati ([email protected]). Baggage is limited to 15 kg.

By boat

For ships to other islands it is best to ask at the port in Betio. North Tarawa and Abaiang are reasonably easy to get to.

Sailors are only handled in the following ports. You also have to return to these for the exit formalities:

• London Port, Kiritimati Island
• Betio Port, Tarawa Island
• Tabuaeran Port, Fanning Island

mobility

There are public buses that run along the atoll on Tarawa. On the other islands one is more dependent on the motorbikes of the locals.

language

The official language is I-Kiribati, communication in English is usually possible.

to buy

Larger shops are only found on Tarawa and Christmas Island - beyond that, the selection is mostly limited to tins.

The currency is the Australian dollar. On South Tarawa there are ATMs at the airport and at the Australian ANZ Bank in the three branches Betio, Bairiki and Bikenibeu, from which credit cards can be withdrawn; another is at the entrance to the Tungaru Central Hospital in Nawerewere. With the other islands you have to bring the money with you.

kitchen

There are a few restaurants in Tarawa, and the cuisine is rather simple due to the resources available: fish and seafood (not particularly recommended in South Tarawa due to the quality of the water), rice and corn dishes for vegetarians. In addition, bread is made over an open fire, which tastes similar to Kaiserschmarrn or Buchteln, for example, and to drink there is usually palm wine boiled with water.

nightlife

There are three bars on Betio (Tarawa) that serve alcohol. Most of the bars are simple kava kava bars that serve the drink of the same name. The kava kava root is rubbed into collected rainwater (which has mostly been mixed with chemicals).

accommodation

On Tarawa there are hotels.

Learn

Work

public holidays

security

The rainy and typhoon season is November to March.

health

Emergency numbers:

• Police 192
• Fire Department 193
• Rescue 194

Institutions in the health system are usually very simple and financed from abroad. The Tungaru Central Hospital is in Nawerewere.

Water should not be drunk directly, but should be boiled beforehand. There is also the possibility to buy bottled water on Tarawa.

There were atomic bomb tests on Kiritimati and Malden Islands in 1957-62.

respect

Many properties are owned by families - for example, you should inform or ask the locals or landowners before you go swimming.

Practical advice

Internet is only available in Tarawa and on Christmas Island. On the other islands there is usually only an unreliable long-distance telephone with a large transmitter mast. There is a cell phone network on Tarawa, but there are hardly any providers that support it as roaming partners.

Electricity is generated on Tarawa from diesel, while solar cells are increasingly being used on the outer atolls.

literature

The book Billiards with coconuts of J. Maarten Troost gives a good insight into life in Kiribati from a western perspective, but is not particularly popular with the locals. Tarawa has evolved a bit since then, and buying useful food is no longer as much of a problem as the book describes.

Anote's Ark (2018) is a documentary film about efforts elsewhere to create habitat for the population of the sinking islands.

Web links

• Official tourism site
• Kiribati for Travelers ([email protected])