Solomon Islands OVERVIEW
In the early 1900s you would rather steer away off the Salomon Islands than venture setting foot to them and having a bit of exploration. Haunted with cannibalism, head-hunting and skull worship, the archipelago was believed to be among the most dangerous places. Today these elements are central to the local culture and spice up any an itinerary with macabre skull shrines and secluded places reminding of the violent and blood-thirsty days. And it's just a humble beginning of the vibrant landscape. Take a deeper plunge and you will stumble upon shark-callers practicing magic, World War II wreckage dotting the sun-bleached beaches and azure waters, a colorful mishmash of all Pacific races with all their customs very alive and underwater topography beyond imagination.
Unfortunately, the ethnic conflicts followed by law and order breakdowns of the late 1990s attached an unstable and somewhat dangerous tag to the Salomons. Exploring the interior is definitely not an easy task and requires a bit of intrepidity and quite often a DIY sense if you feel like going off the beaten track and away of Honiara's dusty streets. Although regional assistance missions have managed to restore order traveling in regions like the rural Guadalcanal might require a guide or an officer. Anyway, pluck up your courage and off you go for there's plenty to be discovered in this Pacific treasure trove. The archipelago's nearly 1,000 tropical islands are a pristine destination unspoiled by mass tourism where coral islets and blue lagoons guarantee idyllic holiday retreats. History enthusiasts shall appreciate Rennell and Bellona for their WW II battlefields whereas Toa Maru delights keen divers with its world premier wreck dives. If hiking is what you are after, the islands offer unlimited possibilities to put on your hard-wearing boots and hit the trail like the Mataniko Falls or Titiana hike. Wherever you go, be it mountain interiors intersected with fast-flowing rivers or tiny atolls in stunning lagoons, you're sure to experience the Pacific way of life that has barely changed for centuries.
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