Tuvalu: Getting there & around

The international airport at Funafuti has the irresistable airport code: FUN. There is a pick-up service offered by Tuvalu's only hotel, the Vaiaku Lagi, for their guests, as well as a few taxis doing the run into town. When you're leaving Tuvalu, there is a US$14.00 departure tax. Hardly an international hub for air or sea travel, Tuvalu is not somewhere you would end up by accident. From Suva in Fiji, Air Fiji flies two to three times weekly to Funafuti, Tuvalu.

It is also possible to arrive by sea if you've got a bit more time on your hands. There is a government cargo/passenger ship that travels to Fiji every three months or so (a five day journey) and there are other irregular cargo ships that make trips to surrounding islands. Thumbing a lift on a yacht from the US West Coast or Australia's northeast is possible for those with sea legs. You stand a fair chance of landing a crew position if you loiter at major yacht clubs in the USA between May and October, when yachties take advantage of favourable winds and weather conditions.

Atoll-hopping on Tuvalu can be frustrating and expensive. Ideally, you will have borrowed your uncle's yacht and can move around at will. More likely, though, you'll be one of the hundreds of visitors a year who make it to Funafuti and no further. There are no other airstrips aside from the international airport on Funafuti, so sea travel is your only option. There are two government-run passenger and cargo vessels, the Nivaga II and Manu Folau that ply the coral reefs between the islands. The sheer distance it needs to travel for one round trip, and variables such as weather and spontaneous crew-declared holidays, makes them unreliable at best. The vessels also makes the occasional run to Suva in Fiji. Locals making inter-island trips will be your best bet. Decide on a price before the journey.

Private cars are a rarity on Tuvalu because of the size of the islands. The only tar roads are on Funafuti, and even then, there's not much to speak of. Bicycles and small motorcycles are the most common form of transport on most islands, and can generally be hired for a small price. In and around the village and airport on Funafuti, there are taxis and minibusses.