Look around the idyllic tropical island with incredible white beaches & dolphins – but only 6,000 people visit it a year
HIDDEN PARADISE Look around the idyllic tropical island with incredible white beaches & dolphins – but only 6,000 people visit it a year
WHEN we think of white sandy beaches and crystal-clear water, images of the Maldives or the Caribbean often spring to mind.
As idyllic as those holiday hotspots are, they are often packed with tourists, and finding undiscovered gems can be tough.
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The stunning collection of islands spread across all four hemispheres
Credit: AP:Associated Press
But what about if there was a dazzling collection of islands with the same wow factor as well-known beach spots, but with a fraction of the visitors?
Kiribati is a remote slice of paradise in Micronesia that welcomes just 6,000 visitors a year.
For nature-lovers, the islands and the turquoise waters that surround them are home to Spinner, Striped, Fraser's dolphins.
There have also been sightings of short-finned pilot whales and false killler whales off the shore.
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Nestled more than 8,600 miles from the UK, the Republic of Kiribati, it comprises 33 islands - 21 of which are inhabited.
English-speaking utopia
The islands are spread across an ocean area larger than the continental United States.
With just over 121,000 people calling it home in 2020 census, many speak English and Gilbertese — a remnant of British colonial times before full independence in July 1979 and UN membership in 1999.
The people who live in Kiribati are proud of their culture and traditions, which includes dancing and chanting at social events.
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Maneaba, also known as community meeting houses, are central to village life and democracy.
Most of the inhabitants live in small villages and rely on fishing and farming.
The group of islands are grouped into three island clusters - the Gilbert Islands, Phoenix Islands and Line Islands.
Despite minimal infrastructure, tourism is emerging — yet still tiny.
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In 2023, approximately 8,000 visitors arrived, showing a surge from pre‑pandemic levels and accounting for about 4 percent of GDP and 2 perfect of jobs.
Most cruise ships dock here just a handful of times, and regular international flights come only from Fiji Airways or Nauru Airlines.
Another wow factor for Kiribati is that it is the only country in the world to straddle all four hemispheres.
Smaller than New York City
It stretches across the equator and the 180-degree meridian, meaning parts of the nation lie in UTC +14, making them one of the first places on earth to welcome in the new day.
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The atolls are minuscule patches of land — total land area is just 811 square kilometres, tinier than New York City, but scattered across some 3.4 million square kilometres of ocean.
Kiribati is also known as Christmas Island (not to be confused with Christmas Island in Australia) and has the largest coral atoll by land area.
It measures around 312 square kilometres and is ringed by a vast lagoon brimming with bonefish, tuna, wahoo and billfish.
Nature-lovers' dream
Kiribati is also home to the rare bokikokiko (Christmas Island warbler), found only on Kiritimati and Washington Island — fewer than 2,500 remain and the species faces threats from invasive cats and rising seas.
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Nearby, you'll spot the elegant Christmas white‑eye and even traces of the extinct Christmas sandpiper, which vanished from the earth in the early 1800s.
Most of all, this remote haven is tailor‑made for holidaymakers on the hunt for peace and quiet.
Snorkelling, scuba diving, sport fishing, birdwatching — all can be done in near‐solitude.
6
A hut made from a coconut palm tree in a village on Christmas Island, Kiribati
Credit: Alamy
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Spinner dolphins are a common sight around Kiribati
Credit: Alamy
6
An example of a hut made by the Micronesian people
Credit: Alamy
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An aerial view of Christmas Island, Kiribati, which has the largest coastal atoll by land area
Credit: Alamy
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Tarawa atoll, capital of the vast archipelago nation of Kiribati
Credit: AFP
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