Find places in Nauru

Must-Haves

• Parliament House of Nauru (Yaren district)
  The modest seat of one of the world's smallest parliaments sits right on the ring road opposite the airport.

Fun for Everyone

• Australian rules football match (Island-wide)
  Aussie rules is the national sport, and a district game is a fun way to join the community.

Off the Beaten Path

• Weightlifting training (Island-wide)
  Nauru has produced Commonwealth Games weightlifters, and the sport is a source of national pride.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Nauruan language greetings (Island-wide)
  A simple "Ekamawir omo" for good morning wins warm smiles everywhere on the island.

Off the Beaten Path

• Nauru International Airport runway (Yaren district)
  The ring road runs beside the runway, so you can watch the few weekly flights land almost from the roadside.
• Meneng district walk (Meneng district)
  A quiet stretch of homes, churches and sea views between the airport and Anibare Bay.

Fun for Everyone

• Walk or cycle the ring road (Ring road)
  About nineteen kilometres of road circle the whole country, a half day on foot or a couple of hours by bike.
• Meneng Stadium (Meneng district)
  Weekend sport, especially Australian rules football, draws loud and good-humoured crowds.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fishing from the shore at Yaren (Yaren district)
  Local anglers cast from the reef edge in the evening, and a friendly chat is the easiest introduction to island life.

Off the Beaten Path

• Moqua Well (Yaren district)
  An underground freshwater lake inside a limestone cave that once kept islanders alive through droughts.
• Moqua Caves (Yaren district)
  A small network of coral limestone caves beneath the island, best visited with someone who knows the way.

Fun for Everyone

• Yaren reef flat at low tide (Yaren district)
  At low tide the wide coral flat fills with rock pools, small fish and children looking for crabs.
• Sunset walk on the Yaren foreshore (Yaren district)
  The western sky turns gold over the reef while families gather by the sea in the evening.
• Boe and Yaren coastal pinnacles (Boe district)
  Weathered coral pinnacles poke out of the shallows along the south west coast, striking at low tide.

Must-Haves

• Independence Day celebrations (Yaren district)
  Every 31 January the island marks independence from 1968 with ceremonies, sport and family gatherings.
• Angam Day (Yaren district)
  On 26 October Nauruans celebrate the recovery of their population with songs, dances and community events.

Fun for Everyone

• Constitution Day sports (Yaren district)
  Constitution Day in May brings district sports contests that the whole island turns out to watch.
• Christmas and New Year church services (Yaren district)
  Choirs and packed services make the festive season the most joyful time to be on the island.

Low Cost and Authentic

• RONPhos Handover Day (Yaren district)
  The 1 July holiday remembers Nauruans taking control of their phosphate industry, with community gatherings.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Yaren roadside stores (Yaren district)
  Small family and Chinese-run stores along the road sell snacks, cold drinks and basic supplies.

Off the Beaten Path

• Nauru stamps (Island-wide)
  Nauru's colourful postage stamps are a light, unusual souvenir from a country few people visit.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ring road takeaway shops (Yaren district)
  Simple takeaways serve rice, noodles, fried chicken and fish, the everyday food of the island.

Great for Date Night

• Fresh tuna sashimi at home with friends (Island-wide)
  Sliced raw tuna and coconut fish are the dishes Nauruans are proudest of, best shared at a family meal.

Must-Haves

• Menen Hotel (Meneng district)
  The island's larger hotel sits on the ocean near Anibare Bay with sea views and a restaurant.

Great for Date Night

• Menen Hotel restaurant (Meneng district)
  Dinner by the ocean with the sound of the reef is the closest Nauru gets to a classic night out.

Great for Date Night

• Menen Hotel bar (Meneng district)
  A relaxed spot for a cold drink while the sun sets and the sky turns pink over the Pacific.

Must-Haves

• Anibare Bay beach (Anibare district)
  The island's best beach, a curve of white sand backed by palms and coral pinnacles.
• Sunrise at Anibare Bay (Anibare district)
  The east facing bay catches the first light over the Pacific, a peaceful start to the day.

Fun for Everyone

• Anibare boat harbour (Anibare district)
  The sheltered harbour basin is where locals swim, launch boats and gather on weekend afternoons.

Off the Beaten Path

• Anibare coral pinnacles (Anibare district)
  Tall grey limestone pinnacles rise along the shore, a dramatic backdrop for photos at sunrise.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ijuw coastline (Ijuw district)
  A quiet north east shore of rocky coves and pinnacles that sees almost no visitors.

Fun for Everyone

• Swimming inside Anibare harbour (Anibare district)
  The protected water in the harbour is far safer than the open reef, where currents are strong.
• Picnic under the palms at Anibare (Anibare district)
  Families spread mats under the trees on Sundays, a gentle way to share in island life.
• Photography along the east coast (Anibare district)
  Pinnacles, surf and palms make the east coast the most photogenic stretch of the ring road.

Great for Date Night

• Evening reef walk at Anibare (Anibare district)
  At low tide the reef flat glows in the late light and makes a quiet stroll for two.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Meneng roadside stores (Meneng district)
  Small stores near the hotel stock water, snacks and basics so you do not have to go far.

Must-Haves

• Buada Lagoon (Buada district)
  A freshwater lagoon ringed by palms and gardens, the greenest and most peaceful spot on the island.
• Command Ridge viewpoint (Command Ridge)
  From the highest point you see the whole country at once, from Topside to the ocean on every side.

Off the Beaten Path

• Topside pinnacle fields (Topside)
  Mining left a field of grey limestone pinnacles, an eerie landscape unlike anywhere else on earth.

Fun for Everyone

• Buada Lagoon picnic (Buada district)
  Pack food and water and sit by the lagoon, the one place where the island feels fully green.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Buada gardens (Buada district)
  Bananas, breadfruit and pandanus grow around the lagoon, the closest thing to farmland on Nauru.

Must-Haves

• Command Ridge Japanese guns (Command Ridge)
  Two Japanese naval guns and a communications bunker sit on the island's highest point.

Off the Beaten Path

• Japanese communications bunker (Command Ridge)
  The wartime bunker on the ridge is a powerful reminder of the occupation and the hardship it brought.
• Nauru reed warbler (Topside)
  The island's only endemic songbird can be heard in the scrub if you are patient and quiet.
• Nibok district (Nibok district)
  A north west district on the ring road below Topside, quiet and residential.

Fun for Everyone

• Buada district walk (Buada district)
  The only district without a coastline, reached by road up from the coastal belt.

Off the Beaten Path

• Photography among the pinnacles (Topside)
  Early morning light on the pinnacles makes for striking, otherworldly photos.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Walk up from Aiwo to Topside (Aiwo district)
  Roads climb from the coastal belt to the plateau, a short but hot walk that shows the island's two worlds.

Must-Haves

• Od-N-Aiwo Hotel (Aiwo district)
  A simple hotel on the west coast near the Civic Centre and the old phosphate port.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Od-N-Aiwo Hotel restaurant (Aiwo district)
  Straightforward meals and a sociable atmosphere at one of the few places to eat out.
• Chinese restaurants in Aiwo (Aiwo district)
  Chinese-run restaurants and takeaways are the backbone of eating out on Nauru.

Great for Date Night

• Coconut fish at a family meal (Island-wide)
  Raw fish in coconut milk is a Nauruan favourite, best tasted when invited into a home.

Must-Haves

• Phosphate cantilevers (Aiwo district)
  Giant steel arms that once loaded phosphate onto ships reach out over the reef, the symbol of Nauru's history.
• RONPhos phosphate works (Aiwo district)
  The processing plant and storage bins show the industry that made Nauru briefly one of the richest nations.

Off the Beaten Path

• Location settlement (Denigomodu district)
  The former mine workers' housing area is a window into the island's working history.
• Remains of the old Aiwo port works (Aiwo district)
  Old buildings and rails around the port show the scale of the colonial mining operation.

Fun for Everyone

• Kayser College (Ewa district)
  One of the island's best known schools, linked to the Catholic mission that dates back over a century.

Must-Haves

• Civic Centre (Aiwo district)
  The island's main shopping hub with a supermarket, the post office and other services.
• Capelle and Partner (Aiwo district)
  The best known supermarket on the island stocks imported groceries, drinks and household goods.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Aiwo roadside stores (Aiwo district)
  Small stores sell snacks, cold drinks and local goods along the busy western road.

Fun for Everyone

• Linkbelt Oval (Aiwo district)
  The main Australian rules football ground, where weekend games are the island's biggest social event.
• Volleyball on the coastal belt (Island-wide)
  Evening games in community spaces are easy to watch and sometimes to join.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Denigomodu district walk (Denigomodu district)
  A busy western district with schools, shops and the hospital, full of everyday island life.

Off the Beaten Path

• Talk with locals about the phosphate era (Aiwo district)
  Older Nauruans remember the boom years and are often happy to share the island's story.
• Aiwo district (Aiwo district)
  The industrial heart of the island, where Nauru's phosphate story is told by the landscape itself.

Fun for Everyone

• Aiwo boat harbour (Aiwo district)
  A small harbour where children swim and fishermen land their catch near the cantilevers.

Great for Date Night

• Sunset behind the cantilevers (Aiwo district)
  The silhouettes of the cantilevers against a red sky make the island's most iconic sunset.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Aiwo reef flat (Aiwo district)
  Wide flats beside the harbour fill with fishermen and families when the tide goes out.
• West coast reef walk (Aiwo district)
  The reef flat between Aiwo and Denigomodu is easy to explore in reef shoes at low tide.

Fun for Everyone

• Sports carnivals at Linkbelt Oval (Linkbelt Oval)
  National days often include sport at the oval, with food and music for the whole family.

Must-Haves

• Anabar beach (Anabar district)
  A quiet north coast stretch of sand and reef, lovely for a slow walk away from the busier south.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ijuw beach (Ijuw district)
  A small, often empty beach on the north east coast for paddling at high tide.
• Baitsi reef flat (Baitsi district)
  A wide reef flat that is lovely to explore in reef shoes when the tide is out.

Fun for Everyone

• Ewa coastal reef (Ewa district)
  A broad reef flat in the north where children fish and play in the shallows at low tide.
• North coast sunset (Anetan district)
  The north west corner of the island has some of the best views as the sun drops into the sea.

Off the Beaten Path

• Anetan district walk (Anetan district)
  The northern tip of the island has village homes, churches and wide ocean views.
• Baitsi district (Baitsi district)
  A small north west district where the ring road hugs the sea past homes and churches.
• Uaboe district walk (Uaboe district)
  The smallest district by population, a quiet slice of everyday life on the west coast.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ewa district (Ewa district)
  A residential district on the north coast with friendly people and quiet sea views.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Northern district stores (Anetan district)
  Small stores are useful for cold water and snacks on a walk or cycle round the north.