TRAVEL
TIPS
| Driving |
U.S
Driving Permit accepted |
| Currency |
(SBD)
Solomon Islands Dollar |
| Electrical |
230/240
Volts |
| Telephones |
Country
Code 677, City Code, Honiara 20+3D, Tulagi 32+3D, Auki 40+3D |
Climate
Tropicalwith average daytime temperatures around 29 degrees (85
deg F). Water temperatures 26-29 degrees C (80-85 deg F). November-March
is hot & humid, with monsoon rains and possibility of cyclones.
April-October is fine, dry & windy.LocationLongitude 154-162
degrees East, Latitude 5-12 degrees South.Time Zone11 hours ahead
of GMT.PopulationSome 350 000, 90% of which is Melanesian. There
are some Polynesians and Micronesians, mainly on the outer islands,
while Chinese & European inhabit the main centres and tourist
locations.MalariaReports put the rates as high as 350 per 1000
people. Malaria risk is highest during the wet season.The mosquitoes
avoid sprayed areas and bite mainly at dusk - so - keep yourself
sprayed, sleep under a sprayed mosquito net or in a screened room,
wear long sleeves and trousers if you go out at dusk (or avoid
it), and see your doctora fortnight beforehand about a course
of anti malarial pills.WaterAdvisable to boil water before drinking.
Clothing
Take along clothing which is light and airy. Preferably cottons.
If you like, take along a sweater for the rare cool evening. Female
dress should be modest in public areas.
Currency
Solomon Island dollar (US$1= SI$3.5 approx.). Travellers cheques
can be changed at all provincial capitals throughout the Solomons,
but rarely elsewhere. It is best to change your traveller's cheques
at a bank in Honiara before travelling to the outer areas. Major
credit cards are widely accepted in hotels and restaurants in
Honiara, and at the larger hotels and resorts in the provinces.
Time:
GMT/UTC + 11 hours.
Electricity: 230/240V 50 Hz.
Weights & measures: Officially metric, but
expect remnants of the imperial system
