Gizo Harbour

Gizo is the capital of the Western Province of the Solomons. To get there, it is a 1.5 hour flight by a Solomon Airlines De Havilland Twin Otter from Honiara. The airstrip at Gizo has been carved out of the tiny, narrow Nusatupe Island which is 2 km from Gizo.

Gizo is a quiet little town surrounded by hundreds of palm tree studded islands which are ringed by coral reef and clear blue seas. Scuba diving is the main activity in Gizo and is available through  Adventure Sports Gizo which is located on the premises of the Gizo Hotel. The dive shop offers a variety of dive courses and has equipment for rent. There are numerous dive sites including shallow lagoons and fringing reefs, dramatic vertical walls and drop-offs, and intriguing sunken war wrecks such as the Toa Maru, a Grumman Hellcat and a Corsair fighter. 

Various other activities can be arranged from the hotel tour desk including sport fishing, island tours, romantic picnics on deserted islets, nature hikes, cultural tours, or sea kayaking. 

There are several small islands nearby that can be quickly reached by motor canoe where visitors can experience the local culture.  It is an interesting 30 km trip to Simbo Island where there are archaeological sites, skull houses, petroglyphs, tuna-worship shrines, megapode bird hatcheries, thermal areas and a sulphur lake.  The somewhat arduous 1770 m (5,800 ft) climb to Mt Rano on Kolombangara Island was reported in a Solomon Airlines Inflight Magazine as an exhilarating experience, but only for those fit enough to complete the journey!