Abemama
Kiribati · Gilbert Islands · 2 m
Description
Abemama keeps its own royal line and a place in two histories. Robert Louis Stevenson spent two months here in 1889 and wrote the paramount chief Tem Binoka into In the South Seas, and Binoka's tomb still stands near Tabontebike village. Three years after Stevenson left, Captain Davis of HMS Royalist proclaimed the British Protectorate over the Gilberts here, the first place it was declared. American marines took the atoll from its Japanese garrison in 1943 and built a naval base on it. The lagoon snorkelling is the best in the Gilberts, and Air Kiribati lands here from Tarawa.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 4 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Snorkelling the lagoon, the best in the Gilberts
- Where the British Protectorate over the Gilberts was first proclaimed
- Where Robert Louis Stevenson stayed in 1889
- American wartime base remains
- Tem Binoka's tomb near Tabontebike village
- Lagoon beaches and sandbars
- Boat trips across the wide lagoon
- Guesthouses run by island families
- Days that pass at walking pace
Getting there
- Airports:
- AEA
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry