Mili Atoll
Marshall Islands · Ratak Chain · 3 m
Description
Mili is the second largest of the Marshall Islands by land area, after Kwajalein, a ring of more than ninety islets around a lagoon of some seven hundred and sixty square kilometres. The Japanese built an airfield with three runways on it and stationed over five thousand men, then the Americans took Majuro and Kwajalein and simply left Mili behind, bombing and shelling it for two years rather than assaulting it. Only half the garrison lived. That is why so much of the base survives unbroken in the bush, and why almost nobody comes.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 6 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: December – April
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- The second largest land area in the Marshalls after Kwajalein
- The three runway airfield left intact by the siege
- Untouched reefs inside and outside the ring
- Gun positions and aircraft wrecks in the bush
- More than ninety islets on one reef
- Wall diving on the outer reef
- Snorkelling the lagoon passes
- Empty ocean side beaches
- Turtles and reef sharks in the lagoon
- An atoll almost nobody visits
Getting there
- Airports:
- MIJ
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry