Vaitupu
Tuvalu · 3 m
Description
Vaitupu has the largest land area in Tuvalu and the largest population outside the capital, which in national terms means about fifteen hundred people on five square kilometres. It is the island every Tuvaluan knows, because Motufoua Secondary School sits here and almost the entire country passes through it as teenagers. There are two enclosed lagoons rather than one open one, giving the island an unusual shape and unusually calm water. Asau is the main village, the maneapa is the centre of everything, and the arrival of the ship from Funafuti is still the fixed point of the month.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: June – September
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Motufoua Secondary School
- Asau village & the maneapa
- The two enclosed lagoons
- Tumaseu village
- Arrival of the Nivaga ship (monthly)
- Reef flat walk at low tide
- Temotu islet
- Ocean-side pandanus coast
- Handline fishing off the reef edge
- Frigatebird roosts