Nauru travel guide

Nauru is the least visit country in the world, so any sightseeing can quickly turn into a DIY adventure with the lack of maps, signs or explanatory guides. However, the Japanese Jail from WWII is easy to find, if you have found the start of the trail to the Japanese gun, also from WWII (for directions, see Japanese Gun from WWII). Right before the barrier is a short trail leading into the jungle (not the same as to the gun). It's Indiana Jones style passageway with jungle covered limestones boulders. The space between the limestone has been filled with bricks to make a closed confinement. There is a gate and then a couple of buildings, all covered with vines and branches - and some graffiti.

As you circumvent the island of Nauru (19 km, 5 hours by walking), you pass a few old Japanese so-called pillboxes (concrete dug-in guard post) from WWII. Some are covered in paintings or graffiti, while others stand untouched. However, they are all full of trash.

The shore of Nauru is not just dotted with tall palms. The rough coastline has some dramatic looking limestone formations, some many meters tall. At low tide you can walk dry footed around them, and at high tide you have to be careful not to step on them barefoot (hurt like shit), the reason why the locals prefer to swim at other places like the harbour at Anibare.

Moqua is a cave system filled with freshwater and is probably Nauru's most exciting sight. The anonymous entrance is small and leads down to a platform of rocks. From this point the cave doesn't look very exciting or big, but if you step into the waist deep water (which you should) and venture further in, the cave expand in all directions except height. Sadly, there are some trash and graffiti, but it doesn't make it a less adventures. The cave system is connected to the underground lake, Moqua Well, which is an important source for freshwater. Rumor says the system extend to more than 3 km, but don't explore deeper than you can always get out. The story goes that the locals used the cave to hide in from the Japanese occupation forces. Moqua Cave is difficult to find, but use our marker to locate it. There is a container at the road and at the end of the driveway is a house with “Maqoa That” written on it. Follow the trail to the left to you reach a square out of bricks. The cave entrance is to the right-hand side.

The trail leading to the Japanese gun from WWII, will take you through a spectacular landscape of jagged coral pinnacles and deep depressions. It's a result of phosphate mining, where the surface soil was scrapped off before the phosphate was removed from the below ancient coral. Today, it's a huge labyrinth, where it's easy to get lost as you walk and scramble from pinnacle to pinnacle. For directions, see Japanese Gun from WWII.

You can't say Nauru without saying Australian refugee camps. There are 3 camps with an unknown number of refugees plus all the Australian employees. The camps are of course highly guarded, but you fly over them when arriving to Nauru. Some of the refugees roam freely on Nauru, but can of course not leave (unless they choose to go back to their home country).

Phosphate mining used to form the backbone of the Nauru's economy, but their deposits has been exhausted, though some mining still exists. The closed mines have turned the interior of Nauru into an enormous labyrinth of the remain standing tall coral pinnacles, some exceeding 10 meters. The striking man-made lunar landscape is sadly an environmental disaster, as nothing can grow here. The locals call the interior for the Topside, and it's here you can find this big boulder known as The Rock.

Another little beach on the northeastern coast. The beach park has been painted in a white theme.

Nauru is split into districts. The district which has the parliament house and airport building is Yaren, but there isn't any town. For that you need to go to next door to Boe district.

At the end of the landing strip lies a small beach. There is a simple beach cafe, which might or might not be open.