Butaritari Atoll

Butaritari in the northern Gilberts gets far more rain than the rest of Kiribati, which makes it the greenest of the atolls: bananas, breadfruit and taro grow here in quantity that the drier southern islands cannot manage, and the island is noticeably lusher. Robert Louis Stevenson stayed here in 1889. The lagoon is large and the villages sit among heavy vegetation. Rainfall here can be several times what the southern Gilberts receive, which is the whole reason the vegetation differs so sharply. The atoll's lagoon is among the largest in the group.

Background

The atoll is roughly four-sided, nearly 30 kilometres across from east to west and about 15 kilometres north to south on average. A nearly continuous islet runs along the south and southeast, while the northern reef has almost no islets; Bikati, 2 by 0.5 km and home to a village, sits with Bikatieta at the northwest tip. The deep lagoon can take large ships, though its entrance passages are narrow. Land totals 13.49 km2, with 3,224 people in 2015. Makin, a separate atoll 3 kilometres northeast, is in sight and shares the local dialect. The expedition of Pedro Fernandes de Queirós sighted the two atolls on 8 July 1606 and called them the Buen Viaje Islands.

Source: Wikipedia, "Butaritari"

What you'll find

• The green atoll - vegetation the drier islands cannot support.
• The crops - bananas, breadfruit and taro grown in quantity.
• The large lagoon - the enclosed water the atoll rings.
• The Stevenson connection - the writer's stay on the island in 1889.

When to go

April to October is the drier season, though Butaritari is wet by Kiribati standards year round. Flights are irregular. The wet season brings heavier weather.

Before you go

Flights are small and irregular and getting stuck is normal. Accommodation is village arrangements. Mosquitoes are worse here than on the drier atolls.

Nearby

Marakei is south, and Makin is northeast.

Key facts