🧭 Kiribati: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Kiribati feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 23 written places.
Life runs at atoll pace around the maneaba meeting house; quiet modesty is the social currency.
Cost level: Mid-range Middle of the global pack - comfortable travel without luxury prices. Estimate a daily budget →
✓ Considered polite
- Say Mauri - the national greeting - and return every smile
- Dress modestly with covered shoulders and knees in villages, churches and maneabas
- Remove shoes and hats before entering homes, churches and maneabas
- Ask permission before photographing people or entering a village maneaba
✗ Better avoided
- Touch anyone's head - it is considered the most personal part of the body
- Walk upright in front of seated elders in a maneaba - stoop below eye level as you pass
- Wear swimwear away from the beach or lagoon
- Raise your voice or press a point - calm humility wins every exchange
💡 Worth knowing
- The currency is the Australian dollar and it is cash almost everywhere - cards work in only a handful of places on Tarawa
- Tipping is not expected and can sit awkwardly - warm thanks go further
- Sunday belongs to church, feasting and rest - shops shut and villages go quiet
- Inter-island flights and boats run to loose schedules - pad every connection with spare days
Plugs and voltage
Type I · 240 V travel adapter →
CurrencyAustralian dollar (AUD)
LanguagesGilbertese, English
Driving sideleft
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links - if you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only list the kind of gear we would pack ourselves.
Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.