Kanton Island

Kanton is the largest of the Phoenix Islands and the only one with any residents, a narrow ring of land around a deep lagoon with a few dozen people on it, a runway left from the flying-boat and later military eras, and the wreckage of both. It sits inside the World Heritage protected area. Supply ships call rarely and the island goes months without contact.

What you actually see

• The lagoon - the deep enclosed water the atoll rings.
• The old runway - the strip left from the aviation and military years.
• The tiny population - a few dozen people on the whole island.
• The isolation - months between supply ship calls.

When to go

April to October is the calmer season. Ships call rarely and unpredictably in any month. Permits are required.

Honest expectations

Access requires a permit and a ship, and both are very difficult to arrange; almost nobody visits. There is no accommodation, shop or medical facility. Being stranded for months is a genuine possibility.

Nearby

The rest of the Phoenix group is around it, and Tarawa is far west.