Lelu Ruins

Lelu on Kosrae was the seat of the island's high chiefs, a walled city of basalt built from around the thirteenth century with compounds, canals, tombs and streets laid out between walls of stacked columnar rock, contemporary with Nan Madol on Pohnpei and built in the same way. Much of it now stands in dense growth behind the modern village, with the tomb compounds the most complete part.

What you actually see

• The basalt walls - stacked columnar rock forming compounds and streets.
• The tomb compounds - the most complete surviving structures on the site.
• The canal remains - the water channels running through the old city.
• The chiefly seat - the centre of Kosraean rule from the 1200s.

When to go

December to March is the drier season, though Kosrae is wet year round. Vegetation grows over the site quickly. Mornings are best before the heat.

Honest expectations

Much of the site is overgrown and hard to read without a guide. Interpretation is minimal. The modern village sits on and around the ruins, so orientation is confusing.

Nearby

Tofol is across the causeway, and Menke is inland.