Pingelap Atoll
A remote atoll where a large share of the population is completely colour-blind.
Saved in this browser only - no account, nothing sent anywhere. See your map
Pingelap is a small atoll southeast of Pohnpei with a few hundred people on it, and it is known outside Micronesia for achromatopsia: a typhoon in the late eighteenth century left very few survivors, and one carried a gene for complete colour blindness that is now present in a substantial share of the population. Oliver Sacks wrote about the island. Life is subsistence and the atoll is very isolated.
What you actually see
- The atoll - a small ring of islets around a lagoon.
- The community - a few hundred people living largely on subsistence.
- The genetic history - a founder effect traced to a typhoon in the 1700s.
- The lagoon and reef - the water the island depends on for food.
When to go
December to March is the drier season. Flights and ships are irregular in any month and getting stuck is normal. Trade winds pick up from December.
Honest expectations
Access is by irregular small plane or supply ship and departures shift without notice; plan on being stranded. There is no accommodation beyond staying with a family. Visiting for the genetic condition alone is intrusive and should not be the reason to go.
Nearby
Mwoakilloa is northwest, and Pohnpei is northwest beyond it.
What to pack for Pingelap Atoll
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.