Ulithi Atoll

Ulithi is one of the largest atolls in the world by lagoon area, a ring of around forty islets northeast of Yap enclosing water big enough that a fleet anchored in it during the Second World War. A few hundred people live on four of the islets. Green turtles nest on the uninhabited ones and a community conservation programme monitors them. Custom rules on dress and behaviour are strict.

History

The Portuguese navigator Diogo da Rocha is credited as the first European to find Ulithi, in 1525, and the Spaniard Álvaro de Saavedra arrived on 1 January 1528 and named the atoll the Islands of the Kings, after the coming feast of Epiphany; later Spanish charts called it the Chickpea Islands. Bernardo de Egoy explored it in detail in 1712, and in 1889 a strong earthquake struck Yap and Ulithi (Wikipedia, Ulithi).

What you'll find

• The lagoon - one of the largest enclosed waters of any atoll.
• The islet ring - around forty motus around the rim.
• The turtle nesting - green turtles on the uninhabited islets, monitored locally.
• The community - a few hundred people on four of the islands.

When to go

December to April is the drier season. Flights and field trip ships are irregular and shift without notice. Turtle nesting peaks in the middle of the year.

Things to know

Access is by irregular small plane or ship and being stranded is normal. Yapese outer island custom on dress and behaviour is strict and non-negotiable. There is no accommodation beyond community arrangements.

Nearby

Yap is southwest, and Fais is east.

Key facts