Guadalcanal and the Pacific War

The island of Guadalcanal, home to the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara, was the scene of one of the most important and ferocious campaigns of the Second World War, a brutal six-month land, sea and air struggle in 1942-43 that marked a turning point in the Pacific. Today, this history is woven into the landscape: jungle-clad battlefields with evocative names like Bloody Ridge, war memorials to the American, Japanese and Allied dead, rusting tanks, guns and aircraft, and, in the waters of the sound offshore, so many sunken warships from the fierce naval battles that it earned the name Iron Bottom Sound, a poignant, powerful place of remembrance.

What you actually see

• The battlefields - the jungle sites like Bloody Ridge.
• The memorials - the monuments to the war's dead of all sides.
• The war relics - the rusting tanks, guns and aircraft.
• Iron Bottom Sound - the waters full of sunken warships.

When to go

May to October, the drier season, for the most comfortable travel and exploration of the jungle battlefields; the sites around Honiara are visited on guided tours that bring the history to life, essential for locating and understanding them. Allow a reflective frame of mind for these places of remembrance.

Honest expectations

For those interested in Pacific War history, or wishing to pay respects, though, Guadalcanal is a deeply significant and moving destination.

Nearby

The capital Honiara and the diving of Iron Bottom Sound are close by.