Mount Popomanaseu

Popomanaseu rises to around 2,335 metres in the middle of Guadalcanal and is the highest point in the Solomon Islands, a forested summit with no road anywhere near it, reached on a walk of several days from the villages through rainforest, river valleys and moss forest near the top. Cloud sits on the summit almost permanently. Very few people climb it in any year.

Background

Popomanaseu is a volcanic mountain standing east of Mount Makarakomburu on Guadalcanal. Its 2,335 metres make it the highest peak of the insular South Pacific once New Guinea and its satellite islands are set aside, and looking east across the ocean nothing rises higher before the Andes in South America. Its prominence is also 2,335 metres. The summit is a saddle plateau, visible on the range that rises above Honiara International Airport. The mountain matters culturally to the indigenous people, and it gives habitat to many endemic species and to species with a restricted range.

Source: Wikipedia, "Mount Popomanaseu"

What you'll find

• The summit - around 2,335 metres, the highest ground in the country.
• The moss forest - the permanently wet growth near the top.
• The village route - days of walking from the last settlements.
• The interior - the mountain heart of Guadalcanal, rarely entered.

When to go

May to October is the drier season and the practical window. Cloud covers the summit almost every day. Wet season conditions make the route impassable.

What to expect

This is a multi-day expedition needing guides, porters, landowner permission and full self-sufficiency. There is no rescue capability. The summit is in cloud almost always and there is usually no view.

Nearby

Honiara is north, and the Weather Coast is south.

Key facts