Nui Atoll

Nui is unusual in Tuvalu because its people speak a language derived from Gilbertese rather than Tuvaluan, the result of settlement from the Kiribati islands to the north, and that difference runs through the dance, the housing and the food as well as the speech. The atoll has a broad lagoon with a scatter of islets and around five hundred residents. Pandanus and coconut are the main crops. The lagoon has a shallow entrance and boats work through it rather than ships.

What you actually see

• The language - a Gilbertese-derived speech rather than Tuvaluan.
• The lagoon - the broad enclosed water with its scatter of islets.
• The dance and craft - traditions distinct from the rest of the group.
• The pandanus - the crop worked alongside coconut on the atoll.

When to go

May to October is drier and calmer. Ships run every few weeks at best. November to April is the cyclone season.

Honest expectations

The ship from Funafuti is infrequent and getting stuck is normal. There is no accommodation beyond community arrangements. Supplies must largely be brought.

Nearby

Vaitupu is southeast, and Nanumaga is northwest.