Faioa Islet

Faioa is one of the islets on the reef that closes the Wallis lagoon, an uninhabited strip of white sand and coconut with clear shallow water on the lagoon side and the ocean breaking on the reef beyond. Boats run out from the main island and it is the standard day trip: people take food, spend the day and come back. Nothing is built on it. The islet is one of around twenty on the reef ring that closes the Wallis lagoon.

The landscape

• The white sand - the beach running the lagoon side of the islet.
• The clear shallows - the water between the islet and the reef.
• The coconut - the palms covering the low ground.
• The reef break - the ocean working the barrier beyond.

When to go

May to October is the drier and calmer season. Boat trips depend on lagoon conditions. November to April is the cyclone season.

Practical notes

There are no facilities at all and everything must be carried, water included. Boats must be arranged and trips are cancelled in weather. There is little shade beyond the palms.

Nearby

Nukuhifala is northeast, and Mata-Utu is north.