Enjoy 15 Days Exploring This Very Remote and Abundant Area of the Coral Triangle
April 22 – May 6, 2026
If you like snorkeling abundant reefs in the Coral Triangle, in very remote areas with no other tourists around, then this Solomon Islands liveaboard snorkeling trip aboard the Bilikiki is for you.
The Solomon Islands are located in the very southeastern corner of the Coral Triangle region, east of Papua New Guinea, just northeast of Australia. There are six major islands, and 900 smaller islands in the Solomon’s chain.
These islands are a snorkeler’s paradise because of their remoteness. There are very few tourists who visit the area, and the local village populations are small. The reefs are unique: you will experience some of the similar abundance of fish and corals as Indonesia, but you are on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean and there is also a mix of creatures and topography that you might find in some of the better South Pacific Islands. And during your exploration of the area, you will have it all to yourselves.
Your adventure will also include visits to local villages, where you can witness cultures seemingly lost in time. The Solomon Islands are famous for their wood carvings and other crafts, that you will have a chance to view and even purchase.
The Bilikiki Liveaboard crew is highly knowledgeable about the area. They have lots of experience with snorkeling groups, and are superb at finding the types of shallow reefs and sea life that snorkelers enjoy.
Join 19 lucky snorkelers on this liveaboard adventure. The entire liveaboard has been chartered exclusively for your snorkeling group.
This trip is being run by our partner and friend Ben and his team. Based in the U.K., they are experts in the Coral Triangle, run amazing excursions, and have a great appreciation for the underwater world.
The Solomon Islands Liveaboard Snorkeling Trip Itinerary
The Solomon Islands are located on the southeastern point of the Coral Triangle, which is an area of the world known to have the most species of fish, corals, turtles, and other creatures. If you have only snorkeled in the Caribbean or Hawaii, this will blow your mind.
The Solomon Islands are east of Papua New Guinea, northeast of Australia, and a short distance west of Fiji.
You will need to book your international flight into Fiji’s Nadi Airport (NAN). Once you arrive there, you will be met and transferred to the Radisson Blu Resort where you will stay one night, meeting your group and tour leader. The next day you will fly together to the airport in Honiara in the Solomon Islands, where you will be met by the crew of the Bilikiki and transferred to the liveaboard yacht.
You will settle in on the boat that day, and then spend the next 12 nights on board while cruising the Solomon Islands, snorkeling, and enjoying the beauty and culture of this remote place. On the last day you will be returned to Honiara.
In Honiara, your group will catch a flight back to Fiji and then spend one more night at the Radisson Blu. The following day you will either be taken back to the airport for your flight home, or transferred to where you are extending your time in Fiji.
What Will You Experience Snorkeling the Solomon Islands?
You will enjoy 11 days of exploring the best snorkeling spots in the Solomon Islands from the Bilikiki Liveaboard. You will have three to four snorkeling sessions every day, with some opportunities for night snorkeling as well.
In addition to the snorkeling you will see wonderful views of the beautiful islands as you cruise to different reefs, and occasionally have unique and touching interactions with the local villages, experiencing their culture and artwork. The Solomon Islands have few tourists and are remarkably undeveloped, making for an outstanding remote experience.
Since the Solomon Islands are in the Coral Triangle, the global epicenter of marine biodiversity, you can expect to see an incredible amount of marine life, from small colorful reef fish, to schools of fish like snappers, jacks and parrotfish, to the awe-inspiring pelagic species like manta rays, reef sharks, and barracuda. The backdrop to this wonderful sea life are shallow, healthy, colorful hard and soft coral reefs. More highlights will be seahorse, cuttlefish, squid, octopus, and enchanting anemonefish.
There are four areas you will visit on this liveaboard tour: the Russell Islands, Mary Island (Mborokua), Morovo Lagoon, and the Florida Islands. The exact itinerary will be decided on arrival, based on the weather and sea conditions.
The Russell Island group has two large rugged volcanic islands surrounded by many small ones. The two large islands have deep sheltered bays which protect shallow coral gardens. The Russell Islands also offer exposed fringing reefs and barrier reefs. The reefs here have an abundance of coral and reef fish with amazing diversity, and all within a few feet of the surface. Expect to see schools of snapper, triggerfish, reef sharks, turtles and anemonefish here. Whales and dolphins are also residents of these islands.
You may snorkel Karumolun Island. The chief of Karumolun Island has banned all fishing and collecting on this site for a number of years creating a local marine protected area. This spot has incredible walls and beautiful coral gardens where you can see Bumphead Parrotfish, schools of jacks and barracudas, sharks along with nudibranchs and crocodilefish.
There is a high chance that you will also visit the village on Karumolun Island and see the resident’s amazing singing, dancing and panpipe music.
Another spot you may snorkel in the Russell Islands is White Beach. It is a code name the US military used for this snorkel spot back in World War II. There is wreckage underwater to explore here and it is a mix of sand, rubble, seagrass, and mangroves. It is a great place for the small creatures like gobies and pipefish, and in the mangroves you can see Archerfish and cardinalfish.
Mary Island, or Mborokua, is an uninhabited remote island, which is always a favorite stop for snorkelers. It can only be visited by liveaboard. It is an extinct volcano and the fringing reef drops off into a deep wall all the way around. And those drop-offs are completely covered with hard corals glittering with damselfish and anthias, and lots more fish life. Out in the blue past the drop-off, watch for schools of parrotfish, barracuda, jacks, sharks and turtles. The boat anchors so you can spend the whole day exploring here.
According to UNESCO, “Marovo Lagoon is the world’s largest and best defined double barrier enclosed lagoon system. The Marovo-Tetepare Complex of Western Province is on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list, recognized for its outstanding natural and cultural features.” They also say, “The Solomon Islands, including the Marovo Lagoon, has one of the highest levels of coral diversity in the world comparable only to Raja Ampat in Indonesia, and one of the world’s richest concentrations of fish species (1019 species).”
This gorgeous lagoon filled with turquoise waters and dotted with idyllic little islands is the perfect place to snorkel. It has high biodiversity of corals, fish and creatures and it will delight you. Whales and dolphins are also residents of the lagoon.
Kicha Island is just outside the lagoon and offers another no-take marine reserve. This island is known for its hard coral reefs, sea fans, abundant fish life, including schools of batfish, barracuda, and bumphead parrotfish.
In addition to the snorkeling Marovo Lagoon is known for its many villages with expert wood carvers. You will visit several villages to explore and see and shop for their wonderful hard wood carvings.
Last, but not least you will visit the Florida Island group. These gorgeous islands host some spectacular reefs. One of the highlights is Maravagi Bay. This place boast many different habitats to explore abundant with interesting sea life, including hard coral reef, sand, seagrass, mangroves, currented channels, and a ship wreck. Spot juvenile batfish, nudibranchs, cuttlefish, giant clams, anemonefish, sharks, rays, and so much more. Some other spots you may visit are Simon’s Nature Preserve, and the MS World Discoverer exposed shipwreck.
Devil’s Highway is the best place in the Solomons to snorkel with majestic Manta Rays. It is a narrow channel between islands with currents in which the mantas are known to feed. You can also spot schools of sweetlips and more here too.
The Bilikiki has two aluminum tender boats that are used to take your group out on your snorkeling adventures. They have large and stable ladders that fold down off the transom and make it easy to board the boats after snorkeling.
What Is the Bilikiki Yacht Like?
The Bilikiki Liveaboard began providing tours in 1989, and was the very first liveaboard to offer tours of these remote islands. She is not fancy, but has everything you need to have an enjoyable and comfortable trip. The crew has lots of experience, and provides fantastic service and wonderful meals. Nobody knows the area better than the Bilikiki crew, and they are very familiar with guiding snorkeling groups.
The liveaboard is 125 feet long, and 24 feet wide. She has 10 deluxe cabins, eight with a double and a single bunk and two with twin single beds and no bunk. Each cabin has an en-suite bathroom and is air-conditioned.
When you are not in your room, and want to enjoy the sights of the islands at sunrise or sunset, or just when cruising along, there is a sundeck with loungers on the upper deck, and a indoor lounge on the mid-deck.
Meals are served buffet style in their covered open-air dining room, also on the mid-deck. They will try to cater to any specific dietary requirements, but advanced notice needs to be given as the Solomon Islands are remote and supplies may be limited on the islands.
There is a large room on the upper deck to store your underwater camera gear, and to charge batteries. There is a spacious dive deck, to keep all your snorkel gear.
Trip Details and How to Sign Up
This is a small group charter and we expect it to fill quickly. Your spot is reserved with your deposit. Contact Ben below for deposit instructions.
Trip Date:
April 22 – May 6, 2026
Trip Price:
$10450 US per person (twin/double share)
Single Person Supplement: On Request
The initial deposit for this trip is $800 US per person. At 12 months before departure there is a $600 US per person interim deposit, and at six months there is another $1000 US per person interim deposit. The final balance will be due three months before departure. A few payment options are available including debit and credit cards.
Individual travelers – Ben will happily find someone of the same sex for you to share a room with. If he cannot find you someone, no single supplement surcharge will apply.
Inclusions:
- 2 Nights Radisson Blu Fiji Resort in King Room (Twin/Double Share) with breakfast (first and last nights of trip)
- Welcome and Farewell dinners at Radisson Blu Fiji Resort
- Transfers from/to Nadi Airport
- 12 nights on Bilikiki Liveaboard with all meals and snacks, drinking water, tea, and coffee
- Taxes and fees for Bilikiki
- 3-4 guided snorkel sessions per day on board Bilikiki
- A guide from Ben’s team
Exclusions:
- International flights
- Flights between Fiji and Honiara, Solomon Islands. The flights are booked for you but they are quoted on a per person basis at the time of booking. The cost will be added to your invoice.
- Snorkeling equipment
- Tips
- Travel and health insurance
- Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, laundry and general sundries
Trip Organizers
Ben and his U.K. based team are the organizers and leaders of this trip (more about them below). Galen and Nicole from TropicalSnorkeling.com are promoting this trip, but all signups, trip organization and payments are made to and managed by Ben’s team. TropicalSnorkeling.com does receive a referral fee in exchange for promoting the trip, at no extra cost to attendees.
How to Sign Up or Learn More?
Use the contact form below to contact Ben and his team to request more information about them and express your interest in signing up. They will get back to you shortly with full details.
More About Ben and Our Partnership
Ben (pictured with Nicole) is our friend and snorkeling trips partner. He and his team are based in the U.K. and have over 20 years of experience guiding in Asia and beyond. He has been running his own business since 2010 and is primarily offering guided snorkeling trips, but he started with diving. He began offering snorkeling specific trips because he was aware that snorkelers often get the short end of the stick when thrown in with divers. He and his team love the freedom and low stress of snorkeling, and are very aware of the different needs of snorkelers versus divers, in terms of the reef depth, and calm surface conditions needed.
From our experience going on some of his snorkeling trips we found them very well organized, the guides were fantastic and very helpful, and the underwater experiences were exceptional. Snorkeling groups really get the benefit of all of Ben and his guides’ years of experience in the water, and with different resorts and liveaboards.
All of his trips are small groups of 12-18 guests, or with a similar ratio of snorkelers to guides. These are premium trips including nearly everything you will need, accommodation, meals, transportation, and more.
His company is licensed and insured. Barring extreme circumstances they do not cancel trips.