Fanning Island, Kiribati

The Republic of Kiribati is comprised of thirty-three small islands spread out over 2,400 miles. The islands taken together only cover 342 square miles, an area about four times as large as Washington, D.C. Eight of the eleven Line Islands are part of Kiribati, as well as the Gilbert and Phoenix Groups of islands.

Kiribati played a small role in World War II, and there are some monuments to the conflict that still stand. On the small island of Betio, the Battle of Tarawa took the lives of thousands of American and Japanese servicemen. The island is a living monument to the battle. Anglophiles will want to visit Abemama Island, where Captain Davis hoisted the Union Jack in 1892. Robert Louis Stevenson took up residence on this tiny island toward the end of his life.

American explorer Edmund Fanning discovered Fanning Island, one of the Line Islands, in 1798.

Great Britain annexed the island in 1889, and it remained under British rule until the entire republic gained independence on July 12, 1979. The island was renamed Tabuaeran, which means heavenly footprint. However, Fanning Island is still the more recognized term, so for the interest of this guide, Fanning Island will be used.

The island is just now opening up to tourism. What you will discover here are the white sand beaches that grace the cover of travel brochures, as well as exceptionally friendly local people. There are ample opportunities to snorkel and scuba dive. Fanning Island is where you'll want to take it easy for a day.

Fanning Island, Kiribati Weather
Temperature (Fahrenheit)
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High	86	86	86	86	87	87	87	87	87	87	87	87
Low	79	79	79	79	80	79	79	79	79	80	80	79

Fanning Island
Our Norwegian Cruise Line rep, had the pleasure of sailing on the Norwegian Star and was kind enough to share some pictures of Fanning Island, one of the ports, with us. These pictures are of the area we call Nepali Beach which is the area developed by Norwegian.

This is a shore excursion for our Norwegian Cruise Line guests, and space is limited to 250 guests. There are two excursion times that are available: 8 AM and 11 AM. After your excursion the tenders will take you directly to the main area (on the other side of the island) where we have the buffet, refreshments, beach area, open air market and cultural show.

Because of Fanning's 1200-mile distance from Hawaii, the call there takes a two days' sail each way, plus the time there, so it wasn't fitting well into the 7-day cruises, especially for passengers who primarily want to spend time in Hawaii. Since the NCL America ships in Hawaii are US-flagged, there is no need for them to include Fanning Island in their itinerary. But Norwegian Wind's longer 10- and 11-night cruises were tailor-made for the Fanning call, which, for many, became the highlight of Norwegian Star's itinerary.

If you really want some beach time, you can get it at Fanning. You tender ashore in large 250-passenger tenders NCL has based on Fanning Island, operated by some residents NCL now employs. They can have everyone off the ship in about an hour. (Of course people aren't really waiting an hour. They trickle over to the island after they have breakfast.)

NCL's third large tender (200 passengers), has a diving platform attached, so that has opened up new possibilities for snorkeling excursions in the lagoon and in the open ocean. Those have been proving a hit with passengers who regularly report seeing large hammerhead sharks, very big manta rays and lots of sea turtles.

If you are really looking for an unspoiled beach, NCL has another one, Napali Beach. They take nothing there except floats and beach chairs. (There isn't even a restroom.) You tender there from the main facilities, and there is a $10 charge, primarily to limit the demand.

For an entirely different experience, you can rent bicycles for about $10 per hour to explore other parts of the island. This is the part of your time at Fanning Island that can be the most interesting part of your entire cruise.