Want to be notified of special trips and prices? Subscribe to our mailing list.

Request information or order our beautiful full color latest catalog.

Solomons Dive Resorts | Solomons Live Aboards

Solomons Dive Resorts

Agnes Lodge | Adventure Sports | Gizo Hotel | Paradise Lodge | Uepi Resort
King Solomon | Mendana Hotel

WESTERN PROVINCE (continued)

On the north side of New Georgia Island lies the magnificent Marovo Lagoon, a World Heritage Site.

MAROVO LAGOON: Uepi Island Resort

Uepi Island provides a rarely presented opportunity for visitors liking to get away from more conventional resorts into less accessible areas of the Solomon Islands.

The Island:
Uepi Island comprises some 100 hectares of raised coral reef covered with lowland rain forest and is situated centrally on the barrier reef surrounding the Morovo Lagoon on the southeast side of New Georgia. The marine ecosystem is extraordinary diverse and the terrestrial ecosystem is unique. The environment is very much in its undisturbed state. The island is approximately 10km from the nearest local village and 150km from the nearest port of supply. Weather is mild with very little variation in daily mean maximum and minimum temperatures.

Getting There:
From Honiara, visitors to Uepi travel by light plane (70 minute flight) to Seghe on the southeast tip of New Georgia. Visitors should be prepared for the fact that Seghe is a small airstrip with only a few private houses on the edge of the strip.

On arrival at Seghe, visitors will be transported approximately 12km across the lagoon in open 22 foot outboard engine powered canoes; standard transport in the area. Be prepared for the chance fo getting a little wet by spray on the way to the island!

Accommodations:
Accommodation at Uepi includes private and widely separated bungalows which are modern, clean and comfortable. Insects are not a major problem on the island, but rooms are screened for your comfort and safety. Rainwater is connected to each bungalow, providing an abundant (but not unlimited) fresh supply. Owing to the warm climate the water is not heated. Each bungalow has a view over the lagoon to the magnificent New Georgia mountains. The style of living here is relaxed, informal and without fuss. The peace and tranquil beauty of the area provide a unique opportunity to relax and unload the mind. Six self-contained, well appointed bungalows for families or couples, two guest rooms each with separate bathroom facilities, one large enough for a family, one for a couple, and a six bed lodge with three separate rooms and shared facilities make up the accommodations available at Uepi. Invariably visitors to Uepi Island have expressed delight at the friendly, easy-going style of operations by management and staff, perfectly suited to the island environment. Visitors fit in as part of the family...

Uepi can offer some of the world's best drop-off diving, with myriads of fans, massive gardens of hard and soft corals, profusions of tropical fish, battalions of pelagics and a lifetime study of invertebrates.

Diving at Uepi
Rarely will you see such high concentrations of fish, sponges and corals in such a diverse environment, ranging from lagoonal coral gardens to vertical drop-offs of over 600 meters. Our sites feature sharks, all manner of light game fish and an enormous variety of reef fish. Turtles, mantas and eagle rays are fairly common sights, along with the seasonal hammerheads! In addition, most of the dive sites are less than 10 minutes by boat from the Resort...

Because of the location of Uepi Island, viz. a barrier reef on the edge of a large volcanic (extinct) land mass, the clarity of the water is usually extremely good and water temperature is about 26-28 degrees celcius. Wetsuits are not essential, however protection in the form of a lycra skin is advisable to provide protection from marine stings and coral abrasions.

Diving Facilities:
Uepi has a fully equipped dive store. Tanks and weight belts are provided together with a dive guide. Divers normally bring along their own BC, regulator, mask, and fins. However, there is a limited amount of gear available.

previous page | more Solomons Dive Resorts

Solomons Dive Resorts | Solomons Live Aboards