Trip Report: Micronesia – Country #196

Trip Report: Federated States of Micronesia

Visited in August 2025

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This trip report is part of a four-part series. This is the fourth part and for a better understanding it is worth starting with the first article and going through the blog posts in chronological order.

The United Airlines Island Hopper flight landed on time in the late morning in Pohnpei. If you’re curious about this route, it’s worth taking a quick look at the end of my trip report on the Marshall Islands, which is where I had just come from.

Micronesia, or more precisely the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), was my last new country on this three-week trip, which had first taken me to Timor-Leste and then across the Pacific, with many short transit stops in between, including Bali, Darwin, Brisbane and Fiji. It was also my final country in Oceania and the second-to-last one overall in the entire world.

The Federated States of Micronesia are an island nation in the western Pacific. The country consists of four states: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. Altogether, the FSM comprises over 600 small islands and atolls, many of which are very remote. The total land area is small (around 700 km²) but spread out over a vast ocean territory of more than 2.6 million km².

Pohnpei, where I had just landed, is the main island of Micronesia. It is not only the largest and most populous island in the country, but it is also home to Palikir, the national capital, as well as important government and educational institutions. In that sense, Pohnpei is the political, administrative, and cultural center of the FSM.

I have to admit that I was already feeling a bit of Pacific fatigue when I arrived in Pohnpei. I had already spent ten days in remote Pacific countries that felt like the end of the world, and by then I was starting to long for civilization again. Even for a Coke Zero, I could have murdered someone.

My hotel was the Mangrove Bay. Just like with the other hotels I booked on this trip, communication was… challenging. At best, I got responses to emails after a few days. And when I asked whether someone could pick me up from the airport, I didn’t get any reply at all.

Fortunately, someone working at the hotel was standing by the arrivals area and asked if I needed transport. She then said she would call the hotel and that someone would come shortly. When no one showed up after 30 minutes, I ended up taking a taxi…

My frustration over the missed transport vanished as soon as I saw the hotel. Mangrove Bay is located right on a lagoon, and the rooms with balconies directly over the water were the best I had on this trip so far.

Just like in the Marshall Islands, I had two days in Micronesia. On the first day, which after lunch only left a few remaining hours in the afternoon, I wanted to visit Sokehs Ridge, a lush mountain ridge with spectacular views of the island and the surrounding sea.

A hike there usually takes about an hour up and an hour down. Together with an American family staying at the same hotel, we took a taxi, which didn’t go all the way to the peak but drove us relatively high up. The driver then waited for about an hour while we explored, and afterward drove us back.

Once at the top, I saw the island from a bird’s-eye perspective, and it looked beautiful. Unlike Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, this wasn’t an atoll with a coral ring separating the ocean from a lagoon. It’s a volcanic island, with its highest point almost 800 meters above sea level.

To me, this island felt completely different from most I had seen in the Pacific. Pohnpei reminded me more of a green Caribbean island, like St. Lucia or Dominica. Definitely the most beautiful main island I’ve seen on this trip.

Besides the natural beauty, you find abandoned Japanese bunkers and artillery from World War II at the top. The FSM was also part of the Pacific theater. As in other Central Pacific countries, these rusty weapons and bunkers are part of the island’s attractions.

Fun fact: on my Pacific route, which took me from Brisbane to Nauru, from Nauru to Fiji, from Fiji to Kiribati, from Kiribati to the Marshall Islands, and finally to Micronesia, I saw the same Japanese man on every single flight. I learned that he is interested in Japan’s WW2 history and travels to visit all the remnants of that era across the Pacific.

All in all, Sokehs Ridge is a great half-day activity, and definitely worth it just for the amazing views. It gave me a really good first impression of Pohnpei.

On the second day, I wanted to explore the island. There are basically two main sights on Pohnpei: the Nan Madol UNESCO World Heritage Site, and not far from it, Kepirohi Waterfall, one of many waterfalls on the island, but probably the most spectacular.

There are several ways to get around the island. The easiest is to rent a car. Another option is to join a tour, although they are quite expensive. For example, the Mangrove Bay Hotel charges $190 per person. The third option is to rent a taxi for 5–6 hours to drive around the island.

Back in the Marshall Islands I had been traveling with a Portuguese couple, Claudio and Paula, and since they were also flying to Micronesia afterward, the three of us shared a taxi and paid $150 for the 5–6 hours — so $50 per person, not including entrance fees for the sights.

We drove around the island clockwise. The full drive takes about two hours. Pohnpei only has one road that circles the island, and there’s no road cutting through its interior.

Driving around Pohnpei is an experience that gives you a deep sense of this tropical island’s landscape. The coastal road mostly follows the shoreline, with constantly changing views – although, funnily enough, you don’t actually see the sea very often. You drive mostly through rainforest, with frequent glimpses of the tall, jungle-covered mountains in the island’s interior.

Along the way, you pass through small villages where colorful houses stand in the shade of palm trees and children play laughing by the roadside. Here and there, locals sell fresh fruit from simple roadside stalls: coconuts, bananas, or breadfruit. Traffic is very light, and often you’re the only car on the road, which makes the whole trip feel pleasantly slow and unhurried.

After about an hour, we arrived at Nan Madol, an archaeological ruin site on the east coast of the island. Admission costs $25. In addition, you have to pay two road tolls ($1 and $3). As in many other countries in the Pacific, most of the land is privately owned. And the owners charge a fee to walk through their property to get to the attraction.

A 15-minute walk through the forest leads to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was the ceremonial, political, and religious center of the Saudeleur dynasty that ruled Pohnpei between 1200 and 1600. Today, the site is uninhabited, but it is one of the most important historical sites in Oceania.

Nan Madol consists of around 100 artificial islands built on a coral reef and separated from each other by a network of canals. Because of these canals, Nan Madol is often referred to as the “Venice of the Pacific.” In my opinion, this description is quite exaggerated. “Maccu Picchu of the Pacific,” as I have also heard it called, fits better.

It takes about one to two hours (more likely one) to see Nan Madol. By the way, it is advisable to wear water shoes, flip-flops, or similar footwear, as you have to walk through water to get from the path to the archaeological site.

In conclusion, Nan Madol is a fantastic sight and an absolute must-see when visiting Pohnpei. There are relatively few archaeological sites of this kind in this part of the world, which alone makes it worthwhile.

Less than fifteen minutes later, we reached Kepirohi Waterfall, an impressive one that is around 20 meters high. In the meantime, the rain had returned (August is the rainy season in Micronesia), so our stay there was rather short. The entrance fee is $10 and you can swim in the cold water if you like.

Another hour later, we had completed our tour of the island and I was back at Mangrove Bay. It actually took about six hours. There are a few other waterfalls on the island, but our driver only wanted to take us to them for an extra fee. I was perfectly happy to skip them.

The tour is definitely worth it. Pohnpei is a beautiful island and has a very cool attraction in Nan Madol, and Kepirohi Falls wasn’t bad either. It cost me $89 (transportation and admission), which is still reasonable.

I had the whole morning free the next day, but I didn’t do anything. My departure was just as disorganized as my arrival from the airport had been. The day before, I asked the hotel when I should leave for my 3:30 p.m. flight. The receptionist said 1:00 p.m. The transfer to the airport takes 10 minutes.

As I was calmly enjoying my lunch and passing the time in the restaurant, the driver suddenly approached me. “Are you the guy I’m supposed to take to the airport? You do know that security closes at 1:00 p.m., right?”

I looked at my watch and it was 12:45 p.m. Holy shit. According to my driver, I should still make it in time. Another stressful moment here in the Pacific. Imagine missing a flight because you didn’t arrive at the airport at least 2.5 hours before departure.

The whole thing turned out to be misinformation. When I arrived at the airport, security wasn’t even open yet. I paid another $25 departure fee, just like in the Marshall Islands, and two hours later I was sitting on the United Airlines plane that took me to Guam.

My last trip to Oceania was over. A trip I was afraid of because so many things could have gone wrong. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Everything worked out. I was able to see all the countries and would thus visit the last country on my road to 197 in a month.

The Federated States of Micronesia were a good end to this trip. I really liked Pohnpei. The island was really beautiful and my experiences there were also great. I could definitely imagine coming back someday and seeing the other states of this country, Yap, Chuuk, and Kosrae.

So, for me, FSM was the best of the four new countries (Nauru, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands were the other three) on this trip. Overall, the trip was pretty cool. Not necessarily because of the places, but because of the people I met in all the countries.

As the plane pushed back, there was a touching scene. The entire United Airlines ground crew stood outside the gate and waved goodbye to the departing plane. That’s how it is in places where only 2-3 international flights land and depart each week. Perhaps this image was the perfect farewell to the Pacific region, which has not always brought me luck in recent years…

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