| Practicalities
Funafuti is the only port of entry. There are no visa requirements for any nationality, but you must have a passport valid for another six months and an onward ticket. Those arriving or departing by boat also require an air ticket to leave. The maximum stay is three months, but visitors are usually given only the time until their onward flight or 30 days.
Australian currency is used, with Tuvaluan coins. The Tuvaluan one-dollar coin is of the same size and edging as the Australian 50-cent piece. It pays to be alert when handling these coins, or face a 50% devaluation. Tuvaluans do not expect to be tipped.
Tuvalu is an expensive country to visit due to the high cost of flying there. Otherwise, prices are comparable to other South Pacific destinations, with hotel rooms beginning around A$35/50 single/double on Funafuti.
Getting There
The Fijian domestic carrier, Air Fiji, operates between Suva and Funafuti twice a week. Air Fiji charges F$650 each way between Fiji and Funafuti. Tuvalu collects an A$20 departure tax. About four times a year the government-owned ships Nivaga II and Manu Folau travel Suva-Funafuti.
Getting Around
There are no internal flights. The interisland ships Nivaga II and Manu Folau make the rounds of the outer islands roughly every fortnight stopping at each atoll for about an hour, depending on the tides. The southern trip to Nukulaelae and Niulakita takes three days; the northern trip visits about three of the six islands up that way in four days. If you decide to stop off at one of the islands, you could be there two weeks or more before the ship returns. |
