 Outer Islands : Profile
An Entry Permit is required for each atoll to be visited. These forms are obtainable from the Local Government Office in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Fees for these permits vary from free to US$250. See Essential Information for more details.
Ministry of Internal Affairs
2nd Floor, Local Government Office, (next tp Mobil Oil tank farm)
Tel:692 455 4143
Arno is the closest atoll to Majuro, 9 miles away. It has 133 islands, two airstrips and nearly 1700 people.
Mejit is a single, tiny coral island, with no protective lagoon. The population is about 450. It's a beautiful island of lush taro patches, and coconut, breadfruit and pandanus trees. Unusually, it has a small freshwater lake. California Beach, on the NW side of the island, is good for swimming and snorkelling, and unlike the other Marshalls, there no poisonous fish here. The island is also known for its pandanus-leaf mats, woven by the Mejit women.
Wotje, the main island of Wotje Atoll, is full of WWII remains. Huge Japanese-built structures loom out of the jungle. The lagoon is also full of wreckage, including a few ships of interest to wreck divers. The beaches are beautiful and relatively clean. Those of the nearby smaller islands are even better, as they're mostly deserted, and you can walk right over to them at low tide.
Aur Atoll is north of Majuro, and has about 450 people, equally divided between Tobal and Aur islands. The other islands in the atoll are mostly uninhabited, though they're used for copra cultivation. The island specialises in making model canoes and large wall hangings. The lovely lagoon provides excellent snorkelling, and there's a good variety of tropical fish and coral.
Maloelap's Taroa (Tarawa) Island was the main Japanese airbase in the eastern Marshalls during WWII, and most visitors come to see its rusting war relics. The majority of them are now buried under thick jungle.
Mili has friendly people and beautiful beaches. It has a population of just over 850.
Bikar and Taongi (Bokaak) atolls are rich in bird-life. Taongi is possibly the only example of a completely natural, unaltered, semiarid atoll ecosystem remaining in the world today. Bikar has a large population of green sea turtles.
Bikini atoll has recently been opened to divers and sports fishermen. It has some of the best wreck diving in the world, as well as being able to fish in waters untouched for fifty years.
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