Tuvalu - the least visited country

I have visited all the Pacific countries, and Tuvalu is among my favorites 😻. It’s not a country where you can do a lot of activities, but the isolation and the warmth of the people have a special charm. It’s a country that many say might disappear from the face of the Earth by 2100 because of global warming. I saw that they are already building sea-protection walls.

Tuvalu has about 11-12.000 people and area of 26 km2. The highest point in Tuvalu is around 4 meters above sea level, average height is 2 meters. Tuvalu receives only about 3,000 tourists per year. The country mostly consists of coral atolls.

My husband and I also did a short observership/practice in a hospital there (we are both healthcare workers). What can I say, out of the countless countries where I have done internships, I am always touched when I see how empathetic they are toward patients, how much understanding they give them, and how many warm words they offer. It’s so different from one hospital in our country where they didn’t allow me to stay with my dying father for more than one hour per day in his room (even when he was alone!). I often wonder how institutions with far fewer resources and possibilities can show so much humanity compared to others.

Getting to Tuvalu is not so easy… you first have to go to Fiji. From there, there is a flight to Tuvalu. Usually it costs more than 500 euros for return ticket. I saved money by booking ticket from Samoa to Tuvalu with layover on Fiji (exactly the same flight which would be if I have bought the ticket Fiji - Tuvalu, just cheaper). If you are visiting other Pacific islands, try to do combinations like this.

From what I’ve heard, it’s not unusual for flights to be canceled, and you can end up stuck on Tuvalu, in the middle of the ocean (it happened to us too, but Fiji Aiways paid for the hotel, food, and all the expenses). In my PACIFIC highlights I wrote about some of the prices, and I will add more stories: https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MTE2ODgwOTM0NjAzMDA0

Accommodation in Tuvalu starts at about €60 per night. We stayed in Esfam. It was ok but no sound isolation. It’s not fun when their workers start to talk and move things around before 6am. We booked through their email few months in advance. Most of accommodations there are booked through email. Make sure you book it because it could happen that during your visit some global conference is happening and that everything is booked. I do believe, that even if that happens, you could discuss with someone local to take you to their house, I doubt you would be left out on the street 😁.

Interestingly, when Fiji Airways canceled our flight, Hotel Esfam simply extended our stay and notified Fiji Airways without asking if we still wanted to stay there. We had originally planned to try a different hotel for a new experience, but since they had already arranged it, we stayed and requested a larger room. For some reason, they found it amusing that we wanted a bigger room, but in the end, they moved us to an upper floor. I really wish we had stayed there from the start - the noise disturbance is much lower.

There are few other places where you could stay like Filamona Lodge (in 2025 it was 140 AUD for couple) and Funafuti Lagoon Hotel.

You could go to another atoll too. We planned to stay on one but, sadly, we could find any transportation to there during the time we were, and weather conditions were not the best to go.

Most nationalities don’t need a visa to visit Tuvalu.

INTERNET: We didn’t have mobile data. We used WiFi from the hotel. It worked fine.

Food… well… we are healthy-food lovers so for us food was not the best. Lot of food is fried and we didn’t find fresh fish. Our favorite restaurant there was 3T’s. If you like deep fried food (budget), go to Sue’s kitchen, they have fish and chips. Filamona had ok food.

What might be the most interesting thing in Tuvalu (besides the fact that it may potentially disappear) is that the main airport runway is used as a football field, a walking area, and a social gathering place when there are no planes.

If you walk around, dogs may bark and follow you. Be careful, some can be more aggressive but mainly they are calm. We heard that in the past many stray dogs were euthanised, they posed a safety risk for flights and sometimes would bite people.

Tuvalu also has a post office. Surprisingly, all the letters I sent arrived within 2–3 months, while when I send a letter from Croatia to Chile, my husband sometimes waits up to a year for a regular letter 😂. We spent few hours in the post writing letters, so long that even the lady went out to have her lunch and left us alone to do our thing. You can buy postcards, stamps, and other small souvenirs. If you want magnets and T-shirts, check also Filamona. In front of the airport, when flights are arriving or departing, people are selling handmade items.

You can also go snorkelling… we booked it, but it was canceled due to the weather. In one week there wasn’t a single opportunity 😢.

Other things we learned in Tuvalu:

The people we spoke with are concerned about the future, but for most, it doesn’t significantly affect their daily lives - although for some, it already does, as the sea now reaches their yards more often and causes damage.

Some residents already have opportunities through international agreements, but they don’t want to leave until the very last moment because this is their home. In the future, they may be relocated to other countries, for example, there is a special bilateral climate mobility agreement with Australia that will allow them to live and work there.

We met many people who studied abroad, particularly in nursing and medicine. They have special agreements/opportunities for full scholarships with several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.

We were also surprised by how many of locals have visited nearby islands like Fiji, Australia, the Philippines, and more, especially considering Tuvalu’s isolation and travel costs.

Would I recommend visiting?

Yes, if you want to visit every country in the world or if you don’t mind spending extra time and money (and don’t forget that flights can get canceled, as I mentioned above).

If you have questions, about the Pacific or Tuvalu itself, I’m here. ☺️

My post showing the airport and what the landing looks like:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV3MvK2DBZe/