Highlights
The Marshall Islands are defined by their vast, dazzling lagoons and their layered 20th-century history. Majuro, the capital atoll, is a thin ribbon of land wrapped around a huge turquoise lagoon — the base for exploring, with a relaxed pace, local markets and lagoon activities.
The country's history is profound and sobering — as the site of major WWII battles (Kwajalein Atoll) and, most infamously, US nuclear testing at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls in the 1940s-50s. Bikini Atoll, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has become a legendary (if logistically difficult and specialised) wreck-diving destination, where the ghostly fleet sunk in the tests, including an aircraft carrier, rests in the lagoon.
Beyond the history, the Marshalls offer superb diving and snorkelling on pristine reefs, world-class game fishing, and a strong traditional culture of stick-chart navigation and outrigger sailing. This is deeply remote, specialised travel — for divers, historians and Pacific adventurers seeking one of the ocean's least-visited corners.
When to go
The drier season (roughly December to April) offers slightly more comfortable, less rainy conditions, though the Marshall Islands are warm and humid year-round with diving good in every season.
The wetter months (May to November) bring more rain, and the islands lie at the edge of the typhoon belt with some storm risk. Being spread across the central Pacific near the equator, conditions are consistently tropical. For the calmest, driest conditions and best diving visibility, aim for the drier season, roughly December to April, though the warm lagoons reward visits any time.
Visa & entry
The Marshall Islands, like Micronesia, has a Compact of Free Association with the United States: many nationalities can enter for tourism visa-free for stays of up to 30 days (US citizens have special rights), with a passport valid for your stay, proof of onward travel and accommodation required.
Confirm the current entry rules for your nationality with a Marshall Islands mission or official sources before you travel, and plan around the very limited flight connections (mainly the island-hopper via Guam and Honolulu).
Health & safety
The Marshall Islands are generally safe and welcoming, with low crime and traditional life, though take normal precautions in Majuro. The genuine challenges are practical and natural: extreme remoteness, limited infrastructure and medical care, diving safety, and the low-lying atolls' vulnerability to storms, king tides and sea-level rise.
Specialised sites like Bikini Atoll involve residual (though monitored) radiation considerations and demanding logistics — visit only through proper operators. Comprehensive insurance with diving and evacuation cover is essential. Respect the conservative, church-centred culture and traditional customs. Malaria is not present. Check your government's current travel advisory before departure; risks are logistical rather than crime-related.
Getting around
Getting to and around the Marshall Islands relies on the limited 'island hopper' flights (United Airlines) via Guam and Honolulu, plus Majuro's connections — plan carefully around sparse schedules. Within the country, small domestic flights (Air Marshall Islands) and infrequent inter-atoll ships connect the scattered atolls, though services can be unreliable, so most visitors focus on Majuro and perhaps one other atoll.
On Majuro, the single road is served by shared taxis and minibuses, cheap and easy. Dive operators and lodges arrange boat transfers to sites. Specialised trips (like Bikini) are arranged through dedicated operators. Given the extreme remoteness, plan all logistics well ahead and build in generous buffers.
Money
The Marshall Islands use the US dollar as their official currency, making it convenient — bring US dollars in cash. The country is largely a cash economy outside the main Majuro hotels — carry cash for local shops, transport, markets, customary fees and tips, as card acceptance is limited and ATMs (in Majuro) can be unreliable, so bring enough cash for your trip.
The Marshalls are moderately to expensively priced given remoteness, with flights and specialised diving the main costs. Tipping follows a light US-style custom at tourist businesses — appreciated by dive guides, boat crews and hotel staff for good service, though not deeply ingrained locally.
Marshall Islands