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- Cook Island Bird Sanctuary: A small islet in the lagoon packed with nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies and other seabirds. Visits are usually done with a local guide and boat, and the noise and smell up close are intense.
- Motu Tabu: A protected sacred islet where seabirds nest in large numbers. You watch from a respectful distance, and the sheer number of birds in the air is what you remember.
- Kiritimati reed warbler habitat: The endemic reed warbler lives in scrubby vegetation near the lagoon and village edges. It is a small, shy brown bird, so go early and listen first.
- Lagoon bonefish flats: Shallow white sand flats where bonefish cruise in knee-deep water. Even if you never cast a line, wading here at low tide with fish moving around your ankles is memorable.
- Salt flats and coastal tracks:
- Cook Island Bird Sanctuary: A small islet in the lagoon packed with nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies and other seabirds. Visits are usually done with a local guide and boat, and the noise and smell up close are intense.
- Motu Tabu: A protected sacred islet where seabirds nest in large numbers. You watch from a respectful distance, and the sheer number of birds in the air is what you remember.
- Kiritimati reed warbler habitat: The endemic reed warbler lives in scrubby vegetation near the lagoon and village edges. It is a small, shy brown bird, so go early and listen first.
- Lagoon bonefish flats: Shallow white sand flats where bonefish cruise in knee-deep water. Even if you never cast a line, wading here at low tide with fish moving around your ankles is memorable.
- Salt flats and coastal tracks: Wide, glaring flats and coral roads where shorebirds forage, including migrant bristle-thighed curlews in the right season. Shade is rare, so start early.
- Village of London: The main settlement, with simple shops, church services and everyday island life. Walking through at a slow pace and greeting people is the best way to meet locals who can arrange boats and guides.
- Cook’s landing coast: The shoreline associated with Captain Cook’s Christmas Eve arrival in 1777. There is little to see beyond the surf, the reef and the long horizon, but the story gives the walk meaning.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.