Trip Planning
The TakeYourBackpack guidebooks are your all-in-one travel companion, featuring the best cities, national parks, hikes, beaches, and unique sites, along with essential tips on when to go, how to get around, exchanging money, and even local phrases to get you started — everything you need for a smooth, unforgettable backpacking adventure.
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Planning a backpacking route through Nauru can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Nauru itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.
Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.
Travel Essentials
There are no mandatory vaccinations for visiting Nauru, except a yellow fever certificate if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk. Make sure your routine vaccines are up to date, including MMR, tetanus-diphtheria, polio and the yearly flu shot. Hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended, and hepatitis B is worth considering for longer stays. Dengue is present, and there is no simple vaccine for travelers, so insect repellent and long sleeves at dusk are your best protection.
vaccination requirementsWhen I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.
These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Nauru, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.
There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with
Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.
HolaFly eSimCulture & Customs
Nauru is a devout Christian society, so dress modestly away from the beach, keep Sundays quiet and expect most activity to stop for church. Do ask before taking photos of people, and stay away from the regional processing facilities, where photography is highly sensitive and can lead to serious trouble. Almost all land, including the topside and parts of the coast, is owned by families, so do ask permission before crossing private property or using a beach in front of homes. Don’t drink alcohol in public places or show up visibly drunk. Accept food or drink when it is offered, as hospitality is important here. Women should wear swimwear with a T-shirt or shorts over it when swimming near villages. Same-sex couples will feel more comfortable keeping affection private.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Nauru.
- Coconut fish: Fresh reef fish or tuna, either marinated raw in lime and coconut cream or baked in coconut milk. Fish is the backbone of the island diet, and this is the dish families make for gatherings.
- Fresh tuna sashimi: Thick slices of just-caught yellowfin, often eaten with soy sauce and chili. It reflects Nauru’s deep fishing culture and the Asian influence on everyday eating here.
- Noddy bird: Black noddy birds caught at dusk with hand nets, a traditional skill passed down for generations, then cooked and shared. It is more a cultural tradition than a menu item, so it is something you would taste if invited by a family.
- Pandanus fruit: The fibrous, sweet fruit of the pandanus tree, chewed fresh or made into a paste. It was a staple in pre-colonial times when few other crops grew on the island.
- Kamaimai: A syrup made by boiling down coconut toddy (the sap of the coconut palm). It is used to sweeten drinks and food, or eaten straight, and is one of the oldest local flavors.
Tap water in Nauru is not recommended for travelers. The supply comes from desalination and rainwater tanks, and quality varies between buildings. Many locals boil it or buy bottled water, which is sold in supermarkets for around AUD 2 to 4 (US$1.30 to 2.60) per 1.5-liter bottle. A filter bottle helps you cut down on plastic waste on an island with limited waste disposal.
The main language in Nauru is
Nauruan. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Nauruan skills have become a bit rusty.
Want to understand locals better?The complete Travel Guide for Nauru includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.
Get your local basic phrases 👉
Get the Travel Guide - is widely spoken across Nauru. It is the language of government, business and schools, so you can handle hotels, shops and offices around Yaren and Aiwo without trouble. Younger Nauruans tend to be the most fluent, and even in quieter districts like Buada nearly everyone can manage a conversation. Nauruan is the local language at home, and learning “Ekamawir omo” (hello) and “Tubwa kor” (thank you) will earn you wide smiles.
Money & Payments
The local currency of Nauru is AUD (A$).
Nauru uses the Australian dollar (AUD), and you should arrive with most of the cash you will need, since ATMs are scarce and can be out of service for days. Expect fees of around AUD 3 to 5 per withdrawal plus your home bank’s foreign charges if you do find a working machine. Cards are accepted at the main hotels and some larger stores, while small shops, food stalls and car rentals usually want cash. Bring Australian dollars rather than US dollars or euros, since exchange options on the island are very limited and rates are poor. Changing money before you leave, in Brisbane or another Australian or Fijian transit point, is the safest and cheapest option. For a week, budget roughly AUD 80 to 150 (US$53 to 100) a day in cash on top of your accommodation.
Tipping is not part of the culture in Nauru, and nobody expects it in restaurants, hotels or for a lift. Rounding up a bill or leaving a few dollars for exceptional service is appreciated but never required. Offering to chip in for fuel when someone drives you around is a gesture that locals will value more.
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Over the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.
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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.