Kiritimati-Christmas Island Line Islands, Kiribati
Kiribati

2 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Holland America Line (2 Cruises)

Kiritimati Island, Kiribati | Cruise Port Guide

This is where every day on the planet begins. Kiritimati, in the Line Islands, runs on the most advanced time zone on Earth: when its residents greet the sunrise, yesterday still lingers over half the globe. The atoll, the largest in the world by land area, traces a ring of coral land riddled with inner lagoons across the central Pacific, so isolated that the nearest inhabited land is thousands of kilometres away. The rare ships that stop here anchor offshore and send passengers ashore by tender: a true end-of-the-world port call.

Captain Cook's Christmas Island

James Cook reached the atoll on Christmas Eve 1777 and named it Christmas Island — which became Kiritimati, the Gilbertese transcription of the English word, pronounced "Kirismas." Modern history left heavier marks: in the late 1950s and early 1960s, British and then American nuclear tests affected the island and its people, a chapter soberly recalled by a few military remains scattered through the coconut bush.

London, Paris and Banana

The atoll's villages have names that make sailors smile: London, the main settlement and home to the small landing, faces the coconut groves of Paris, a hamlet now largely abandoned on the other side of the channel, while Banana stretches out near the airfield and Poland occupies its spit of coral farther south. The names are said to come from planters and cable workers passing through in the early 20th century. In London, life revolves around the dock, the church, the small shops and the stilt houses topped with sheet metal or palm fronds. The welcome is direct and warm; traditional dance groups sometimes perform when ships arrive, their waists wrapped in woven leaves, to the sound of Gilbertese polyphonic singing, among the most beautiful in the Pacific.

A Sanctuary the Size of an Atoll

The entire island is a designated wildlife sanctuary, and some especially sensitive areas remain off-limits. The inner lagoons and mudflats host hundreds of thousands of seabirds — sooty terns, frigatebirds, boobies and tropicbirds — one of the largest concentrations in the Pacific. Excursions are made on foot or by van along crushed-coral tracks, past palm groves, salt flats and beaches where hermit crabs serve as the welcoming committee.

A Fly-Fishing Paradise

Kiritimati enjoys an enviable reputation among sport fishers: its vast, wadeable white-sand flats are among the most renowned anywhere for stalking bonefish on the fly, in thirty centimetres of crystal-clear water. Giant trevally and tuna frequent the channels. Fishing is strictly regulated, practised as catch-and-release, and supports part of the island's economy.

Getting Ready

  • There is no tourism infrastructure: no fleet of taxis, no elaborate souvenir shops. That is the price — and the privilege — of isolation.
  • The Australian dollar is the currency; bring small bills.
  • A hat, water and sun protection are a must: the equator is a stone's throw away and shade is scarce outside the palm groves.
  • The swell can make tender landings difficult; travellers with reduced mobility should check with the ship.

The World's First Morning

From the tender heading back to the ship, you see that line of coconut palms on the horizon differently: a ring of coral where the planet begins its days, where birds are counted in clouds and time keeps pace with the tides. Few passengers can say they saw the dawn before everyone else. Those who call at Kiritimati can.

Frequently Asked Questions

By tender. The few ships that stop here anchor offshore and land at London, the main settlement with the small jetty. Swell can complicate the operation; passengers with reduced mobility should check with the ship before committing.
James Cook reached the atoll on Christmas Eve 1777 and named it Christmas Island. Kiritimati is the Gilbertese transcription, pronounced "Kirismas". It is the world's largest atoll by land area.
The names are thought to come from planters and cable workers passing through in the early twentieth century. London, the main settlement, faces the coconut groves of Paris, a hamlet now largely abandoned across the pass, while Banana stretches near the airfield and Poland occupies its spit of coral further south.
Life is organised around the jetty, the church, the small shops and the stilt houses roofed in tin or palm. The welcome is direct and warm; traditional dance groups sometimes perform when ships arrive, to Gilbertese polyphonic singing that ranks among the finest in the Pacific.
The entire island is designated a wildlife sanctuary, and some particularly sensitive zones remain closed. The inner lagoons and mudflats host seabird colonies numbering in the hundreds of thousands, one of the largest concentrations in the Pacific.
Sooty terns, frigatebirds, boobies and tropicbirds, by the hundreds of thousands. Excursions go on foot or by pickup along crushed-coral tracks, between palm groves, salt flats and beaches where hermit crabs serve as the welcoming committee.
For its vast white sand flats, wadeable on foot, which rank among the most celebrated anywhere for stalking bonefish on the fly in thirty centimetres of crystalline water. Giant trevally and tuna work the passes. Fishing is strictly regulated and catch-and-release.
In the late 1950s and again in the early 1960s, British and then American nuclear tests marked the island and its people. A few military remains scattered through the coconut scrub recall that chapter soberly.
The Australian dollar. Bring small notes: there are few taxis, no elaborate souvenir shops and no tourist infrastructure. That is the price, and the privilege, of isolation.
Because the Line Islands run on the most advanced time zone on the planet: when islanders greet the sunrise, the previous day is still lingering over half the globe. Few passengers can say they have seen the dawn before everyone else.