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 minstrel74's Solomon Islands Travelogues | | | |
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| Page Views: 988 Last Visit to Solomon Islands: September, 1997 | Mataniko Falls by minstrel74 - last update: Nov 26, 2004 |
| broad valley near Tuvaruhu village, Guadalcanal |
Mataniko Falls is a fantastic hike for those looking for something to do while in Honiara. It only takes a couple hours to get out there and will take you through some spectacular forest scenery--not to mention the falls themselves, which are some of the most beautiful in the Pacific. Here are some excerpts from my journal describing the hike to the falls:
"...the road eventually came to an end, and Tuvaruhu was on the other side of the river. Seeing that I would have to wade, I went down to the bank, where I met a small group of young men. They said hello and waited for me to tell them what I was doing. I told one of them that I wanted to see Mataniko Falls, and in his reply he offered to take me there himself. He politely added that there was a S$10 custom fee and another S$10 for the guiding. I obviously had no problem with that. He introduced himself as Patrick, and with that we were on our way..." |
| My guide, Patrick, at Mataniko Falls |
|  | "...As we climbed up out of the valley we were left exposed to the blazing sun with only dead grass and a few short bushes on the ground. All alongside the trail as it followed the ridge were a number of shallow holes, many of them in fact. Patrick explained to me that these were foxholes used by the Japanese during WWII. I'm sure they were well-used being up so high with no visual obstructions. It must have been a great vantage point.
The trail continued uphill with the occasional downhill stretch, all in the same exposed grassy terrain. It went like this for quite awhile until finally the rainforest appeared again. The trail turned sharply downhill and we could begin to hear water crashing." |
"After a brief rest, we began the very steep descent into the lush forest. In many places, I had to stabilize myself with my hand because the trail was so steep. In fact, in one area it was so steep that those before us had left some help. Patrick called it a bush rope. It was just one long vine coming from out of nowhere that we could use to "rappel" down the trail, which is what we proceeded to do. That simple act was very memorable--climbing down a vine in the dense jungle. We continued descending the steep trail until eventually we came to the falls.
Mataniko Falls is a two-sided waterfall, separated in the middle by a large cave. The falls are not one massive cascade, but rather a number of smaller falls and pools, with the lowest ones draining down into the cave. My guide took me around to the far side and showed me a particularly nice view. Although the rocks were covered with thick moss, they were not slippery, but instead felt almost like sandpaper." | | | small cascades at Mataniko Falls |
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| cave opening at Mataniko Falls |
| | "...The forest surrounding the falls was spectacular. The trees in this area are very tall, covered with vines, and pulsating with life. The butterflies are of particular interest. Their colors are incredibly vibrant, and sometimes I can't distinguish between them and the leaves fluttering down off the trees. It was a perfect jungle scene. Against the surrounding cliffs we saw a number of smaller caves, which as Patrick pointed out to me were used by the Japanese during the war.
After a few minutes of lounging around on the rocks we headed down to the more active area of the falls. I was told that it was possible to jump into the water and swim into the cave. After thinking about this for a few seconds (which was probably not a good idea), I said...'Why not!' |
"...The cave had a rather high ceiling and there a number of bats flying about inside. Water dripped from above off the tips of the many stalactite formations. I swam a little deeper into the cave and came to rest against a side wall. I wasn't there for long, though, as I quickly discovered that the wall was covered with small leeches. I would've liked to have explored deeper in the cave, but my weak swimming skills and better judgment ensured that this was as far as I went.
...After relaxing in the refreshing cascades for a while, we gathered our belongings, wrung out our clothes(note to all travelers: remember to bring a swimsuit with you on this hike. Nothing is worse than having to hike back to your lodge in the tropical heat wearing sopping wet clothes), and headed back up the hillside, where from then on the trail was mostly downhill. Unfortunately, I had drunk all of my water, but my guide assured me that when we got back to his village he would crack open a fresh coconut for me. That was plenty incentive to get moving!" | | | small stream at Mataniko Falls |
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 Comments for minstrel74 about Solomon Islands | | | | |
stirlsa Thu Oct 25, 2007 04:31 UTC
I lived in Buala for 2 years in the 1980s as a Peace Corps volunteer and had a wonderful time. Also, traveled in Small Malaita and Guadalcanal. Great people and much beautiful scenery. I have heard Gizo is the best place to visit for scuba and snorkeling | sprdak11 Wed Aug 23, 2006 18:30 UTC
Great page with interesting pictures. Greetings. | uglyscot Sun Jun 25, 2006 10:58 UTC
This is such an interesting page and the photos are beautiful | roamer61 Mon Jan 23, 2006 17:37 UTC
Lovely pictures. My father may have been there, under harsh circumstances of course (1944 WWII). |
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