Things to Do in Palikir in April

Nan Madol sits on a series of artificial islets off Pohnpei's southeastern coast, roughly 30 km (19 miles) from Palikir, and April's higher water levels make it easier to navigate the canal system by small boat than in the drier months when some channels run shallow. The basalt columns, stacked without mortar into walls that rise 8 m (26 ft) above the tidal flats, are slick with rain and draped in ferns, and the silence between downpours is so complete you can hear land crabs clicking through the rubble of Nandauwas, the central ceremonial compound. Go in the morning before the afternoon storms roll in. The humid air at that hour smells of salt and decomposing coral, and the light through broken cloud cover gives the dark stone a metallic sheen that photographs cannot reproduce. Allow a full day, and bring water and food since there is nothing to buy at the site.

Pohnpei's barrier reef drops off into blue water along a wall that runs for kilometers, and April's water temperature hovers around 29°C (84°F), warm enough that a 3 mm wetsuit feels optional. The outer wall is where the serious diving happens: barrel sponges the size of bathtubs, grey reef sharks patrolling the current channels, and manta rays that tend to increase their passes through the cleaning stations as the water warms into the wet season transition. Visibility is best early in the day before runoff from the afternoon rains clouds the lagoon, so book morning dives. The inner lagoon sites are calmer but murkier in April. If you have only two days of diving, spend both on the outer reef.

April's rainfall transforms Pohnpei's volcanic interior into something close to a controlled flood. Kepirohi Waterfall, about 11 km (7 miles) south of Kolonia, drops roughly 7 m (23 ft) into a pool that in April runs deep enough for swimming, and the spray off the falls is cold enough against the 30°C (86°F) air to feel electric. The trail in is short but slippery, a 15-minute walk on exposed roots and mud through jungle so dense the canopy blocks most of the rain and then dumps it all at once when the wind shifts. Liduduhniap Falls, deeper in the highlands, requires a longer trek of about 2 hours each way and a local guide who knows the unmarked trail. The double cascade there, surrounded by moss-covered boulders the color of wet iron, is the kind of place that rewards the effort with total solitude. Start any highland hike by 7 AM to beat the afternoon storms.

Sakau, Pohnpei's traditional kava-like drink, gets pounded from the root of the pepper plant on a flat basalt stone. The rhythmic thudding carries across Palikir's quiet neighborhoods in the evening like a slow drumbeat. The drink is thick, grey-brown, and earthy in a way that catches in the back of your throat. It numbs your lips within minutes. Attending a sakau session is not a tourist performance. It is how Pohnpeians socialize after dark. April evenings, when the rain has cooled the air to about 24°C (75°F) and the frogs are deafening, are good for sitting under a thatch-roofed nahs (meeting house) and letting the evening slow down around you. The etiquette matters. Accept the coconut shell cup with both hands, drink it in one go, and do not refuse the first round.

Sokehs Rock is the volcanic plug that dominates the skyline northwest of Kolonia. The ridge trail to its summit climbs roughly 230 m (750 ft) in under 2 km (1.2 miles) of steep, sometimes scrambling terrain. In April, the trail is muddy enough that sections near the top require pulling yourself up by tree roots. The rock itself is slick basalt that punishes overconfidence. The reward at the top, if the clouds cooperate, is a view across the entire lagoon. The barrier reef appears as a pale turquoise line against the open Pacific. The dark green mass of Pohnpei's interior rises behind you. On overcast April mornings the cloud base often sits just above the summit. You climb through fog and emerge into sunlight with the island below you buried in white. The Japanese-era tunnels cut into the rock near the base are worth a detour on the way down. They are dark and cool and smell of damp concrete and bat guano.