Things to Do in Palikir in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
December Weather in Palikir
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
- + December in Palikir is the driest month in an otherwise soaking year, with real odds of blue skies pushing through afternoon clouds, before noon. This is your window.
- + The ocean around Pohnpei Island lies flat, turning the lagoon into green-blue glass. Boat rides glide and reef walls reveal every ridge for snorkelers.
- + Holiday season hums quiet but festive through the capital. Roasting pork drifts with frangipani and choirs rehearse carols in Chuukese and Pohnpeian from community halls.
- + Crowds stay thin. You share dive boats and the few good restaurants with only a handful of others, a luxury gone by mid-January.
- − That 'driest month' is relative. Expect about 10 days of serious rain, often a theatrical drencher that floods Kolonia's unpaved roads within minutes and strands plans.
- − Humidity hovers at 70% and heat sticks to skin. Camera lenses fog instantly and paperbacks warp into permanent waves.
- − December sits between breadfruit and yam harvests. You will eat well. Yet the just-picked peak has passed and some festival dishes run scarce.
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
The lagoon settles now. Trade winds ease, water clarity peaks, reef current slackens. You drift above purple and blue staghorn coral, hearing only your breath and distant parrotfish crunch. Tour cancellations for rough seas drop sharply.
December's lighter rainfall keeps the tidal channels and mangrove passages of the 'Venice of the Pacific' open. The 92 artificial islets of stacked basalt logs gleam after brief showers and the encroaching jungle looks electric. Walkways stay less slick.
Forest trails behind Palikir, including the climb to Sokehs Rock, lose their December mud. You hike through wet-earth scent and ginger bloom, listening for the Pohnpei lorikeet's call. The 300 meter (984 feet) summit dishes out reef and atoll views that define the Federated States of Micronesia.
Feel Palikir's pulse in Kolonia. December market mornings thump with breadfruit, reef fish on ice, and electric-orange pandanus. Families stock up, so energy is sharp. Later, tiny family eateries ladle chicken kelaguen that tastes only of here.
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