Sojourners Explore: A Driving Tour of Pohnpei

With a roughly circular circumference of just 80 miles and a peak altitude of 780 meters, Pohnpei is the largest and highest of the FSM states. Outside of the main town of Colonia one road circumnavigates the island, connecting many of the coastal villages. Many of the best Pohnpei sights are located just off the main road, so I took off on a self-guided driving tour on my first day in town to see what this Micronesian island had to offer.

Pohnpaip Petroglyphs

I took the one free (and rather cartoonish) guide map my hotel offered and set out on the circle road in a clockwise direction. My first stop was at the Pohnpaip Petroglyphs, which I only knew existed thanks to the map, although it did’t provide a very exact location. I kept my eyes peeled while driving through the Madolenihmw municipality and luckily spotted the fading sign marking a bumpy dirt driveway.

I asked directions from a young boy at the first house I spotted. In the typical Micronesian way, he told me to park at the mango tree, then go left. I thanked him before realizing I wasn’t so sure I could recognize a mango tree among the dense flora lining the path. Unfortunately I couldn’t, so much like in Kosrae I drove too far down a bumpy road in a vehicle that was most assuredly not 4×4.

Eventually I doubled back and found the beautiful walking trail leading to the 60×25 meter basalt outcrop. A light afternoon rain began to fall as I climbed the rock, leaving an ethereal mist hanging over the petroglyphs. The carvings, depicting fish, humans, hands, oars and some indistinguishable figures, are slightly eroded but still very noticeable to the untrained burgeoning archeologist.

There are conflicting local myths concerning the formation of the rock, but even researches haven’t pinpointed when the carvings were created and by whom. I had some fun trying to piece together stories in the rock before setting off again on the circle road.

Pohnpaip petroglyph

Marine Parks

There are three marine parks located in the municipality of U. The most recognized is Awak Pah thanks to the prominent sign marking its place from the road. Like many other sites in Micronesia, you will have to walk through someone’s yard to get to the walkway into the park, which consists of a picnic area, a traditional meeting hut (called ‘nahs’ in Pohnpei) and a swimming area. Snorkeling is said to be good here, but I unfortunately didn’t have my gear with me, so on I ventured.

Kepirohi Falls

I followed the road onwards towards Kepirohi Falls. Kepirohi Falls are the most popular of Pohnpei’s many waterfalls, and I’m guessing that has something to do with how much easier they are to access than many of the others. The sign indicating the falls, like the few signs that exist in Pohnpei, is easy to miss if you’re zipping along the Circle Island Road. The Nan Madol sign is much easier to spot, so if you come across it you’ve gone just a few minutes too far.

Once you’ve parked you’ll need to pay the “gatekeeper” an entrance fee of $3.00 before walking down the surprisingly manicured walkway toward the fall. A moment later you’ll stumble upon the 20 meter tall cascade of basalt columns. Take a break from the heat in the clear, icy pool at the base.

Nan Madol Ruins

To truly experience the wonder that is Nan Madol you should really hire a guide who will take you there via boat. You will have to schedule your tour according to the tides, but it is the only way to explore all the islets of the complex. If, however, your schedule is limited like mine, you can still be awed by a land-based tour, easily accessible from the Circle Island Road. You will still need a local guide to help you negotiate entry with all the “gatekeepers”, but at least you won’t be at the mercy of the moon.

Gatekeeper Guard Dogs

Much like the petroglyphs, the origins of Nan Madol are steeped in legend and mystery. Researchers believe the majority of the complex was built around 900 A.D., but there is evidence some of the structures could date as far back as 500 A.D. The complex became the political and cultural center of the Saudeleur Dynasty that ruled Pohnpei for nearly 500 years. The ruins of the 90 artificial islets of megalithic structures constructed over coral reefs and sand bars is a sight not to be missed in Pohnpei.

Once you negotiate an admission price of $3-5 with each of the no fewer than three families who call the adjacent property home, you will walk along a footpath constructed primarily of coral, and subject to flooding at high tide, towards the main channels of the complex, where you will be ferried across a shallow inlet by kayak.

Nan Madol “Footpath”

You have arrived an Nan Douwas, one of the largest and most impressive of these ruins. This complex served as a mortuary for the high chiefs. The walls reach 7.5 meters here and the structure contains centralized burial chambers, as well as a prisoner’s cell.

If you walk around the outer walls you can view the ruins of Pahn Douwas to the south and Pohn Dowas to the north, where the guards and attendants for Nan Douwas resided. During low tide you can reach these structures on foot. To the east you can see the ruins of the seawalls called Nan Mwoluhsei, purported to have been the entrance to the fabled ancient city of Kahnimweiso.

Vistas and Villages

The remainder of the driving tour through the municipalities of Kitti and Sokehs offers even more opportunities to see waterfalls, archeological ruins and WWII sites, but as the day was growing late I decided to just enjoy the scenery without making any more stops. Still, just driving along offered fascinating insight into the culture of Pohnpei for a newcomer.

Beautiful vistas of ocean to one side and lush jungle mountains to the other are coupled with glimpses into the everyday life of the many villages. Throngs of school children clad in their alma mater’s signature color tease each other in the street as they make their way home together. Sakau vendors set up makeshift roadside stands at sunset. A pepper shrub, from which sakau is made, hangs off the car in front of you, presumably going to be offered in celebration of marriage. In the next village, twenty children line both sides of the street playing some form of “Red Rover”. Very young boys, completely naked, chase each other weilding machetes. Feral dogs lie listlessly in the baking sun. Men huddle at roadside stands buying fresh beetle nut, pepper leaves, tobacco and slaked lime to roll into quids. Smoke rises from makeshift cooking huts as river eel is prepared for the evening.

Eventually the sun sinks and the journey ends right back where it started in Colonia, which now seems much larger and more bustling in comparison to the sleepy coastal villages.

Which sites would you like to visit on Pohnpei’s Circle Island Road? Leave a comment!