Whale Watching Trip November 17-27, 2023

Bilikiki just came back from another great 10 day trip. This trip was, as with the previous one, a whale watching, bird watching and snorkeling trip! Dr. Charles Anderson stayed onboard and was joined by Mark Carwardine and their their guests from different parts of the world: Canada, Belgium, Australia and the UK. 
During this trip we did have better weather conditions than the previous one (yay!.) So our guests got to enjoy tropical sunny days and not so rough sea conditions. Thanks to that we could travel to the Western Province, all the way to Kula Gulf, a chance to visit new places like Rice Harbour and the village of Jericho. 
Our route this trip also took us to Uepi Island and we would like to thank Grant (owner of Uepi resort) for letting us anchor close by at night and enjoy their amazing house reef to snorkel the next morning, what a beautiful place you guys have!! Thank you!!! 
We took our guests to enjoy the carving markets at Mbili & Luten's village, and we also visited Karumolun Village, in the Russell Islands. There our guests really enjoyed the traditional singing, dancing and the pan pipe show they put together for us. Walking around the village and asking questions about their customs and way of life was also a great experience. Another highlight of the trip was the floating markets! They took so maaaaaany pictures!!! Our guests always like to see where our fresh fruits and veggies come from and how good it is for both the local communities and us to do such markets. 
On our search for cetaceans and dolphins we had beautiful and unforgettable encounters with pantropical spotted dolphins, spinner dolphins, IndoPacific and common bottlenose dolphins, sperm whales, an orca and short finned pilot whales. 
Some of our guests were into bird watching too and they had a great time! They were able to spot 18 different species!  Here's few of them: the Pacific baza (picture below), the island imperial pigeon, the Sanfond's (or Solomon's) sea eagle, of course the Blyth's hornbill (we saw some very close in Mbili village), beautiful beach kingfishers while snorkeling in the early mornings, the eclectus parrot, cardinal lory and crested tern, amongst others... 
The diving and snorkeling sessions were also very much appreciated by everyone, as always! It is just impossible not fall in love with the beautiful and colourful underwater world in the Solomon Islands!  All those tropical fish everywhere swimming amongst the stunning and healthy coral reefs and gardens! A true delight! We even saw a crocodile from the surface while cruising around the famous Pop Corn Passage! What a wild life watching cruise it has been! 
Thank you to our guests for spending their holidays with us, it was really nice to have all of you onboard!
A big thank you, once again, to our incredible crew for their hard work, for taking such good care of all of us and for making this Bilikiki experience an unforgettable one!  
Pato&Fernando
 

Group onboard the Bilikiki

Bird

Snorkeler taking photo of a giant clam in the Solomon Islands

Posted by Sam and Kellie on November 27, 2023

What our guests say

"Just got back from a 10 day trip on Bilikiki with Tina and Oli. The whole Bilikiki team made our trip a memorable one, despite the temperamental weath... Read More"

Jonathan Rose

"I had an amazing 10 nights onboard the Bilikiki! The dive sites were so diverse and so beautiful, we had some amazing encounters with wildlife, the cr... Read More"

Lauren Thomas

"Always a great time on the Bilikiki. Spectacular diving, excellent food and an amazing crew. One of the best laid out boats I've been diving on."

Mike Aitken

"The trip of a lifetime! Impeccable crew, perfect organization, beautiful landscapes under and above water, new friends, incredible wildlife. My eyes a... Read More"

Stephanie Loubat

"Bilikiki is much more than a great dive boat with a fantastic crew sailing the remote Solomon Islands and discovering new and beautiful dive sites; it... Read More"

Thane Kreiner

"Second time and still finding new sights to see! Wonderful trip well worth the effort....."

Reed Nescher

"If I could rate them 6 stars I would!!! Amazing boat, crew, food and diving."

Brett Lobwein

"I can't think of a better way to spend 12 days than on board Bilikiki. It is absolutely spectacular diving amongst healthy corals, colorful fishes, st... Read More"

Karen Doby

"My bucket list trip. Outstanding crew and service. Superb diving. Stable and comfortable vessel and accommodations. The chefs do a marvellous job, eve... Read More"

Fred Catella

"I have just returned from a 10 night stay on board the Bilikiki. It was my first trip on the Bilikiki however friends we were with have been 3 or 4 ti... Read More"

Pearl Corker

"I have been on many Bilikiki trips over the past eight years, and I will keep going back again and again. I’ve dived in more than 15 countries and h... Read More"

Joanna O'Shea

"I did my 1000th dive on my second trip on the Bilikiki. Last time was in 2005 and then I thought it was the best liveaboard I had been on. It still is... Read More"

Alex Davids

"Just really, really, really enjoyed our trip!!! We really fell in love with Pato and Fernando. They did an excellent job guiding us! The crew is as go... Read More"

Darlene Myers