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Guadalcanal & HMAS Canberra 70th Anniversary

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES:

Day 1, 5 August (Arrive Honiara)

Welcome to our exclusive anniversary tour! On arrival in Honiara we will be picked up from the famous WWII Henderson Airfield and then transferred to our central hotel. We will enjoy a relaxing afternoon, perhaps visiting the nearby Point Cruz Yacht Club for a cool drink or two. This evening we will enjoy a welcome dinner, an excellent opportunity to get to know our travelling companions and historian better. (D)

STAR INCLUSIONS: Airport transfer - Central, first-class hotel - Welcome dinner

Day 2, 6 August (Guadalcanal)

Today we will explore the key battlefields from the campaign in and around Honiara. We will begin by visiting the US Memorial on Hill 73, which offers panoramic views over the battlefield. We will then drive to the Japanese Memorial on Hill 34 and also to the Japanese stronghold known as the Gifu, on the slopes of Mount Austen, where relics from the fighting abound. In the afternoon we will visit Alligator Creek, scene of the first major battle on Guadalcanal, and also the famous Bloody Ridge, where a small band of marines held off a strong Japanese attack in September 1942. (B)

STAR INCLUSIONS: Visits to the battlefields of Alligator Creek, Edson's Ridge, the Gifu, Mount Austen and more.

Day 3, 7 August (Guadalcanal 70th Anniversary)

Today is the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings and a significant day of ceremonies. We will first attend a commemorative service at the US Memorial, built to honour the more than 7000 men who were killed capturing the island. Later we will attend a memorial ceremony for US Coast Guardsman Doug Munro who is the only member of the Coast Guard to have ever received the Medal of Honor. In the afternoon we will drive east and visit Red Beach, where Allied troops first landed on Guadalcanal, plus the 'amtrac graveyard', where dozens of World War Two amphibious tractors are parked in the jungle. (B)

STAR INCLUSIONS: Attendance at 70th anniversary commemoration services - Visit to Red Beach and the amtrac graveyard

Day 4, 8 August (Tulagi)

Today we man the boats. We will travel across the twenty miles of Iron Bottom Sound to the island of Tulagi. At 7.40am on August 7, 1942, US marines made the first landing of the Guadalcanal campaign at Haleta on Florida Island. We will reenact what can be regarded as the first step taken by US forces on the long road Tokyo. The 1st Raiders and the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines then pressed on with their Tulagi landings at Blue Beach. Later in the campaign Tulagi was an important Patrol Boat base, and this is where John F. Kennedy was originally stationed in 1943. During our day on Tulagi we will see the site of the Resident Commissioner's house and the fiercely fought over cricket pitch. In the afternoon we will see the smaller nearby islands of Gavutu and Tanambogo, which were also attacked by the marines on August 7. The Japanese fiercely resisted all these landings, and we will walk the ground where the marines fought their way ashore. There will also be the opportunity to snorkel over the wreck of a Japanese Kawanishi flying boat just off the wharf at Gavutu. We will then travel on to Purvis Bay where we will see the wreck of the American landing ship LST-342, which broke in half after being hit by a Japanese torpedo in 1943. The floating front half was towed to Purvis Bay and beached. In nearby Tokyo Bay we will see the sunken wreck of the Japanese destroyer Kikutsuki (and may even be able to clamber aboard the wreck if the tide is low). The Kikutsuki was used during the original Japanese landings on Tulagi on May 3, 1942 and was sunk the next day by planes from Admiral Fletcher's carriers Yorktown and Lexington, in what can be regarded as the opening shots in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Late in the afternoon we will return across Iron Bottom Sound to Guadalcanal. (B)

STAR INCLUSIONS: Boat transfer to Tulagi Island - Full day touring the islands of Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo

Day 5, 9 August (HMAS Canberra 70th Anniversary)

Our first visit today will be to the Australian HMAS Canberra memorial on the anniversary of her sinking during the naval Battle of Savo Island. We will conduct a memorial service and lay a wreath in honour of the 193 Australian sailors killed or wounded during the battle. After the ceremony we will drive west to the amazing outdoor museum at Vilu, with its collection of wrecked aircraft, tanks and guns. We will also visit Bonegi Beach and see the wreck of a Japanese transport that was beached during the campaign. (B)

STAR INCLUSIONS: Memorial service for HMAS Canberra - Vilu outdoor museum - Bonegi Beach

Day 6, 10 August (Farewell)

Our last morning in Honiara gives us the chance to catch up on last-minute shopping and sightseeing. In the afternoon we will be transferred to the airport for our flight back to Australia. (Passengers who are joining a dive or fishing tour will be collected from the hotel.) Our journey may be over but the memories will last a lifetime. (B)

STAR INCLUSIONS: Airport transfer


Please note: This itinerary is an indication of the sites visited on the tour. The order of each day may be adjusted to allow for local events, weather conditions, etc.

WHAT ARE STAR INCLUSIONS?: 'Star Inclusions' are the extra things we provide each day that make your tour really special. You don't pay extra for Star Inclusions - they are included in the tour cost, and many of them are exclusive to Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours.

Extend your tour to include some of the Solomon Islands' world-famous diving and fishing. Ask us for more details.

* Per person, twin share, land only. Single supplement $697. Ask about our great airfare deals on Solomon Airlines.