Tarawa’s airport is one of the smallest we have ever been to. There is only a small shop where you can buy overpriced chips or water. So you will also look in vain for a car rental desk. That is mainly because there are no classic car rental companies in Kiribati. However, some hotels do offer car rentals.

If you want to know what you can see in Tarawa so you do not miss anything, check this out: 15 Highlights in Tarawa (Kiribati)

How do you get from A to B in Kiribati?

South Tarawa is an atoll, which means the island consists of a narrow, ring-shaped strip of land surrounded by water. The distance from Bonriki Airport to Betio is 30 kilometers.

Bus

There is a bus service in Tarawa. You can simply stand at a bus stop and wave a bus down. If the bus flashes its lights briefly or honks, that is the sign that it is already full and will not stop.

If you want to get off, you just have to shout “stop here” and the driver will let you out.

However, there is no schedule, and the buses only run during the day.

Taxi

There are no taxis in Tarawa. Locals use ride-sharing to get from A to B.

Rental car

The easiest way to get around is a rental car or a motorcycle.

Where can you rent a car?

There are no official car rental companies in Tarawa. But some hotels offer car rentals. In Kiribati, an International Driving Permit is required to rent a car.

Driving in Tarawa

In Kiribati, traffic drives on the left. For the size of Tarawa, there are surprisingly many vehicles. That actually helps if you are not used to left-hand traffic, because you can simply follow the flow of traffic and are less likely to end up driving on the wrong side.

In built-up areas, which is basically all of South Tarawa, the speed limit is 40 km/h. In non-built-up areas, 60 km/h is allowed.

The road is often overloaded, and especially in Bikenibeu there are occasional small traffic jams and delays.

Near a maneaba, honking is prohibited in some places. Maneabas are usually marked with a sign like this.

Road network in South Tarawa

The atoll is over 30 kilometers long, but in some places not even 100 meters wide.

That is why there is basically only one road. A GPS is not necessary, and it is practically impossible to get lost.

Betio, the largest town on Tarawa, is located on its own island and is connected to Tarawa via the Nippon Causeway.

To cross the Nippon Causeway, you have to pay a small toll of 0.4 AUD.

There is exactly one roundabout in all of Tarawa. If you drive south from Bonriki International Airport, the road ends at a roundabout. This is also where the main road begins, which leads all the way to Betio.

If you follow the road north from the airport, after 2 kilometers you reach a small bridge. This bridge connects North and South Tarawa.

A photo of one of the few side streets in Betio

Bridge between North and South Tarawa

There is a bridge between North and South Tarawa. However, it does not look very trustworthy. Metal plates have simply been laid on top of the bridge for cars to drive over. Between the plates there are sometimes gaps several centimeters wide, through which you can see the water. On one side, metal bars have been put up as a barrier, because the plates can no longer support vehicles.

Road network in North Tarawa

In principle, roads exist only in South Tarawa. The bridge between North and South connects only the island of Buota. The road on Buota is about 2 kilometers long, and then it ends at Sue’s Creek. This is a small channel, only about 200 meters wide, and at low tide the water is only about hip deep. On the north side of Sue’s Creek is Abatao. Here, a small path leads to the “Broken Bridge”. There are no cars in Abatao, but some locals use motorcycles.

How much does a rental car cost?

Since there are no real rental car companies and you can only get a car through hotels, comparing prices is quite difficult. But you should expect around 60 to 80 AUD per day.

One liter of petrol costs about 2.7 AUD. To explore the island, it is enough to drive from one end to the other and back again. That means you will have driven the whole island in about 60 to 70 kilometers. So fuel costs are not really relevant.

License plate for the collection