The Solomons are
a country that prides itself on small ecotour activities, rather than
mass tourism and luxury resorts. The "Solomon Island Village Stays"
were developed in order to let the traveler experience the true feeling
of the Solomons. There is a network of over twenty village homestays
located throughout the Solomon Islands. A family of the village operates
each homestay, and usually they are well-established members of their
village. This gives the local villagers an opportunity to earn cash
without selling their land to developers or loggers.
As a homestay guest,
you are accommodated in a bungalow the island villages participating
in the village stays have created (at low-cost) for you. It usually
is right next to the host family that will be your guides for the duration
of your stay. They will accompany you in your explorations, and treat
you as if you lived in the village, and were not a guest there. Guests
are also provided meals "local style" meaning meals that the
every day villager would feast on. A few of the activities offered to
the traveler are as follows; canoeing, listening to traditional stories
from village elders, watching how food is prepared under hot stones,
weaving, games with village children, learn the native Pidgin language,
rainforest walking, learn local tradition and history, help out with
village chores, and swimming and snorkeling off the beach.
In the past few
years due to the armed conflict problem in the Solomon Islands, many
of the Solomon Island Village Stays had to close down. However, recently,
the Village Stays started to reopen, and the Solomon Islands are now
working to resurrect the success of their program.
Information
in this section can be attributed to the following:
Solomon
Island Village Stays Website