Agnes Gateway Hotel
For over fifty years, this family owned lodge has attracted visitors to the remote Western Province of Munda. Named after the founder Mrs. Agnes Kera, this 28-room hotel that clings to the shore of the island studded Roviana Lagoon. Enjoy an early morning "cuppa" or a late afternoon "sundowner" drink from the Lodge's "Munda Bar", while watching a vibrant water community or go back in time and stroll around the adjacent villages.
The rooms are comfortable with Pacific style decorations and are twin or double bed rooms configurations. There is also the two-bedroom Orchid Suite which is great for families. The hotel has a laidback, fun rustic charm with a daily sheets/towel change, fridge, fans and air con. For budget travelers, there is a backpacker style dormitory with shared facilities, self catering kitchen, mosquito netting and fans.
The Roviana Restaurant is open from early morning until late and serves a range of local dishes and English cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They pride themselves on specialty seafood dishes with all the fare locally caught and freshly served. And, of course, the kitchen will cook your catch when you bring it home. Looking out over the lagoon is the Munda Bar, a happening local gathering spot.
If you go with the mindset of visiting a remote location, in a beautiful waterfront setting, a base for exploring the incredible lagoons, underwater world and WW2 history, you will relax into the island time and overlook its shortcomings, it’s all just part of the experience. The staff are polite and friendly and do their best to accommodate visitors needs and they are slowly making improvements to cater for overseas visitors. Have patience and get into the swing of island life.
The award-winning Dive Munda is based in the village of Munda, nestled on the premises of the beautiful and tranquil Agnes Gateway Hotel, on the southern coast of New Georgia Island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, an area renowned for its peaceful beauty and friendly people as well as its amazing reefs and incredible biodiversity. Munda boasts an airstrip with daily connections, stunning, serene and romantic scenery, amazing WWII history, a vibrant local culture and of course, world class diving!
The Dive Munda center is an intimate and friendly operation with a customized approach to your diving needs. Their great local staff on board, led by an experienced Instructor Trainer, will offer you incredible diving paired with personalized service. Whether you have never dived before, wanting to become a dive professional or you have already logged thousands of hours underwater, we plan our diving around you. The center stocks a range of well-maintained rental sport-diving equipment, including Nitrox and our boats are equipped with oxygen and other first aid necessities. They have two 7m fibreglass boats fitted for diving and powered by Yamaha F100 four-stroke outboards as well, another 7m boat fitted with a Yamaha 40HP engine. Dive Munda is an SSI Instructor Training Centre and SSI Authorized Partner, ensuring you get the highest quality training.
The diving in Munda is very special and magical - possibly some of the best sites in the world. Spectacular walls drop off to over 600 meters. Grey, Blacktip and Whitetip Reef sharks routinely patrol, as do Hammerheads. Eagle rays, Dogtooth Tuna, Barracuda and other pelagics are also common. Encounters with any of the species of big sharks and rays are always exciting, and divers who prefer macro subjects will be enthralled by the smaller critters such as Pygmy Seahorses, varieties of Anemone fish, Spiny Lobsters and Fiery Dartfish.
Munda’s reefs are in pristine condition, with lush hard and soft corals and gigantic sea fans. Snorkelers will be mesmerized by the extensive, intact coral gardens in the shallows. In addition to the reefs and abundant marine life, Munda’s seabed is littered with wrecks from WWII, with fighter planes, bombers, a Japanese freighter and a recently discovered dump site with tanks. Visibility varies from 15 to 40+ meters. Our wet season tends to begin late December and tapers off in March, although we dive year-round.
For divers who want to extend their bottom times or increase their safety margins, we offer Enriched Air Nitrox fills. Do keep in mind we are in a remote area and Nitrox fills are not always available.
Billy runs the tour desk and offers a great selection of trips, his local knowledge and friendly, laid back manner is contagious. On non-diving days, take a snorkel trip over the Nell Bomber and other plane wreck just minutes from the hotel.
On land, there’s tons to do. Visit the villages in the outer islands and step back in time. Experience life much as it was a hundred years ago. No electricity, no internet, no running water supply, no shops, few roads. And no noise - except for the sound of the waves!
The Solomon Islands is known for its finely made, intricately designed handcrafts. Beautiful traditional style carvings, baskets and jewelery as well as modern paintings can be purchased at markets and villages throughout the Solomons. These islands are dotted with archaeological monuments including ancient ceremonial shrines. For the curious adventurers there are opportunities to visit and learn about ancient hillforts high on the mountains, headhunting or skull shrines and other sites of important legends. Half day and full day tours to visit villages, WWII sites and archaeological shrines can be arranged.
There are also boat trips to deserted islands, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking and sport fishing!
Munda and Agnes Gateway Hotel are the most readily accessible places outside of the capital. Once you reach Honiara after flights from either Brisbane, Nadi or Port Moresby, Solomon Airlines domestic service has at least two flights every day into Munda from Honiara, and one or two inbound flights from Gizo daily.
