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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Pacific

Pacific

Kiribati

Remote atolls on the equator, with a seabird sanctuary on Kiritimati and a Ramsar wetland with nesting green turtles on North Tarawa.

A small wave breaking on a sandy beach under a bright blue sky
Kiribati atoll beach · Photo: Kristina Tietjen on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: Birdwatch with us, Tourism Authority of Kiribati; Nooto-North Tarawa, Ramsar Sites Information Service (site 2143); Phoenix Islands Protected Area, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

SnorkellingWhale sharksMantasTurtlesDolphins

Why Kiribati

Kiribati is a very spread out country of atolls. Kiritimati has a bird sanctuary where rangers join every visit to the nesting zones, and the tourism board lists whale sharks, manta rays, spinner dolphins, eagle rays and turtles in its waters. North Tarawa has a Ramsar wetland with mangroves, giant clams and nesting green turtles. Flights are few, with one flight a week to Kiritimati, and there is no recompression chamber in the country. We do not fish or visit the Phoenix Islands.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

Papua New GuineaIndonesiaTimor-LesteSolomon Is.AustraliaPhilippinesMalaysiaBruneiKiritimati (Christmas Island), KiribatiNorth Tarawa and Nooto wetland, Kiribati

When to go

Apr-Nov. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Kiritimati is a bird sanctuary where rangers join every visit to nesting zones, and North Tarawa has a Ramsar wetland with nesting green turtles. But most visitors come to fish, and in 2021 the Phoenix Islands reserve lost its no-take rule. We do not fish or visit the Phoenix Islands. We watch birds with rangers, snorkel the reef gently, and watch dolphins only from the boat.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Kiribati

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Kiritimati (Christmas Island)

Exploring

A big Line Islands atoll with a seabird sanctuary, reef walls and a rich sea life reported by the tourism board.

🤿 In the water: Reef snorkelling, gently and with no touching

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Spinner dolphins (from the boat), Seabirds with a ranger, in the nine protected breeding zones, Whale sharks, mantas and eagle rays are reported here (in-water rules not verified, so we offer no swims)

When: Apr-Nov. The tourism board says diving conditions are best from April to November, and whale sharks are seen more often from November to April. Seabird breeding peaks in June and December. Power comes from generators and can be rationed.

North Tarawa and Nooto wetland

Exploring

A Ramsar wetland of about 1,033 hectares with mangroves, giant clams and green turtle breeding.

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Green turtles (breeding area, from a distance), Mangroves and giant clams (from the shore or boat)

Animals

Animals recorded in Kiribati

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Huge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue waterWhale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangeredTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo blacktip reef sharks swimming over sunlit sand in turquoise waterBlacktip reef sharkCarcharhinus melanopterusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhitetip reef sharks resting stacked in a reef creviceWhitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja AmpatHumphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)Cheilinus undulatusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasEndangeredWall of grey reef sharks cruising in blue waterGrey reef sharkCarcharhinus amblyrhynchosSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableClown triggerfish with big white spots over reef in the Coral SeaClown triggerfishBalistoides conspicillumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed-tailed tropicbird in Glendowie, Auckland, New Zealand, iNaturalist research-grade observationRed-tailed tropicbirdPhaethon rubricaudaSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlack noddy perched in a shrub on Tern Island, French Frigate ShoalsBlack noddyAnous minutusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant trevally swimming close to a coral head, with small reef fish in blue water behind itGiant trevallyCaranx ignobilisSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHuge flock of sooty shearwaters flying low over the sea beside a rocky coastSooty shearwaterArdenna griseaSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedGreat frigatebird in flight, with long angled wings and a forked tailGreat frigatebirdFregata minorSeen in 44 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLesser frigatebird soaring against a blue sky with its wings spread and tail forkedLesser frigatebirdFregata arielSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSargasso shearwater gliding over a grey sea, dark above and pale belowSargasso shearwater (Audubon's shearwater)Puffinus lherminieriSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBulwer's petrel flying low over blue water, its long pointed tail visibleBulwer's petrelBulweria bulweriiSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTropical shearwater flying low over blue waves, with dark wings and white underpartsTropical shearwaterPuffinus bailloniSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTahiti petrel in flight over the sea, dark above with a white bellyTahiti petrelPseudobulweria rostrataSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
Dreaming of Kiribati?

Tell Rocío what you would love to see

There is no trip here yet. If enough people ask, it helps us decide where to go next.

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