Uepi Island Resort

Marovo lagoon, which is 140 kms long is the largest lagoon in the world. It is dotted with many idyllic little islands and Uepi is just one of the twenty which is inhabited.

The views as we flew across the lagoon in our twin otter were equally spectacular as was the journey by outboard powered canoe across the glass like smooth lagoon taking us 40 minutes to the small welcome jetty of Uepi Island.

 

Our accommodations were private bungalows and it was not long after unpacking that I was realizing that this place was close to everything you dream of, laid back, quite, lush gardens and great diving literally on our doorstop.

The waters right off our bungalow were teeming with life, including the little sharks driving the schools of fish in to the beach to catch.

For diving, Uepi has a range of sites to offer, "The Point" that we keep returning to. The point of the coast at the beginning of the Charapoana channel has all of the ingredients for a "Disney dive". Anything from large schools of pelagic fish and many other smaller fish all swimming around waiting to feed on the nutrient rich waters that come in the narrow gap.

A visit to Uepi would not be complete without a visit to at least one of the carving villages based in the lagoon. We went to the village of Telina, home to some of the best carvers in the Pacific, when we arrived they had set out wares for us to touch and marvel at!

There were dolphins, canoes, Nusa Nusa heads and turtles laid out on cloth to protect. We also met a villager named John Wayne, who is probably the best carver in the whole of the lagoon. He has developed his own detailed style of carving which he names "Spirits of the Solomons". We felt very fortunate to have met this artist of the Marovo lagoon and take pride that one of his is in our collection.