Fanning Island Lodge, Kiribati

Spend a week AT Fanning Island Lodge

REMOTE LODGE, REMARKABLE WATER

Fanning Island Lodge is a simple beachfront base on Tabuaeran, one of the most remote saltwater fisheries in the Pacific. Six traditional buias, a communal mwaneaba, fresh water, solar power and Starlink provide the essentials without diluting the atoll’s raw character.

Fishing begins from the lodge frontage. Local boats move anglers to lightly pressured lagoon flats and channels for large bonefish, giant and bluefin trevally, triggerfish, bumphead parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse. Most fishing is on foot, with tides and water movement shaping each day.

Trips normally include accommodation on Christmas Island before and after the Air Kiribati transfer. We generally limit groups to six anglers, supported by three boats and local guides. The lodge week can also be extended with additional fishing or a second week on Christmas Island.

CURRENT LODGE PACKAGE

Seven nights and 5.5 fishing days: US$5,100 per angler. The package includes Christmas Island accommodation, return island flights and transfers, lodging, meals, guides, boats and fishing licences. International flights, some alcoholic drinks, gratuities and travel insurance are excluded.

View our rates and resources.

HOSTED DEPARTURES

2026: October 7–14; November 4–18, including Christmas Island.

2027: April 7–14; September 15–22; October 13–20; October 20–27 Advanced Skills Week; November 10–17.

View all Fanning Island hosted trips.

THE JOURNEY TO FANNING ISLAND

GETTING TO CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Fanning Island is reached through Christmas Island (Kiritimati). North American guests normally depart Honolulu on Tuesday and arrive at Cassidy International Airport on Wednesday after crossing the International Date Line. Guests travelling from New Zealand or Australia connect through Nadi and normally reach Christmas Island early on Wednesday.

Wednesday night is spent on Christmas Island, with accommodation and airport transfers arranged as part of the itinerary. Depending on arrival time for travelers through Nadi, an optional guided session on the Christmas Island flats can also be arranged.

On Thursday morning, the group transfers to Cassidy International Airport for the Air Kiribati flight to Tabuaeran. After arriving later that morning, guests transfer to Fanning Island Lodge, settle into their beachfront buias and fish during the afternoon.

THURSDAY TO TUESDAY AT THE LODGE

Friday through Monday provide four complete fishing days. Boats leave directly from the lodge frontage and move around the atoll according to tides, water movement and the species being targeted. Most fishing is conducted on foot across lagoon flats, channels and reef edges.

A typical day combines boat transfers, extended wading sessions and a packed lunch on the water. Bonefish are a constant focus, while giant and bluefin trevally, triggerfish, bumphead parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse create opportunities as conditions change.

Guests return to the lodge for simple island-style meals, often centred on freshly caught seafood. Fresh water, solar power and Starlink provide the essentials, but this remains a genuinely remote fishing experience rather than a conventional luxury lodge stay.

RETURN, EXTEND OR COMBINE

Tuesday begins with a final morning fishing session before the group returns to the Tabuaeran airstrip for the afternoon flight to Christmas Island. Transfers and overnight accommodation on Christmas Island are included before onward international travel.

U.S.-bound guests normally fly to Honolulu on Wednesday, arriving on Tuesday local time after recrossing the International Date Line. Guests travelling through Fiji depart for Nadi and may require an airport hotel before continuing to Australia or New Zealand.

The journey can be extended with additional time on Fanning Island, a channel-side campout or further guided fishing from Ikari House on Christmas Island. A second full week on Christmas Island can also be incorporated.

Tabuaeran is served by a small Twin Otter aircraft, so schedules remain subject to weather, maintenance and operational changes. Isolation Outfitters coordinates the flights, transfers and accommodation around the confirmed island schedule.

FANNING ISLAND LODGE AT A GLANCE

LOCATION
Tabuaeran, in the Line Islands of Kiribati, approximately 175 miles (280km) northwest of Christmas Island.

ACCESS
Air Kiribati Twin Otter service from Christmas Island, with airport transfers and overnight accommodation on Christmas Island incorporated into the itinerary.

STAY
Seven nights in total, including accommodation on Christmas Island and a Thursday-to-Tuesday stay at Fanning Island Lodge, with 5.5 fishing days.

GROUP SIZE
Normally limited to six anglers, supported by three boats and local guides. Up to seven anglers can be accommodated at the lodge.

ACCOMMODATION
Six simple traditional beachfront buias with mosquito nets and rechargeable fans, centred around a communal mwaneaba.

FACILITIES
Fresh drinking and shower water, flush toilets, solar power, device charging and Starlink connectivity.

FISHING
Boat-supported access to lagoon flats, channels and reef edges. Most fishing is conducted on foot and planned around tides and water movement.

SPECIES
Large bonefish, giant and bluefin trevally, triggerfish, bumphead parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse, with blue-water fishing available by arrangement.

CURRENT RATE
US$5,100 per angler, including the lodge stay, Christmas Island accommodation, return island flights and transfers, meals, guides, boats and fishing licenses.

Why FISH FANNING ISLAND

A trip to Fanning Island is about as remote an adventure as you can experience in saltwater fly fishing. Accommodation and meals are simple – a marked contrast to the established lodges on Christmas Island.

What it does offer in abundance is the truly world-class Giant Trevally fly fishing that’s getting hard to find on Christmas Island.

Expect to cast to double-digit bonefish, monstrous Giant Trevally, bluefin trevally, triggerfish, bumphead parrotfish and Napoleon wrasse. Boats transport anglers throughout the lagoon, but most fishing is done on foot across seemingly endless flats, channels and reef edges.

Fanning Island is rugged, remote and uncompromising: exploration angling at its finest, based at a small lodge on one of the Pacific’s least-pressured fisheries.

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO FANNING ISLAND LODGE

TRIP ENQUIRIES

Contact Isolation Outfitters with your preferred dates, group size, fishing experience and room requirements. We can confirm lodge and Air Kiribati availability, recommend suitable tides and build the Fanning Island stay into a complete itinerary through Christmas Island.

Before booking, review our Fanning Island rates and resources, frequently asked questions and published moon phases and tide times.

GETTING THERE

Fanning Island is reached through Christmas Island. North American guests normally fly from Honolulu on Tuesday and arrive on Wednesday after crossing the International Date Line. Guests from New Zealand or Australia connect through Nadi.

The standard itinerary includes Wednesday night on Christmas Island, the Air Kiribati flight to Tabuaeran on Thursday and the return flight on Tuesday afternoon. A final night on Christmas Island is included before onward international travel.

The inter-island flight takes approximately one hour and 15 minutes, but remote-airline schedules remain subject to weather, maintenance and operational changes.

EXTENSIONS AND NON-ANGLERS

The standard week can be extended with extra time on Fanning Island, an optional channel-side campout, additional guided fishing from Ikari House or a complete second week on Christmas Island.

By prior arrangement, larger parties can use additional neighboring huts, and activities can be organized for non-angling partners and family members. Surfboards can normally be carried on the island transfer, subject to airline approval, and blue-water fishing beyond the atoll can also be arranged.

CURRENT PACKAGE

The one-week package is US$5,100 per angler and includes the Thursday-to-Tuesday stay at Fanning Island Lodge, first and final nights on Christmas Island, return Air Kiribati flights between Christmas Island and Tabuaeran, airport transfers, all meals, water, soft drinks and snacks, fishing licenses, guides and boats.

The fishing program provides 5.5 days on Fanning Island. International flights, some alcoholic drinks, gratuities, personal fishing equipment and comprehensive travel insurance are excluded.

A two-week Fanning Island package is US$8,700 per angler. Christmas Island combinations are priced on request.

BOOKING AND PAYMENT

Rates are quoted in US dollars per angler. A 50% deposit confirms the reservation, with the remaining balance payable 90 days before the trip begins.

Once dates and arrangements are agreed, Isolation Outfitters provides a secure payment link, formal itinerary, invoice, detailed inclusions and exclusions, packing guidance and tackle recommendations. Confirmed package rates remain unchanged after the deposit is received.

Payments may be made by bank transfer or major credit and debit card, subject to the published terms and conditions.

REMOTE TRAVEL, INSURANCE AND CASH

Medical-evacuation insurance is required, and comprehensive travel insurance with suitable cancellation and disruption cover is strongly recommended. Global Rescue is one option for medical-evacuation membership.

Air Kiribati applies strict baggage limits, and additional weight is charged locally. Guests should carry Australian dollars for the Fanning Island departure tax, gratuities and incidental purchases. Credit cards are not accepted on Fanning Island.

Fresh water, solar charging and Starlink are available at the lodge, but guests should prepare for equatorial heat, strong sun, sudden rain and the practical limitations of a remote atoll.