Nan Madol
The highlight of Pohnpei is the ancient archeological site of Nan Madol. It is a mysterious place – the aura that surrounds the site is almost palpable.
Nan Madol is a man-made complex of small islands off the eastern Pohnpei coast. It was built hundreds of years ago from basalt “logs”, although how they came to be brought there, and how it was all put together are still shrouded in mystery. They were inhabited by an ancient society, including the Pohnpeian kings, who ruled from the now sole remaining intact island in the complex, Nan Douwas.
It is amazing that such a significant and awesome place can exist and not be frequented more often. Its remoteness gives it a special quality that doesn’t exist at other countries’ premier tourist attractions – there are no queues, no ticket gates, no commercialisation. There are almost no people there at all.
