How many days do you have to spend with us? And what do you want to see?
Almost everything is close to your hotel! Bloody Ridge, Battle for Henderson Field, Alligator Creek is only a 10 minute drive. And some hiking if you want to see some of the Marine fighting pits from 1942, or we can go along the coast if you want to see Vilu War Museum or the remains of the Japanese cargo ship Kinugawa Maru just off the beach.
We can take you to Red Beach, where the Marines landed on 7 August, 1942. There’s Alligator Creek , where the Marines overwhelmingly defeated the 28 th Infantry Regiment’s “Ichiki detachment”, killing some 800 of the 917 Japanese soldiers attacking. A short drive brings you to Bloody Ridge, where Col Merritt Edson rallied his exhausted Raiders and ParaMarines to defeat an overwhelming Japanese force over two days; with Edson directing the artillery fire as he stood on the front lines with his Marines, who drove off the shrieking Kawaguchi’s repeated assaults.
Only a few hundred yards from Bloody Ridge is where Sgt John Basilone fought and earned a Medal of Honor in the savage multi pronged Japanese assault known as the Battle for Henderson Field. Then there’s Mount Austin, where American Army forces cleared Mount Austin’s Gifu complex of some 45 interconnected pillboxes after two weeks of heavy fighting.
A visit to the Vilu Military Museum is worth your time. An open-air museum filled with both Japanese and American war relics, weaponry, artillery, and planes, and it’s a chance to see some of Guadalcanal on the drive. These fields are where “Honor – Courage – Commitment’ was a way of life.
Battlefield Tours:
1-Battlefield Tour: For 1-4 people, 1-3 three full days of touring battlefield sites
with a qualified Resident Guide. Rate includes all ground transportation to-from
battlefield site, water-land access fees, box lunch, water bottles.
Rate DOES NOT Include: international air fares, hotels, and other meals. Single Day Options or Add-on’s:
– A day at Vilu War Museum. Rate includes transportation, museum admission fee, our Resident Guide
– A day at Mt Austin Military Museum. Rate includes transportation, Resident Guide, and museum admission fee.
– Walking tour from your hotel to the National Museum includes Resident Guide
– Shopping Tour of Honiaira
– A boat trip to Tulagi, visiting the Japanese tunnels and defenses
2- Anniversary of the Battle for Guadalcanal Come for the August 7 Anniversary of the day the Marines landed in 1942! Same program as above, PLUS the commemorative events held to mark the event. Both tours are designed so every participant will have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the history of this historic six month battle.