First opened in June of 2006, “The Villages” has quickly become renowned as the best location and best all-around fishing program on Christmas Island.
Located on the white sand of Discovery Beach, The Villages overlooks the aqua-marine waters of the atoll’s vast lagoon. Its location puts it only a short 5 – 10 minute skiff ride to several expansive, easily waded flats teeming with bonefish.
“The Villages” features 8 air-conditioned double twin-bed bungalows plus 4 smaller single-occupancy cabins, comfortably accommodates up to 20 anglers at a time. There is a private bathroom in each unit and a porch facing Discovery Beach and lagoon. A “maneaba”, a local name for the community gathering center, lies in the heart of the complex, featuring a comfortable lounge and dining area.
There are two distinct advantages to fishing with The Villages. The first is that your boat meets you just a few steps from your bungalow. Anglers are transported to the fishing in versatile South Pacific style, sea-worthy skiffs to the many productive bonefish flats and to the reef drop-offs for exciting light tackle tunas, trevally, wahoo, rainbow runners and bonito. They have eliminated the use of pick-up trucks, except for a few choice, ocean-side and shoreline flats, so that anglers are able to maximize their valuable fishing time. Because of their ideal location and focus on boat transportation, guides and anglers fishing with The Villages are usually the first to the flats every day, and the last off, allowing for maximized fishing time.
As an added bonus, a few years back the guide team at The Villages decided to do something that had never been done on the island before. Rather than the typical two-anglers per guide that is found almost everywhere else in the world, The Villages now employs a distinct, one to one guide ratio, with every angling guest fishing with their own private guide, every day. This translates into more shots at bonefish, trevally, and the variety of other flats and reef fishes. All of the guides are experienced and knowledgeable in all types of fishing, and their incredible eyesight on the flats can often make the difference in how many good shots you have on any given day on the flats.
2022 & 2023 Rates
$3,290 USD pp (7 nights lodging & 6 days guided fishing (double occupancy)
• Single occupancy rates are available
Inclusions
Your angling package at Christmas Island Villages includes (On Christmas Island only) meals and accommodations at the lodge; packed lunch on fishing days; transportation to and from fishing; driver and guide fees each day; Christmas Island ground transfers.
Non-Inclusions
Not included in your Christmas Island Villages package are round trip airfare to Honolulu and Christmas Island; all alcoholic beverages, gratuities; meals and accommodations while in Hawaii; items of personal nature, including fishing tackle and any other items not specifically listed in the inclusions; fishing license ($35.00); laundry services ($22 p/wk); departure taxes; travel insurance.
• Credit cards are not accepted on Christmas Island.
Travel Insurance
The Fly Shop® is not in the insurance business, but we recommend Travel Guard coverage as a service with a desire to see your best interests protected. It is impossible to know when an unfortunate situation (loss of luggage, fly rods, illness in the family, or an accident) may occur. However, such things can and do happen, and this insurance can provide a means of recourse against non-refundable financial losses.
• Travel Insurance Information
Seasons at The Villages
The best time of year to fish Christmas Island is whenever you can be there!
Christmas Island is located about 1200 miles south of Hawaii and only 110 miles north of the Equator. It's proximity to the equator guarantees consistent conditions throughout the year, making it one of the few
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fishing destinations in the world that provides great opportunities nearly every day of the year.
There is no bad time of year to fish Christmas Island. Some of the most popular months are in the wintertime -- November through February -- when many other international destinations are cold and negatively impacted by winter weather conditions. This is also the most popular time to fish Christmas Island so make your reservations early.
Getting to The Villages
We strongly recommend using the services of our professional travel agent in Honolulu: Renee Mahler. She is the best resource for reservations between Honolulu and Christmas Island (Cassidy International Airport, code CXI). She is very familiar with this flight and will take good care of you. Moreover, if there are ever any travel delays related to either the charter flight to Fanning or the commercial flight on Fiji Airways to/from Hawaii (or Fiji), she will be able to assist you in any rebookings needed to get you home. While these sorts of delays are rare, they do happen. This is also another very good reason to purchase Travel Insurance for this trip.
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Renee can be reached 1-808-949-8100 (ext 103#) or renee@ultimatevacations.us. Tell her that you are with The Fly Shop, and she’ll take extra special care of you.
The round trip via Fiji Airways flight between Christmas Island (or Fiji) and Honolulu costs approximately US$1140. Fiji Airways is a well-operated airline and provides good service; Renee can almost always get our guests great seats; wine and beer are complimentary; and a small meal is provided.
Renee can also make flight reservations from the mainland for you as well as make hotel arrangements in Hawaii, or Fiji. Most of our guests choose to stay at the Airport Honolulu Hotel (formerly known as the Ohana), particularly if spending only one night. The hotel restaurant has a decent breakfast. Dinners there are decent, and there are several good restaurants within walking distance. It is often worth the $30 cab ride (one way) to Waikiki for better dining options (Duke’s is one of our favorite restaurants, right on Waikiki Beach). The Pearl Ridge Shopping Center is nearby and reachable by taxi if you need any last-minute items.
The following Tuesday (Wednesday in Christmas Island), the return flight from the island typically leaves about 7:00 AM and arrives in Honolulu at 10:30 AM. Due to the somewhat unpredictable nature of the arrival time on your return flight we recommend that you schedule your flight out of Honolulu in the late afternoon to prevent missing a flight due to schedule delays from Christmas Island.
If you want snacks, liquor or wine, purchase them in Honolulu before you depart for Christmas Island. You are allowed 1 liter of liquor, wines or spirits.
Travel to Honolulu Sunday or Monday:
Preceding your scheduled week in Christmas Island that runs from Tuesday to Tuesday (Hawaii Time), we recommend flying to Honolulu on Sunday or Monday and spending a night or two to give yourself plenty of rest and to allow for delays or lost baggage. The Honolulu Airport Inn (also named Ohana Honolulu Airport Hotel) is convenient and located near the terminal (and has a van for transfers; their phone is 808-836-0661).
Tuesday Morning:
Please check in at the Honolulu airport according to instructions on your ticket or from your travel agent. Most recently the flights have been departing Honolulu about noon this day. Remember, Christmas Island is one day ahead of US time. In flight you cross the International Date-line, and your Tuesday afternoon suddenly because Wednesday!
Wednesday:
Upon arrival at Christmas Island, the Villages staff will be there to meet you and transfer you to the lodge. Once at the lodge you will meet the head guide and he will walk you through the fishing program and your lodge stay.
Thursday through Tuesday:
After breakfast you'll head out for a long fishing day, with access to the walk-wade flats by outrigger boat. You will fish from approximately 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM and then be back at the lodge around 5:30 PM. Dinner is around 7:00 PM. This schedule may change according to your fishing desires and the tides. On your last night you may pay your extra lodge expenses to the lodge owner, take care of tips, and pack up for an early morning departure tomorrow. Make sure your flight reservations are confirmed.
Tuesday – (Wednesday in Christmas Island):
You will depart Christmas Island on Wednesday morning (early), arriving Honolulu on Tuesday morning (after crossing back over the International Date Line) at approximately 11:00 a.m. Please be prepared to pay a $22 - $24 USD Departure Tax when departing Christmas Island. You should not book a flight out of Honolulu for home before late afternoon or evening.
A passport that is valid for six months after the last day of your trip is required for all visitors to Christmas Island. If your passport expires before then, please renew it right away. Citizens and nationals of the United States, Australia, Canada the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and many other nations are exempt from visa requirements.
Lodging at The Villages
Accommodations at The Villages are basic but comfortable, with beachside bungalows featuring air conditioning, hot water, refrigerators, and everything you need to enjoy your time in the South Pacific.
Located on the pristine white sand of Discovery Beach, The Villages is nestled among the palm trees overlooking the ever changing aqua colored
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waters of the atoll's lagoon. It is only a short 10-minute boat ride to several large shallow easily waded flats teeming with bonefish.
The Villages" features 8 air-conditioned double twin-bed bungalows plus 4 smaller single-occupancy cabins, comfortably accommodates up to 20 anglers at a time. The Villages feature eight air-conditioned double twin-bed bungalows, comfortably accommodating up to fourteen anglers at a time. There is a private bathroom with shower and hot/cold water in each unit and a porch with views of Discovery Beach and the lagoon. There is a refrigerator in the rooms and bottled water, sodas and beer are available from the bar. A "maneaba", a local name for the anglers gathering center, lies in the heart of the complex featuring a comfortable lounge and dining area, all with an elegant South Seas atmosphere. Locally flavored seafood and meats are prepared by an experienced local chef and served by his trained staff. If you require special dietary meals, please let us know in advance of your trip. The bar has liquor, beer and soft drinks that will be charged to your bill and your bar tab is payable at the end of your stay. You make and pack your lunch each day from the choices on a small sandwich buffet and it is put in the coolers assigned to your skiff.
With an ideal location on the pristine white sands of Discovery Beach, anglers need only walk a few steps from their cabana door right out to the water each morning to board their South Seas outrigger style boat and be transported to the interior flats. This is the only lodge on the island with this unique advantage. Many of the flats are reached 10 – 15 minutes after leaving the beach. This feature offers a longer day of fishing less time traveling to the fishing spots. First time anglers to the flats here will be astounded by the sheer vastness of them. Some extend for miles. Most of the flats are easily waded. In the 6 full days of fishing during your trip, you will only fish a small fraction of the fishable flats.
Voltage at the lodge is 110V. Some of the rooms have US-style plugs with 2 vertical blades, while the other rooms (5 – 8) also have 110V but the plugs are Australian style. The lodge tries to have enough adapters on hand, but guests have a tendency to accidentally pack them home, so it's not a bad idea to pack a small adapter if you have one (you will not need a converter).
Fishing at The Villages
The guides boast of the longest fishing times/day of any other lodge.
After an early breakfast anglers will gather their equipment and head to the beach. Guests prepare their own lunch and will order water, soft drinks or beer and all of it will be put into an ice chest and put on your boat. Lunches are taken on the water, to provide the maximum fishing
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time. Fishers return to the lodge at about 6:00 PM each day. Schedules vary some with weather, tides and fishing location.
The head guide will schedule the daily fishing, according to the tide, water, sun position and weather conditions. Each day anglers will leave from the beach in their assigned skiff with their guides and boatman. A short ride brings you to some of the best bonefish flats. Christmas Island offers the largest white coral and sand flats on Earth. You will always have your own personal guide to assist you on the flats. All of the bonefishing will be by wading and the flats will vary from 6 inches to 3 feet deep.
The guides will select flats according to the wind and sun position, whenever possible, in the anglers favor. The boatman stays in communication with the guides via marine radio and moves the skiff to follow the anglers and guides, so you'll be within easy walking distance from your skiff in the event that you want to get to your tackle, food, snacks or water, or move to the next flat.
Versatile South Pacific style skiffs are used to transfer anglers right from The Villages beach to the many productive bonefish flats and reef drop-offs. The pick-up trucks used by other lodges have been mostly eliminated here, except when specifically requested for a few select oceanside and shoreline flats, so anglers are able to maximize their valuable fishing time. When fishing the Korean Wreck waters or some other sites that can only be reached by using land vehicles, they will be used. The head guide will discuss these special areas when they are fishing well.
Normally the angler/boat ratio is 4 anglers per skiff. The number of anglers per skiff may vary based on even/odd numbers of anglers. There may be situations when there are 5 anglers on a skiff and there also may be situations where there are as few as 3. There should never be more than 5 per skiff. This will be decided by the head guide each day.
Christmas Island is one of the most prolific bonefish destinations on the planet! That's quite a statement, but it's supported by the experience of thousands of anglers each of whom have caught and released dozens of fish in a single day. Bonefishing here is done the way it should be - on foot. Fly fishers spend the entire day stalking albula vulpes (White Fox) usually on solid, white-bottomed flats that often stretch as far as the eye can see. It is exciting angling by any standards. Fishing off-shore for blue water fish such as dorado (mahi mahi), yellow-fin, wahoo and others is an option that is available at an additional cost.
You will fish when fishing is best, not when breakfast and dinner are scheduled to be served. Meals are served according to the fishing schedule. The shy, hard-working, natives are part of the cultural and fishing experience that makes Christmas Island special.
What Makes This Destination Special and Unique?
• Christmas Island is one of the most prolific bonefish destinations on the planet. The protected lagoon provides ideal habitat to provide unbelievable populations of bonefish. It is one of the few places in the world where anglers of any skill level can expect multiple shots at good numbers of bonefish, every day, 365 days a year.
• Fishing on Christmas Island is done the way it should be – on foot. This is the largest coral atoll in the world, and the lagoon is loaded with miles upon miles of fishable water, and there are additional miles of Oceanside reef flats as well. Fly fishers spend the entire day stalking bonefish (or other species) on solid, white-bottomed flats that often stretch as far as the eye can see.
• Christmas Island is one of the few destinations in the world that features consistent, reliable conditions and great fishing year round. Located a mere 120 miles north of the equator in a part of the Pacific Ocean that has never been hit by a hurricane, every month of the year provides consistent temperatures and weather conditions. There is no bad time of year to visit, and you can find great fishing whenever you have the time to go.
• In addition to the great bonefishing, there are many other exciting fish species you can target on Christmas Island. The atoll is home to several different species of Trevally, including the notorious Giant Trevally, beautiful and powerful Bluefin Trevally, and rare Golden Trevally. Tailing triggerfish have become a favorite target species for many Christmas Island regulars. Add in sweetlips, milkfish, parrotfish, goatfish, snapper, and offshore species such as tuna and wahoo, and the opportunities abound to put a bend on the end of your rod with many different beautiful, hard-fighting fish.
• The Villages in particular has what many believe to be the most convenient location for fishing on the entire island. They are the only lodge located on a beach right on the lagoon, and the only lodge where guests can literally walk right out the front door of their bungalow and onto the boats to start fishing. With this distinct advantage, anglers fishing with the Villages have shorter times to the flats and are usually the first to the flats every day, and the last off, allowing for maximized fishing time.
• The Villages feature a 1:1 guide to angler ratio, so everyone fishing with the Villages has their own private guide, every day. These experienced local guides are a huge asset to have at your shoulder throughout the day, with eyes that can spot fish from a long ways out, as well as holding an extra rod so you can be prepared to cast for a big GT should one push up on the flats while you’re stalking bonefish. With this extra help, you’ll see more fish, and catch more fish.
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