Saipan

Saipan is the largest island in the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ( The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands  is a territory of the United States in Micronesia, visited mainly by tourists from East Asia- in the western Pacific Ocean. ) located in the western Pacific Ocean.Saipan is 23 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide. The most concentrated areas and the best beaches are in the west and south of the island.

Saipan was ruled by Spain from the 16th to the 19th century, and the Chamorro people of the Mariana Islands were once forced to move to Guam by Spanish colonists. By the time the Chamorro people were allowed to relocate from Guam,After the Spanish War in 1899, Spain was defeated. The United States occupied and bought Guam from Spain, but it was not interested in other islands in the Micronesia.
Spain sold the islands such as Saipan to Germany before withdrawing from East Asia. On June 15, 1944, the US military landed from the southern tip of the island, and fought with the Japanese for three weeks. Finally, it defeated the Japanese army and was known as the “Battle of Saipan.” Hollywood once used the “Windtalkers” to bring this campaign to the screen.

In 1947, the United Nations authorized the establishment of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, governed by the United States and headed by Saipan. In 1962, the Mariana District residents in the trustee voted for a proposal to merge with Guam, but the Guam Chamorro people still hated the Saipan Chamorro wartime assistance to the Japanese rulers. The proposal was rejected in Guam.

In the early 1970s, the United States and the United Nations accepted the request of residents of the Mariana district and negotiated with the United States alone from other areas of the trusteeship. In 1975, the two sides signed a covenant. In January 1978, the “Northern Mariana Islands” was established, and an autonomous government was established. In November 1986, it became a US territory. Aboriginal people and later born in the state were all American citizens.

Saipan, the largest and most developed of the Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan is a great place for lovers of outdoor activities diving, surfing, fishing.

Access : Coordinates: 15.183333, 145.75 / Saipan International Firoport, If you are flying from the Eastern Hemisphere, it is best to fly to the Mariana Islands via Japan or South Korea. The flight time from Tokyo is 3.5 hours, from Seoul – 4.5 hours. There are no bus routes from the airport, so when booking a hotel you need to order a transfer service, rent a car or take a taxi.

Highlights :

•  Beaches : Micro Beach (Micri Beach). One of the best beaches on the island – Wing Beach This beach was chosen by lovers of snorkeling and novice divers – Ladder Beach. The most popular beach among locals. – Obzan Beach (Obyan Beach). A beach with very clear water. On the shore you can see the ruins of the Late columns, which once served as piles for the Chamorro house – Pao Pau Beach. An unusual beach, characterized by a coral reef that lies very close to the coast. Convenient for observing tropical fish.- Laola Beach (Laulau Beach). It is distinguished by the diversity of underwater species. In addition, there is a nesting place for sea turtles.- Jeffrey’s Beach. A beach with multi-level natural pools.   Old Man by the Sea. A small beach, named after a cliff resembling the head of an old man.
•  The small island of Managaha  : located just 10 minutes by boat from the main island, is home to one of the prettiest beaches. You can go snorkelling or bottling and enjoy some coconut.
•  Dive and watch the turtles in Laolao Bay or mimic locals with the “boonie stomp”
•  Garapan, the main tourist area of the island, offers a wide choice of restaurants, bars, shops and street stalls.
•  Scuba diving enthusiasts can choose from a dozen world-class dive sites, including , Eagle Ray City and Naftan and Underwater Grotto Cave (north of Saipan). Limestone cave connected with the sea by three underwater tunnels. One of the best diving sites in the world.
•  Sugar King Park. A park laid in memory of Matsui Haruji, a Japanese businessman who organized sugar production on Saipan and ensured the island’s economic prosperity. In the park you can see the Kharuji monument and an old steam locomotive that once walked along the first railway line of Saipan.
•  Banzai Cliff. One of the two cliffs, from which in 1944 thousands of Japanese army personnel and civilians threw themselves into the sea to escape captivity.
•  Cliff of Suicides (Suicide cliff). The second cliff, the place of mass suicide of the Japanese in 1944.
•  Last Command Post, a natural cave on the cliff of Mount Marpi. In fact – an open-air museum in which the abandoned weapons of the Japanese army (guns, tanks, etc.) are stored.
•  American Memorial Park. The park was founded in memory of American soldiers who died in the battles for Saipan and Tinian. The memorial complex exhibited samples of military equipment, weapons, military photographs.
•  Mount Carmel Cathedral (Mt. Carmel Cathedral). Beautiful cathedral, built during the Spanish rule.
•  Forbidden Island. Reserve Island. An interesting opportunity to participate in trekking tours, including movement in the mountains.
•  Bird Island. Great place to observe the feathered inhabitants of Marianne.
•  Marianas Museum of History and Culture (CNMI Museum of History and Culture). The museum presents the entire history of the islands – the time of the reign of Chamorro, Spanish rule, Japanese rule, the period of the Second World War, the post-war period. A large collection of treasures found in Spanish galleons sunken in local waters is presented.
•  Traces of ancient Chamorro and Carolinian civilizations are still visible in the Kalabera Cave and within the remains of a village in Agingan Beach. Agingan is also home to the wreck of a 17th century Spanish galleon.
•  Notre Dame du Carmel Cathedral , admire the stained glass windows / the Shinto Shrine Saipan Katori Shrine

Activities : swim, sunbathe /Scuba diving and snorkeling on Saipan / sightseeing / photo opportunities / trekking- Dive and watch the turtles in Laolao Bay or mimic locals with the “boonie stomp” (long walk) along the Saipan Beach Pathway, a scenic 4.8 km trail.

Go next : Managaha , an island in the Northern Mariana Islands / Tinian Island is just three miles away across the Saipan Channel./ Rota is one of the Northern Mariana Islands./ Tinian is one of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,