The Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall makes for a surprisingly good place to camp in Pohnpei
How to camp at Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall in Pohnpei
An adventure awaits in Pohnpei, Micronesia. Pohnpei was unlike any other Pacific Island we visited. With rugged mountains, dense mangroves, and generally unfriendly people, Pohnpei was a world of its own.
However, one thing we particularly enjoyed was our camping trip to Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall. Maybe it was because we underestimated it, or because it’s quite an unusual spot for the Pacific Islands. Either way, it’s worth visiting if you have your own camping gear or wish to have a picnic lunch somewhere different.
How to get to Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall
The Google Maps pin (seen below) is spot-on. Directing your navigation app to this point will lead you out of the capital on a roughly 40-minute drive east.
Once you hit the turn-off point from ‘Circle Island Road U’, you’ll take a right and start heading into the mountains. We were driving a ‘Japanese Truck’ – a low-powered, open-backed pickup truck – that we had rented from Kolonia, which felt like it had the engine capacity of a tiny car.
This is relevant as the steep road up to the parking area is sometimes paved, sometimes not, but is scattered with potholes. The ‘Japanese truck’ struggled with the gradient, but overall, getting to the end of the road wasn’t too challenging.
The path to Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall continues into the forest from the end of the road, so we parked and hiked on foot with our gear. It was an additional 15-minute walk at a slow pace to get to the waterfall. Continue behind the waterfall to a flat, sheltered area where you can camp.
The path towards Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall was somewhat overgrown but straightforward to follow
How much does it cost to go to Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall?
On the Pohnpei Eco-Adventure website, we read that camping at the waterfall would cost $3 per person per night; however, we were not charged. Upon arrival, we asked at the nearby house where to go, and he pointed us down the path. He was not the property owner, however, and didn’t ask for payment.
From what we know about Pohnpei, the owner would likely charge an access fee. So it’s best to be prepared with some dollars. It was very private during our stay, and we didn’t see anyone after we left the truck.
Camping at Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall
The Pahntakai cave has a clear, flat area of compact dirt under the overhanging cliff, where nothing grows. It can get a bit dusty, but it is dry enough that we slept without a tent cover and left our stuff outside uncovered.
There isn’t much of a breeze, so bring some coils for mosquitoes. Be prepared for the waterfall to be less of a gushing torrent and more of a series of trickling drips over the cliff edge. The camping spot sits behind the waterfall under the overhanging cliff – this is the cave.
Camping at Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall
We used the waterfall for collecting drinking water and showering. Filling water bottles was slow but possible. There is also a stream you could collect water from at the bottom of the valley, but it’s very steep to get down there. Make sure to bring water purification tablets with you if you’re going to drink the water.
The cliffs that make up Pahntakai Cave are an impressive sight surrounded by dense jungle
There was minimal water flow hen we visited Pahntakai Cave and Waterfall
Altogether, this was such a unique experience, especially on a Pacific Island. Camping at the edge of the cliff and looking up at the stars was a beautiful highlight of Pohnpei. We highly recommend this adventure, even for a day trip.
To read more about our time in Pohnpei, click HERE.
Visited: August 2024