Safety in Micronesia

Overall: The country is generally safe for visitors, though it pays to stay alert. People are friendly, and there is essentially no hassling or begging, which travellers notice quickly.

Chuuk State: This is the one place calling for extra caution. Weno has a reputation as an uneasy town after dark, so avoid walking alone down unlit streets at night.

Weather: Typhoon season runs from June to December. Big storms can shut down air links for several days, so watch forecasts and build a couple of spare days into any itinerary. Check your own government's travel advisory before you fly.

Currents: Lagoons look placid, but beyond the reef the currents can be powerful. Never swim far from shore without local company unless you know both your own limits and the water.

Wildlife: There are no dangerous land animals, but villages have plenty of stray dogs. They are usually lazy and will simply bark at a stranger. In the water, watch for coral cuts and sea urchins, which heal slowly and painfully.

Medical care: Hospital standards on the islands are modest. Serious injuries require insurance that covers a flight out to Guam, so check that wording before you buy. Carry a well-stocked first aid kit with antiseptics and any antibiotics you have been prescribed.

Insects: Mosquitoes are active year round and can carry dengue. Use strong DEET-based repellent, especially at dawn and dusk, and always check the screens in your room.

The Federated States of Micronesia comprises four very different states across thousands of kilometres of ocean: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. Tourists are few and deception as an industry does not exist.

Understand this first. This is not one destination but four. Inter-island flights run on the United "island hopper", services are infrequent, and a cancellation means losing several days. Plan with a large margin.

Chuuk. The lagoon holding the sunken Japanese fleet is one of the world's premier wreck diving sites. Ashore, conditions are poorer and tenser than on the other islands: thefts occur and nobody walks at night. Most divers stay on liveaboards and barely go ashore.

Taxis. Operating on Pohnpei and Chuuk; agree in advance.

Cash. The currency is the US dollar. Cards are accepted in a handful of places and ATMs are few. Bring cash.

Prices. Everything is imported, so costs are high.

The wrecks are war graves. Hundreds of sailors lie in Chuuk lagoon. Removing anything from the bottom, small objects included, is prohibited by law and constitutes desecration. Dive operators enforce this and the rule is observed.

Land and custom. On Yap and elsewhere, land and inshore waters belong to communities. Crossing territory, swimming near a village and photography require permission. A guide or host arranges it.

Dress. Yap is particularly conservative: women's thighs are traditionally covered, while shoulders need not be. Shorts above the knee draw disapproval. Swimwear belongs on resort beaches only.

Betel. Chewing betel is universal and red spit on the roads is normal. Importing it into other countries is usually prohibited.

Drones. Permission is required; not over military sites or villages.

Drugs. The law is strict.

Marine life. Collecting coral and shells is restricted and turtles are protected.

Healthcare is the defining risk. Hospitals on Pohnpei and Chuuk are basic, and the small atolls have health posts. Anything serious means evacuation to Guam or Hawaii, costing tens of thousands of dollars and taking many hours because of flight schedules. Insurance with air evacuation is essential, and that is no formality.

Hyperbaric chamber. Available on Chuuk, which is critical for diving. But reaching it from other islands takes time. Diving must be a named item on your insurance.

Vaccinations. Hepatitis A and B, typhoid and tetanus. A yellow fever certificate is required from arrivals out of endemic countries.

Dengue. Outbreaks occur.

Water. Bottled or boiled only; on the atolls water is rainwater from cisterns.

Ciguatera. Reef fish poisoning is a real risk in Micronesia. Locals eat large predatory reef fish (barracuda, jack, grouper) selectively and know which. Follow their choices.

Typhoons. The season runs July to November.

Micronesia is a calm place with low crime against foreigners.

Police. Few in number; English is official alongside local languages.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken; cases are rare on Pohnpei, Yap and Kosrae.

Chuuk. The one state where urban caution is needed: alcohol, unemployment and tension produce higher petty crime. Nobody walks on Weno at night.

Customary law. Chiefs and communities play the real role in many matters rather than the police. Disputes on village land are settled through elders.

What actually matters. In Micronesia the danger comes from remoteness and the sea. This is a destination for divers and people prepared for difficult logistics, not an ordinary holiday.

Emergency numbers: 911 on Pohnpei; other islands have local numbers — ask at your hotel.