Backpacking in the Cook Islands The Cook Islands are an exciting new gap year destination. This is a place for genuine backpackers in search of Pacific culture and lifestyle - there are no high rise hotels on the Cooks; just a relaxed pace of life and good times. Spread over two million square kilometres in the South Pacific, the 15 islands that make up the Cooks will attract backpackers and travellers after more than the typical beach holiday. The Cook Islands offers awesome diving, great hospitality and a super laid back, relaxing attitude. The Cooks are broadly divided into two groups. The remote Northern Group of islands comprise of six beautiful lagoons surrounded by tiny flat coral atolls. Manihiki supports the largest population in the Northern Group, with around 1,000 people from a total population of around 19,000. The Southern Group of islands has about 90% of the total Cooks land area. They're volcanic and have fewer coral atolls. Rarotonga, the main island with the capital city Avarua, is the largest island.

If you're heading to Australia and New Zealand on your gap year, make sure you also check out the Cook Islands - it's not something you're likely to regret... Map of Cook Islands Cookin' Up a Storm Idea of the Month Idea of the Week The Cook Islands are made up of 15 small islands. The capital is Avarua, based on the island of Rarotonga, with over half the national population.* No children under 12. Tariff rates are in New Zealand dollars. Room rates can vary subject to size and location. We advise checking with the establishment at time of booking.Cheapest Backpacker on Rarotonga Explore the Cook Islands Backpacker Accommodation on Rarotonga Island The only place to stay in the Cook islands for backpackers ..... Backpackers International Hostel offers budget accommodation in Rarotonga and a welcoming friendly social environment. It is less than a minute stroll to our white sandy, paradise beach, framed by coconut palms with a warm clear turquoise blue lagoon perfect for swimming.

Our backpacker hostel on Rarotonga Island offers guests big dorm and small dorm options plus single rooms and double / twin rooms from as little as NZ$16 per person per night. Dorm rooms : 3 or 6 beds 16 rooms : double or twin 1-minute walk from hostel Lounge, Kitchen, WiFi accessbackpack rotorcraft Backpackers International Hostel offers complimentary transfers from Rarotonga International Airport for all guests arriving on international flights, which includes immediate check in to your room whether in the middle of the night or during the day. rayos luz backpackConditions do apply ...backpack rugzak best getest Our hostel on Rarotonga Island is a short walk from one of the best snorkelling spots on the island, the Dive Centre and Coco-putt mini golf, with a great bar and excellent food.slr backpack costco

Backpackers International Cook Islands Backpackers International Hostel is conveniently located on the south west coast of Rarotonga enjoying brilliant sunsets. There's a small cafe and grocery store around the corner and a restaurant five minutes walk away. Public buses stop at our road junction less than a minute walk from the hostel and there's also bicycle and moped rentals for those looking to explore Rarotonga island.fss backpack pump Set in lush green tropical gardens, Backpackers International in Rarotonga is locally owned and operated. duffer backpack cheapThis famous and long standing backpacker hostel in Rarotonga is accredited by Cook Islands Tourism and recommended by STA Travel, Hostel-bookers and Hostel-world. We look forward to greeting you at the airport and making your trip as fun as possible ...

Rarotonga is the main and most populated island in the Cook Islands, at 26 miles its small enough to cycle around in a day. The island is surrounded by pretty beaches and lagoons and the interior dominated by volcanic peaks and dense forest and vegetation. Rarotonga isn’t exactly geared up for budget travel, there’s not a great deal of options for staying cheaply, we stayed in Tiare Village on the North side of the island which turned out to be a fair walk to the beach and a bus ride to the nice lagoon. You can get around the island on the bus that circles regularly. The accommodation was great, the lady that ran it being very friendly and making an effort to learn everyones names, she also gave us the great advice to visit Aitutaki if we could afford the flight, we splashed out and it was well worth it. If you don’t want to rely on public transport you can hire motorbikes the main ring road being pretty safe. We also hired mountain bikes and road round the island, getting pretty frazzled, the Ozone layer is pretty thin in these parts so you need to use super strength lotion especially if you’ve just flown in from grey England.

The location of Rarotonga makes things pretty pricey, even shopping in the main towns supermarket couldn’t really be considered budget. We cooked plenty of corn beef hashes as corn beef was plentiful and cheap, we even managed to forage for a bread fruit and make chips with the aid of a eccentric barefooted french man. All in all Rarotonga is a great place to visit I just wouldn’t consider it a budget or backpacking orientated destination, similar to Fiji in many ways, its a great place to go for a relaxing week at the start of  a longer trip away. About Latest Posts Latest posts by Benedict Adam (see all) World’s most Famous Sports Stadiums I see dragons. Komodo, a Photo tour Cerro de los Siete Colores (7 colour rock mountain)With limited options for exploring and only a trickle of young travellers making Rarotonga a stopover, backpacking in the Cook Islands evolves mostly around enjoying a relaxing beach break. Rarotonga is the main island and is a convenient stop-over between Los Angeles and Australia or New Zealand.

The islands are relatively expensive to visit and few backpackers stay more than a week and the majority do little more than relax on the gorgeous beaches. Backpacking Guide to Rarotonga Island The main island of Rarotonga is a very laid back destination and it's easy to get around and very safe to travel on your own even as a single girl. There are a couple of excellent backpacker hostels aimed at backpackers with Vara's on Muri Beach being the longest standing and most popular. (click for details & pix) $ 155 - 185 $ 130 - 150 Backpacking Guide to Aitutaki & Atiu Backpackers with a more adventurous spirit tend to head out to Aitutaki Island where life is even more laid back than Rarotonga but again here the focus is relaxing on the beach and snorkelling in the beautiful lagoon. The alternative is to visit Atiu Island where the focus is away from the coast and more on exploring village life, culture and caves. $ 130 - 170 Backpacking guide in other South Pacific Islands