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Rota

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The southernmost of the Northern Marianas, some forty nautical miles from Guam, with Songsong village under the Wedding Cake and latte stones still lying in their quarry.

Fly to Rota All of Northern Mariana Islands
Arrival
Rota International · ROP
To Songsong
About 10 km from the airport
Private jets
Prior permission 24 hours ahead
Best time
March to April

The city

Songsong, Sabana and the quarry.

Sinapalo, near the airport, is the largest village on Rota. Songsong, the old Japanese-era centre, sits on a narrow isthmus to the south-west, and at its far end rises Mount Taipingot, 143 metres high, the island’s Wedding Cake. Near the village are the ruins of the NKK sugar mill, a Japanese locomotive and Tonga Cave, used as a military hospital during the war.

Rota’s past runs much deeper than that. At Mochong, on the north coast, the remains of a latte village run for some 450 metres; people settled there about three thousand years ago and stayed until the late 1600s. At As Nieves, nine stone shafts of about 26 tonnes each still lie in the quarry where they were cut.

  • As Nieves latte quarry Nine shafts and seven capstones left in the ground, the capstones alone at around 18 tonnes.
  • Mount Taipingot The Wedding Cake at the tip of the Songsong isthmus, open to walkers, its waters closed to fishing.
  • Chenchun Bird Sanctuary Rough limestone forest on the south-east coast, watched from an overlook above it.

Arriving

A small field that needs warning.

Rota International, near Sinapalo, lies about ten kilometres north-east of Songsong. Star Marianas is the only airline, with flights to Guam and Saipan, where the long-haul connections are.

Business & First Class Scheduled flights United serves both Guam and Saipan, with connections from Tokyo and beyond. From either, the Star Marianas hop to Rota is short, and the airline also flies charters. Business & First fares Private Jet Private aircraft The airport is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Every flight needs prior permission at least 24 hours ahead, and it is not an airport of entry: customs are arranged with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice. Jet fuel is listed, and handling is optional. Charter a jet
Approximate flying time by midsize jet
  • Tokyo 3 h 30
  • Manila 3 h 40
  • Seoul 4 h 25
  • Hong Kong 4 h 45
  • Abu Dhabi 12 h 25 long-range jet

When to go

March to April.

Warm and humid in every month, highs of 29 to 31 °C and a sea of 27 to 29 °C. March and April are the driest, under 100 mm each. The wet season peaks in August at well over 300 mm and stays heavy into October.

  1. 29° J 127 28°
  2. 30° F 112 27°
  3. 30° M 89 27°
  4. 31° A 99 28°
  5. 31° M 137 28°
  6. 31° J 158 29°
  7. 31° J 272 29°
  8. 31° A 366 29°
  9. 31° S 345 29°
  10. 31° O 318 29°
  11. 31° N 226 29°
  12. 30° D 145 28°
Best months weather2travel.com, long-term averages

Elsewhere in Northern Mariana Islands

More reasons to come.

All of Northern Mariana Islands

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Business & First Private Jet