Areas at a glance
- San Roque and Achugao: the last village on the west coast, with the area’s two resorts, Pau Pau Beach and a few small shops.
- Marpi plain: the Last Command Post, the peace memorials and Banzai Cliff at the northern tip.
- The escarpment: Suicide Cliff and its viewpoint, reached by a road up the back of the ridge.
- North-east coast: the Grotto and the Bird Island lookout, a few minutes apart.
Eating and drinking
There is very little food or drink for sale north of San Roque — at most an occasional snack or drinks seller in a car park. The resorts have restaurants, and San Roque has small stores. Otherwise eat in Garapan before or after, and carry at least a litre of water per person. Picnicking at Pau Pau Beach is a pleasant local habit; take your rubbish away with you.
Money and practicalities
The currency is the US dollar. All the main sites are free at the time of writing, so you need little cash beyond fuel and drinks. There are no ATMs in Marpi. Public toilets are few; use those at your hotel or in Garapan before setting out.
Safety and respect
The memorials mark the deaths of a great many people, Japanese, Okinawan, Korean, American and the island’s own Chamorro and Carolinian civilians — the Chamorro name is written CHamoru on Guam. Behave as you would in a cemetery: no shouting, no posing on monuments, no drones over people at prayer. Cliff edges are high and partly unfenced. At the Grotto, the steps are steep and slippery and the water is far more powerful than it looks; do not enter if operators are not diving. Wartime munitions are still occasionally found in the scrub — never touch anything suspicious. Do not leave valuables in parked cars.
Good to know
Mobile signal is patchy in places. Nights in Marpi are very dark, which is why it is good for stargazing — bring a torch. For general information, see the Mariana Islands travel guide; for the Grotto and other sites, the diving and snorkelling page.
Sample plans
Half a day
Drive from Garapan to the Bird Island lookout for the morning light, look down into the Grotto, continue to the Last Command Post and the peace memorials, walk the clifftop at Banzai Cliff and finish with the view from Suicide Cliff.
One full day
Morning dive or guided snorkel at the Grotto with a local operator, picnic and swim at Pau Pau Beach, then the Last Command Post and Suicide Cliff in the afternoon, ending at Banzai Cliff for sunset.
Two days
Day one as the half-day circuit, unhurried, with a walk on Wing Beach. Day two: the Grotto in the morning, a lazy afternoon at Pau Pau Beach or your resort, and a return to Banzai Cliff after dark to see the stars.
