Tumon is the visitor heart of Guam. Its crescent of white sand curves for roughly two kilometres between Ypao Point and the cliffs below Two Lovers Point, and the water inside the reef is knee-to-chest deep, warm all year and protected as the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve — which is why you can stand in the shallows and watch parrotfish and butterflyfish swim past your ankles.
Behind the beach runs Pale San Vitores Road, lined with resort hotels, duty-free malls, restaurants and the theatres that stage Guam’s evening shows. The district is administratively part of Tamuning, the commercial village that also holds the island’s international airport, its outlet mall and most of its everyday shops. Tumon is not “undiscovered” Guam — for that, drive south or north — but it is easy, safe and well set up, and almost every tour on the island will collect you from a hotel here.
Highlights
- Wading and snorkelling in the reef-protected lagoon of Tumon Bay
- Sunset from Ypao Beach Park or the sand at Gun Beach
- A Chamorro and Pacific island dinner show under the stars
- Tax-free and duty-free shopping along Pale San Vitores Road
- A sunset dinner cruise on a catamaran
- Using Tumon as a base for day drives around the whole island
Tumon & Tamuning in pictures
How long to stay and where to base yourself
How long: three nights is the classic short break from Seoul or Tokyo and gives you one beach day, one day driving the island and one day on the water. Five nights lets you slow down and add Hagåtña, a hike and a second snorkelling site.
Where to base yourself: the middle of the bay, around the Pleasure Island block, is the most walkable — beach in front, shops and restaurants behind. The northern end near Gun Beach is quieter, with newer towers on the cliff. The southern end around Ypao Beach and Hilton Point has the best lawn-and-palm park and the calmest snorkelling. Hotels on Tamuning’s other shore, facing Agana Bay, are cheaper and closer to Hagåtña but you will want a car. See where to stay for a comparison.
