Pristine conditions just waiting for you to fish them
Pristine conditions just waiting for you to fish them
Adventure Timetable
What to Expect on your Ikari House Fly Fishing Adventure
Your time on Christmas Island is all about world-class fishing, warm hospitality, and unforgettable experiences. While your guides will tailor each day to suit the tides and weather conditions, here’s a taste of what your trip might look like.
Adventure Timetable
Your Ikari House Adventure to Christmas Island includes almost everything—just pack your gear, get to the airport, and we’ll take care of the rest.
If you’re flying from southern Australia, the Fiji Airways flight departs Nadi every Tuesday at 11:59pm, so make sure your flight from Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane arrives several hours earlier.
Travellers from the Northern Hemisphere can fly via Honolulu, with a more relaxed schedule and arrival around 3:00pm local time.
Upon arrival at Christmas Island (CXI)—a remote island home to about 5,000 residents—you’ll be met by the Ikari House team and transferred by minibus to our lodge in London village, around a 40-minute drive. It’s a fascinating introduction to the island’s simple and authentic lifestyle.
Accommodation
Ikari House is the best lodge on the island.
While it’s not the Hilton, it offers everything you need: clean and comfortable rooms, working air-conditioning, hot showers, ocean views, and genuinely excellent meals. It’s the perfect base to relax, recharge, and prepare for each day on the flats.
Daily Routine
Start times typically range from 5:30am to 8:30am, depending on tides and your personal preferences. Your guide will take you out on either a traditional outrigger-style boat or a newer centre console, into the world’s largest sand flats lagoon.
Fishing days are long, usually wrapping up around 4:00 to 5:00pm. You’ll return to the lodge ready for a cold beer, fresh sashimi, and another incredible island sunset.
The Fishing
At first, spotting fish might feel impossible. But trust your guide, and follow their lead. Soon enough, your eyes adjust, your casting improves, and you’ll start connecting with more and more fish. By the end of the week, you’ll feel like an expert.
On most days, you’ll have shots at 100–200 bonefish, ranging from feisty 1–2 pounders to 8+ pound bruisers (with the occasional 15lb trophy in the mix). Even small bones will strip 50 metres of line like it’s nothing. When a big one hits, you’ll know you’re alive—and so will your gear!
Meals and Refreshments
Lunch is usually a hearty salad and cold meat sandwich with snacks. Bottled water is provided throughout the day.
Beer and soft drinks are available on an honesty system (settled at the end of your trip).
Back at Ikari, dinner features local seafood, crayfish, rice, salads and potatoes, often accompanied by freshly prepared sashimi and cold drinks. Don’t forget to shout your guide a beer—it’s a small gesture that goes a long way.
Customising Your Trip
Want to fish the ocean side? Try a landlocked lagoon?
Just ask. Communication is key at Ikari House. Whether it’s a special fishing goal, dietary request, or timing preference, our team will do their best to accommodate. The guides, head guide, and even Tess in the kitchen are always happy to help.
We aim to fish the lagoon most days, with at least one ocean-side day (a 1.5-hour truck ride away) for a totally different experience. It’s well worth it.
Departure Day
On your final Wednesday, Northern Hemisphere guests typically depart early for their return flights.
Southern guests have the option of a half-day fishing session (not included in the package). If you’d like to go, simply pay the guide and boat fee directly—usually around $800 total per group. Or just sleep in, relax, and soak in the last few hours in paradise.
The Fiji Airways flight departs CXI at 4:00pm, arriving in Nadi at 6:30pm. After customs, you will need a hotel, we use the Gateway Hotel, with a shuttle waiting outside the terminal, close and affordable, so best to prebook.
Final Thoughts
From the moment you arrive to the final cast of the trip, this is a fishing adventure you’ll never forget. Beautiful flats, thrilling fish, genuine island hospitality, and memories to last a lifetime.
It’s going to be a great trip—enjoy every minute.
