Christmas Island is a tiny island, a territory of Australia, situated in the Indian Ocean. It is so remote that the next closest land is Indonesia, more than 350km away. It’s also the only place on earth where red crabs are found.
On my mission to visit and share every country and territory in the world (a total standing at 269), I sometimes end up booking trips to visit some of the world's most remote places and undertaking serious bucket-list worthy adventures.
We are basing ourselves in Australia for a year, traveling around the country in a campervan. Given it's the biggest country in Oceania, it's also the perfect opportunity to visit some of the many islands surrounding it across the Indian and South Pacific Oceans.
I spent six weeks backpacking around Australia back in 2019, one of my first solo adventures and my first on a one-way ticket. During my two years I would end up living down under, mostly based out of New Zealand, I also visited Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Samoa, scratching the surface of these fascinating island nations dotting great expanses of open ocean.
When mapping out the rough corners of our year-ish down under, planning to land in Sydney at the beginning of October, we realized we'd have enough time to cross the country to Perth to fly to Christmas Island for a very special event in the animal world, the red crab migration.
→ Check out my complete guide to witnessing the red crab migration on Christmas Island!
By flight: The only way to reach Christmas Island is by flying from Perth on mainland Australia. Originally serviced by Virgin, Qantas took over the route from 1 November 2025. The route we flew was via Port Hedland in northern Western Australia for a refuel before flying out over the Indian Ocean.
Due to the weather and remoteness of the island, flight delays are common on this route. We had a 25-hour delay on our departure from Christmas Island (onwards to Cocos (Keeling) Islands) due to heavy rains. This caused chaos on the island as there was not enough accommodation for all the stranded passengers and we ended up sleeping in the guest room of some very nice locals. Hopefully Qantas comes up with a better emergency plan (Virgin used to have one) that solves this issue as apparently it happens frequently.
Flights go between Perth and Christmas Island only twice per week, on Mondays and on Fridays. Therefore, you'll need to plan a stay of a minimum of three nights (Fri-Mon).
Flying out of Perth
Flying over the beaches of Perth
Flying over a pink salt lake in Western Australia
The various colours of salt lakes from the sky
First view of Christmas Island
Our Qantas flight after landing
The tiny Christmas Island Airport!
By car: Really, the only way to get around Christmas Island is with a 4WD, the only type of car available to rent. Most of the roads on Christmas Island are unsealed and in pretty rough shape. We have to be honest here and say that the island is rugged and the cars are too. They didn't seem super well looked after / serviced and smelled pretty moldy and damp. I think you have to go into this trip expecting that, though.
Be sure to book your car in advance as there are a limited number available on the island. There is only one gas station on the island in Flying Fish Cove and it's closed on Sundays.
→ Rent a car through Christmas Island Tourism.
Depending on when you visit, many roads will be closed for the red crabs' trek from the jungle down to the beach. You might not be able to get to various beaches, viewpoints and hikes. You also have to be really careful when driving to try and avoid crushing red crabs as they cross the roads.
→ Check out my complete guide to witnessing the red crab migration!
Road closures due to the red crab migration
Road signs reminding you to slow down
By bike: Christmas Island Tourism does suggest that you can explore the island by bike if you don't drive or don't want to. I would probably not suggest this unless you have a great mountain bike for off-road terrain only.
On foot: You could hike to different spots but, even though it is an island, it's still quite large, stretching 19km lengthwise and 14km wide.
There are no taxis and no public transport on Christmas Island.
As with our feelings towards rental cars on Christmas Island, the standard of accommodation on the island is also quite poor. You don't really have any other options, considering you're on a remote island in the Indian Ocean.
You can browse the range of accommodation available on the Christmas Island Tourism website but be prepared that this is not a luxury, tropical island holiday. It's rugged, a bit grimy and usually in need of an upgrade. We did not like where we stayed (issues with cleaning and with management) and can't recommend it.
There is one luxury accommodation, Swell Lodge, offering self-service villas on the far west side of the island, quite a drive out of the main town of Flying Fish Cove and so a bit isolated.
As I mentioned above, flights only arrive on Christmas Island twice per week with Qantas on Mondays and Fridays, so you'll need to plan a minimum of a three-night stay (Fri-Mon).
Flying Fish Cove, the beach in the island's only town
Finding a decent meal can be a challenge on Christmas Island. There are very few restaurants on the island and those that do exist have very limited hours which are usually not correct online. Most of the restaurants serve basic meat dishes (a struggle as I am a vegetarian) and not a whole lot of vegetables due to high import prices from mainland Australia.
One place we did love going for food was Rumah Tingi, open a few days a week with vegetarian options and the best sunset spot on the island (pictured)!
The best thing to do is actually to shop at one of the two grocery stores on the island (we recommend Meng Chong Trading, much better variety and cleaner than Christmas Island Supermarket) and cook in your accommodation; most offer a kitchen for this purpose. Just keep an eye out for expired food on the shelves.
Christmas Island Supermarket, we don't recommend going here
We spent one week on Christmas Island which was a bit too long for us. I think a four-night stay from Monday to Friday to coincide with the flight arrivals twice-weekly is enough.
Here is everything we saw and did during our visit to this remote Australian territory:
Witness the red crab migration
The number one reason people visit Christmas Island is to witness the annual red crab migration.
Christmas Island is the only place on Earth you'll find the famous bright red crabs. Official counts place the number at around 120 million, but locals estimate it to be at least double that. Once a year, the red crabs embark on their migration, making their way from their jungle homes down to the coastline to mate and spawn. They cannot swim, being land crabs, but it is in the ocean where their eggs are hatched and their baby crabs spend their first weeks developing.
I've written a complete guide to witnessing the red crab migration including some information on the red crabs, what the entire migration process looks like and how long it takes, when the best time is to see it all happening, where to go on the island specifically, what to pack and what to expect.
→ Check out my complete guide to witnessing the red crab migration!
See birds from the Margaret Knoll Lookout
The Margaret Knoll Lookout is considered one of the best places to go bird-watching on Christmas Island high above the national park and the exquisite trees below and out to the Indian Ocean in the background. Frigates, bosuns and boobies fly through and above the trees and it's a privilege to capture them on camera.
→ Check out my guide to visiting the Margaret Knoll Lookout!
Hike to the Blowholes
The Blowholes is one of the most iconic hiking spots on Christmas Island, one of the spots featured in David Attenborough's 1988 documentary of the island. It's also one of the best places to see the male red crabs after they have mated with the females and returned to their jungle nests.
When you reach the end of the Blowholes hike, you can see and feel the ocean powerfully bursting spray through the million-year-old rock formations.
Take a tour of the Pink House Research Station
Once a week, the Pink House Research Station opens its doors to the public for a free (by donation) one-hour guided tour of the conservation work they're doing on the island. Not so much about the famous red crabs but rather they're currently focused on blue-tailed skinks (extinct in the wild) and Lister's gecko.
Sign up for the tour in advance at the Christmas Island Visitor Centre.
The Pink House Research Station
Spot Australia's most remote post office
On the beach at Flying Fish Cove you'll find one of the country's most remote post offices!
Understand the mining industry
The main industry on Christmas Island is not actually red crab tourism but rather phosphate mining which provides the majority of the jobs on the island. Mining began in 1897 after the first European settlers analyzed the rock and soil of the island and found it to be nearly pure phosphate. It's a bit of jarring thing to see on this tropical island.
The shipping port of the mine at Flying Fish Cove
A rusted old mining trolley
Go hiking through Territory Day Park
At the Territory Day Park, start by checking out the viewpoint overlooking Flying Fish Cove; it's a gorgeous birds-eye view of the beach and the mine below.
Then veer left into the park, following the signs into the jungle, an excellent place to spot red crabs in their burrows.
Overlooking Flying Fish Cove
Hiking with the Strangler fig trees
Watch the sunset from Rumah Tingi
This was our favourite restaurant on Christmas Island and we watched a few simply gorgeous sunsets from here surrounded by idyllic palm trees and lit up with cute twinkle lights.
Go snorkeling at Ethel Beach
This is the only beach we ended up snorkeling from as the others were too rough to safely get in the water. Just off the boat ramp here you can see incredible fish and beautiful corals. There is also a sweet little hidden cave just beside the ramp.
Visit the island's beaches
We visited five beaches on Christmas Island for swimming, snorkeling, hiking and exploring. I wrote a complete guide to which five we went to and what activities you can do at each.
→ Check out my guide to 5 beaches to visit on Christmas Island!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
