While the nightlife of Tarawa is not exactly eclectic they do have bars, clubs and more. Chief among these and leading the charge is Horizon Bar located down in Betio and right on the waterfront.
And it is these salient facts that mean even if things are not great in Kiribati it is still nowhere near as boring as Brunei.
The nightlife of Tarawa
Tarawa is the capital city of Kiribati which is one of the least visited countries in the world. This means that few tourists come here and most foreigners are aid workers.
The locals though do like to party and both drink and take kava. Theres bars at the various hotels, a nightclub opposite The George Hotel and often times lots of fights.
In my mind this makes the music friendly beachside persona of Horizon Bar pretty much the best that there is.
What the Horizon Bar Tarawa?
Though it sound by the same people as Betio Lodge it thankfully has less of the grumpy old man owner getting involved. Located just before the causeway it is pretty much downtown Betio and in a great sea view and indeed horizon like potation.
Basically a shack it has tables and chairs on deck and beach side and is the perfect place for a sunset. Thankfully the food and drink is pretty ace too.
Eating at the Horizon Bar
Much like at Betio the menu here is on a board and is far from eclectic. There’s Asian fusion dishes as at other places, as well as teak, which seems to be a thing here. Alas here unlike Betio they do not get the concept of rare which pretty “rare” with my explanation blown the waitresses mind.
It was though OK enough and honestly at $10 USD what do you want from life?
Drinking at Horizon Bar Tarawa
So, when I came to drinking at Horizon Bar there was almost a Christmas miracle. For some god only knows reason there was Tsingtao at $1 AUD (50 cents) a can. We took this seriously and were quite literally ordering it by the case.
There was also a fair selection of other stuff such as boozy ginger beer and a few alcopops. Alas while there were spirits and even tonic water the concept of a cocktail has not yet been breached here, or anywhere in the country it would seem. This is very much beer country.
There were though some liter bottles of colored stuff that said Smirnoff that I did not rightly explore. All I know though is that it was not Smirnoff Soju.
And the party scene?
When we visit Horizon Bar our local partner provides us with some local dancing by a fairly famous troupe, but this is not the usual fare, with that being DJ music.
Just next door though is where we got our jollies on this occasion as a Filipino had brought a microphone. Praise be to the Philippines for always being reliable on that front. This was connected to the sound system and it allowed me to do YMCA, I want to break free and some Kenny Rodgers. The masses truly did love it I have to say. Alas though they closed at 10 with licensing laws here being not exactly booze hound friendly. Apparently its 2 am on a Friday and there is the odd lock in, but for late night jazz you will need a kava bar.
So, if clubs are not your thing, but beers and song by the waterfront are then Horizon Bar is pretty much your best option when you travel to Tarawa.
Click the link for my Tarawa Tours.