What to See & Do in Guam Micronesia? Guam is a beautiful tropical island full of lush green palm trees, plants and flowers.
One side of the island is surrounded by the Philippine Sea and the other side is the harsh Pacific Ocean and it is a US territory.
This was the eighth port on the world cruise. When we arrived, as Guam is a US territory we had to go through US immigration which was strange as we are so far away from the US mainland!
After waiting in line and getting my passport stamped it was time to go on tour and explore.
It is a tropical island so it is warm usually between 22*C to 30*C, but it was overcast the day we were there and every time we got off the tour bus it started raining!
So, it was quite pleasant after visiting Rabaul which was so hot and humid.
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What to See & Do in Guam Micronesia
Guam History
Guam is the largest island in Micronesia and is home to the largest US military base outside of the US mainland.
It has been a US territory since 1898 after the Spanish-American War and Guam was ceded to the US by Spain.
During World War II in 1941 Guam was captured by Japan, the same day Pearl Harbour was attacked.
Then in 1944, the Americans secured Guam after bombing Guam and 55,000 US troops were sent there to attack the Japanese to claim back their territory.
Asan Point
We visited the Pacific National Historic Park – Asan Point which was the battleground where the US invaded Guam in 1944 during World War II.
There were warning signs if you find an old bomb, grenade or shell to report them, move away and do not touch it as they can still go off and kill you.
Tens of thousands of bombs, grenades and shells fell on Guam during World War II and many were not found and disposed of so they can still be found today.
We also visited the memorial site for all the people who died in the war from Guam, it was so sad to see all the names, it wiped out families.
What to See & Do in Guam Micronesia
Old Customs
The earliest settlers in Guam were the Chamorro in 1500BC, believed to of migrated from Indonesia.
We visited the Gef Pa’go Chamorro Village where the Chamorro customs are preserved.
We saw demonstrations of how they made sea salt, coconut candy, coconut oil and weaved palm tree leaves to make baskets.
All these customs were demonstrated in the traditional thatched huts that gave us an insight into what pre-World War II Guam looked like.
The sea salt is still made today and used by the US military.
Two Lovers Point
Later in the day, we went to Two Lovers Point which is north of Tumon Bay. There is a tall statue of the entwined lovers.
Behind the statue, you can walk up the staircase to be right on top of the limestone cliff.
It overlooks the turquoise reef on one side and the other side the beach with all the big hotels, the view was stunning.
The story was that two young Chamorro lovers united for the last time, and then jumped off this cliff.
They were being hunted down by a Spanish captain who had been promised the girl in marriage.
The story has been saved in time and you have Two Lovers Point.
For all you romantics, there was a wall of hearts padlocked to the wire with love messages.
The Old and the New in Guam
We saw the Old Spanish Bridge that survived WWII and stopped at Fort Saint Agueda to see the remaining original cannons from 1800.
We drove through the shopping district and hotel area of Tumon Bay.
Guam is a destination for mainly Japanese tourists to buy tax and duty-free goods.
There were all the designer shops; Dior, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Tiffany’s, Cartier, Hermes, Bulgari, Burberry, etc. Also, there is a big K-Mart and Ross.
It was an interesting day and I have now seen Guam! We are now sailing to Kaohsiung, Taiwan which is another new place for me to explore.
ESSENTIAL INFO
- Weather: 24*C – 34*C
- Language: English and Chamorro
- Currency: US Dollar
Cruise Essentials
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Have you been to Guam? What did you do?
Happy Travels
Love Lucy
I almost visited Guam a year ago, but in the end I stayed in Palau for the whole 2 weeks, as my itinerary booked up with many activities there. But I would like to go diving in Guam, as I heard it is good!
Author
Guam is a fun place to visit, I’m not a diver, but I think it is a good place to go.
I know a little about Guam, but I never thought about it as a destination to visit. I did not know about its history and that it was the largest US military base outside the US. I would love to visit the Gef Pa’go Chamorro Village and learn about the old customs. I wonder, how are the beaches there?
Author
The village was really interesting how they used everything and the beaches are nice in Guam.
I had no idea Guam was a US teritory. Such a fascinating history – that these islands were passed back and forth so much. How was the food?
Author
It is a fascinating place to visit, unfortunately I did not get to try the food this time as we were only there for a short time in this port.
I always wanted to live in Guam, even for just a little bit, since it was still in the US, but so so far away. I never thought about all of the unexploded ordinance that might be left behind. It seems like a fascinating stop on a world cruise.
Author
It’s funny how it is a US territory and so far away from the mainland!
Never knew of Guam as tourist destination. What a dreadful past!
War zones of past dishearten me a lot, but I believe that we must remember.
Author
Completely agree, but Guam is a beautiful place to visit.
I’ve met people from Guam in Palau and they were part of that big American presence. It’s awful to hear about the unexploded and threatening bombs. There is a treaty to clean these up across the globe but several countries haven’t signed it – including the US. Wrong, just wrong. Thanks though for the details about what to see and do in Guam.
Author
It’s a shame as Guam is a beautiful place to visit.
And I thought Guam was an independent country. I’ve never been to Guam before, would love to explore Micronesia islands one day. It’s just sad to learn about terrible thing that they had to go through before. Thanks for sharing the all the info. It will come handy when I visit Guam someday 😉
Author
I hope you get to visit Guam one day as it is a lovely island to explore.
I have never thought about Guam as a tourist destination neither I knew that it comes under US territory. The largest US military base outside the US; that is also something really interesting. Visiting Chamorro Village and learn about their traditions and culture will be fun too. Nice post
Author
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed reading.
Thanks for sharing about the history of Guam. So much to do in Guam. I love the photos, thay are all gorgeously captured. Thanks for the very informative post!
Author
Your welcome! Glad you enjoyed the article.
Great to read about a place that I have no perspective whatsoever! This looks beautiful, and I had no idea it was not an independent country. It looks like an interesting place to visit, is it expensive? and did you find you got to experience some of the culture (or is it becoming more Americanized?)
Author
Glad you enjoyed reading about Guam. Some things were expensive as they are imported while local arts and crafts were not. It was not an Americanized as Hawaii, it still had that island vibe.
I didn’t know that Guam was US territory – how interesting. I like a lot about your post that you are putting some historical facts in focus and describe some interesting traditions – very journalistic, I appreciate that.
Author
Thank you very much! I’m pleased you enjoyed reading.
Two lovers point looks beautiful! Guam would be a great place to visit! It would be kind of scary to find a grenade or something!
Author
It was really fun to visit and very interesting!