Compare Cheap Flights to The Christmas Island
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Christmas Island Guide
What are the best things to do in Christmas Island?
Witness the annual crab migration
If you want to plan your airfare to Christmas Island around one of the greatest natural wonders, fly into Christmas Island Airport (XCH) during the wet season. Each year between October and November, more than 60 million red crabs migrate from the forest to the coast. As it's one of the main reasons people buy tickets to Christmas Island, you should lock in your travel dates as soon as you can. You’ll be able to snap up the best deals on airfare to Christmas Island and secure a hotel room as there are limited accommodation options on the island.
Get your scuba diving licence
Is getting your PADI Open Water on your bucket list? There's no better place to learn how to dive than while on your holiday on Christmas Island. The water is warm throughout the year, and once you have your licence, you can explore up to 60 dive sites. If you time your return flights to Christmas Island between November and May, you might even see some migrating whale sharks while you're out in the water.
Go hiking
Christmas Island is a wonderful destination for active travellers. With two-thirds of the island designated as a national park, you can spend your holiday hiking to remote beaches and hidden waterfalls. If you want to cut down on the amount of time you spend walking from place to place, you can hire a car from Christmas Island Airport (XCH) or through Webjet when you book your cheap flights to Christmas Island.
Book flights to Christmas Island for bird watching
For travellers who have a passion for birds, buying flights to Christmas Island is worth every penny. With airfare to Christmas Island, you have the opportunity to see rare species such as the Abbot bobby bird. There's also a Bird' n' Nature Week event held every year in September. If you attend, you can help researchers colour-band Brown Boobies and study the nesting behaviours of the Christmas Island frigatebirds and the red-tailed tropicbirds. Other activities include a Christmas Island Hawk-Owl survey, seabird identification workshops and nightly seminars.
What is the history of Christmas Island?
Captain William Mynors discovered Christmas Island on 25 December 1643 - a hint as to where the isle gets its name! The island was inhabited, until Chinese and Malay labourers began to arrive between the 19th and 20th centuries to work in the phosphate mines. During World War II, Christmas Island was invaded by the Japanese. After the war, the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty to Australia, who also paid the Singapore government $20 million for loss of phosphate earnings. Today, Christmas Island is a popular destination for nature lovers. Most Australians who buy return flights to Christmas Island come here explore its untouched natural heritage. The island is located more than 2,000 kilometres from Perth and it’s closer to South East Asia than it is to Australia. It's 80 kilometre in circumference and has 18-metre cliffs.
What should I know before visiting Christmas Island?
Language
English is the official language for Christmas Island. However, more than 60% of the population has Chinese heritage, and Mandarin is commonly spoken.
Safety
Christmas Island doesn’t have high levels of crime, but you do need to be aware of the elements. For hikers booking return flights to Christmas Island, you need to let your hotel know where you are going. In case you get lost on a trail or take longer than expected to get back. The same rule of thumb applies if you’re renting a scooter and driving around the island by yourself. In the wet season, the roads are more slippery and it’s easier to have to an accident.
Accommodation
Due to the island's size, accommodation options are limited. There are about 15 accommodation options on Christmas Island. If you're planning to buy flights to Christmas Island over school holidays, it is recommended to lock in your accommodation as soon as you finalise your travel dates. With a limited number of hotels, you face the possibility of not finding a place to stay if you leave your booking to the last minute.
Swimming
While the island does have beautiful beaches, travellers who book flights to Christmas Island can't swim out too far. Not too far from shore is a drop into the Indian Ocean and none of the beaches are patrolled by lifesavers. The best place to go swimming is at Flying Fish Cove where the sea is usually calmer.
Best time to visit Christmas Island
Christmas Islands Cities
Flying Fish Cove
Flying Fish Cove is the capital city of Christmas Island. It's home to a third of the island's total population and was established as a settlement in 1888.
Due to the island only being 52 square miles, staying in the capital is a great place to base yourself. Flying Fish Cove makes it easy for travellers to explore the surrounding natural beauty and visit all of the island's top attractions.
Poon Saan
Poon Saan is the second largest town on Christmas Island, although it only consists of a few streets. Most of the locals that stay here are ethnic Chinese, and their culture is reflected in the architecture. It's common to find Singapore style homes here rather than the European buildings of the island's capital city.
Airports in Christmas Island
Major International Airports in Christmas Island
- Christmas Island Airport
Things to do in Christmas Island
Top Attractions in Christmas Island
Christmas Island Marine Park
Christmas Island Marine Park covers 63% of the island's total surface area. The island's isolation and its proximity to the equator have created unique conditions for a range of fauna and flora to flourish. Most of the species found in the park are either endemic to the island or are endangered in other parts of the world.
It's home to the only nesting place for Abbott's booby, the frigatebird and the Christmas Island shrew.
In the park's protected waters, visitors will find 88 types of coral, more than 600 different species of fish as well as whale sharks and manta rays.
Diving
Christmas Island boasts some of the best dive spots in Australia. It's home to the longest drop-offs in the world and is located on the edge of the Java Trench, the deepest point in the Indian Ocean.
Underneath the water, divers will find unspoiled corals like the Acropora and plate corals. This important ecosystem attracts a variety of tropical fish including butterfly fish, anemones, eels and the surgeonfish.
If you're lucky, you might even get the chance to dive with one of the ocean's biggest inhabitants, the whale shark. These creatures frequent the island's coastline during the wet season with their newborn pups.
Annual Crab Migration
The Christmas Island's annual crab migration is its biggest natural attraction. Each year more than 100 million crabs make their way from the forest to the ocean to lay their keys.
The migration happens at the beginning of the wet season when the rains provide enough moisture for the crabs to survive their journey.
Once at the beach, the breeding sequence links up to the moon. The female crabs remain and only release their eggs precisely at the turn of high tide.
The eggs hatch on contact with the seawater and the young larvae get washed out into the sea. Once the baby crabs are about 5 millimetres cross, they return to the shore and begin their march into the forest.
Dolly Beach
Dolly Beach is considered to be the most beautiful beach on the island. The secluded beach is in pristine condition, and it's a popular camping spot amongst the locals.
The beach is a 30-minute drive from the capital. Once you've parked your car, you'll have to walk for 45 minutes through the jungle before you reach its sandy shores.
Another popular draw card to Dolly Beach is that its shores are a breeding area for endangered sea turtles. If you come at the right time of year, you'll see tracks of the nesting adults and the emerging hatchlings making their way into the ocean.
Bird Watching
Christmas Island is a mecca for bird watchers. Due to the ecology of the island, it's home to hundreds of different species of birds. Seven of the 13 land birds are endemic including the Christmas Island Thrush.
Another plus is that the animals are more curious than fearful of humans. You'll be able to witness some extraordinary sightings and if you're lucky, catch glimpses of some of the rarest birds in the world.
Keep a lookout for the elusive Christmas Island Hawk Owl, the Abbott's Booby and the Christmas Island Frigatebird.
