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New Caledonia Travel Information

According to cheeroutdoor, New Caledonia (French: Nouvelle-Calédonie, English: New Caledonia) is a group of islands and overseas collective of France, located in the Pacific Ocean (Oceania). New Caledonia consists of the Loyalty Islands (including Maré, Lifou and Ouvéa) and a number of smaller islands. The capital of New Caledonia is Nouméa. A number of major cities in New Caledonia are: Mont-Dore, Dumbéa and Païta.

New Caledonia offers everything that belongs to a tropical destination. The coastline consists of wide white sandy beaches and clear blue waters (ideal for water sports such as diving and sailing). Especially diving and snorkeling is popular because of the largest coral reef in the world. Inland there are still many untouched pieces of nature that are often housed in nature reserves. In addition, there are primeval forests, waterfalls and the largest lagoon in the world. Many French influences can be found on the islands. According to businesscarriers, New Caledonia used to be a penal colony of France where criminals from France were executed.

Where is New Caledonia?

Travel information of New Caledonia

Official name: New Caledonia
Continent: Oceania
Area: 18,575 km²
Capital: Nouméa
Country code: NC, NCL
Population: 290,009 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Overseas collective of France
Highest point: 1,628 m (Mont Panié)
Distance (Amsterdam – Nouméa): 16,313 km
Flight time: approximately 21 hours and 30 minutes

Travel advice
Current status: No special security risks.
Current color code: Green.

Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), (temporary) measures may apply in New Caledonia that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of New Caledonia, please visit Countryaah.

Travel offer
At the moment there are no travel organizations that offer travel to New Caledonia. If you want to put together your own trip or are looking for separate travel components such as hotels, airline tickets and a rental car, please visit our travel offer page.

Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about New Caledonia?

Weather and climate
New Caledonia has a tropical climate.
Temperatures are around 20 to 30 degrees all year round.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for New Caledonia can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of New Caledonia can be found at Climate info.

Best time
May, June, July, August, September and October are the best months to travel to New Caledonia. This avoids the prolonged rainy season.

Language
French is the official language in New Caledonia. In addition, approximately 25 indigenous dialects are spoken.
Would you like to translate from or into French for free? Use the Google translator for this.

Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 3 months upon departure from New Caledonia.
A visa is not necessary if you stay in New Caledonia for less than 3 months.

Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in New Zealand (also for New Caledonia):
netherlandsworldwide.nl.
French Embassy in the Netherlands: ambafrance-nl.org.
French consulates in the Netherlands: ambafrance-nl.org.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.

Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting New Caledonia, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).

Money and Currency
In New Caledonia, payment is made with the CFP franc (XPF).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page (under: French Pacific Islands Franc).
An overview of all ATMs in New Caledonia can be found on our ATMs page.

Price level
Prices in New Caledonia are much higher than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is +50% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (52% more expensive), food (125% more expensive), imported beer in catering (103% more expensive), cigarettes (39% more expensive) and public transport (39% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.

Tipping
It is not customary to tip in New Caledonia.

Time difference
During our summer time it is 9 hours later in New Caledonia.
During our winter time it is 10 hours later in New Caledonia.
New Caledonia has no difference in winter time and summer time.
Find the local time, date and time zone for New Caledonia on our time difference page.

Traffic and route
In New Caledonia you must drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in New Caledonia.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within New Caledonia.

Electricity
In New Caledonia the same power plugs and sockets are used as in the United States.
More information about electricity in New Caledonia can be found on our electricity page.

Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 17
– Fire: 18
– Ambulance: 15

Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.

News and newspapers
The latest news related to New Caledonia can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from New Caledonia can be found at Abyznewslinks.

Internet
Websites from New Caledonia end in.nc.
New Caledonia official websites:
gouv.nc and nouvellecaledonietourisme-sud.com.

Telephony
The country code (international prefix) to call someone in New Caledonia is 00687 or +687.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from New Caledonia? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)

Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of New Caledonia.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from New Caledonia.

Holidays
An overview of all public holidays in New Caledonia can be found on Beleven.org.

Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in New Caledonia, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.

Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about New Caledonia?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited New Caledonia. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.

Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in New Caledonia can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in New Caledonia can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to New Caledonia? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.

Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant laws and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to New Caledonia.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 18. Sale of alcohol prohibited on Wednesday afternoon, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.5.
– Tobacco: Buy from the age of 18, smoking at all ages.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed

Did you know that…
…New Caledonia has 25 airports?
…New Caledonia was discovered in 1774 by James Cook?
…Large nickel reserves can be found in New Caledonia?
…New Caledonia was an American headquarters during World War II?
…New Caledonia is named after the Latin word for Scotland?
…More than 100,000 tourists visit New Caledonia every year?

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