Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
22 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
22 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
22 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
22 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the Solomon Islands Panueli Egg Fields of Savo Island
Gastro Obscura

Egg Fields of Savo Island

Megapodes incubate their eggs using the heat of an active volcano on this Pacific isle.

Panueli, Solomon Islands

Added By
Rachel Rummel
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  robertharding
  robertharding
  robertharding
The shores of Savo Island   Christopher John SSF
An egg without shell   Steve 55 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

From Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, Savo Island is reached by a 30-minute boat ride across the Iron Bottom Sound—so named for the dozens of ships and planes that sank in it during World War II. The island is also home to an active, steaming volcano and bubbling hot springs. The heat attracts megapodes, chicken-sized black birds that utilize the warm environment to incubate their eggs.

Accessing Savo's volcano on foot takes about two hours, one way. The trek follows a path created by lava from the last eruption (which took place during the mid-19th century), surrounded by verdant jungle on either side. Hot springs and cold streams punctuate the path, but be careful: The water near the top is really, really hot.

At dawn, megapodes lay and bury their eggs in the sandy fields around a village called Panueli. The volcanic earth keeps the eggs warm, so mother birds can simply fly off. Left unattended, the eggs become fair game for predators. Men from the village arrive, digging more than three feet down to unearth the birds' nests. They work with their hands in order not to damage the large duck egg–sized treasures, then wrap the lot in banana leaves for safe keeping. Later in the day, women fill in the holes and level the sand.

Villagers won't kill megapodes for food, but they do collect eggs as a source of food and income. Each one is worth about $2. At one time, eggs were abundant in the sand fields around Panueli. But as of 2017, only one egg-laying field remains, and the yield is sparse. Over-harvesting has created an unsustainable environment for the megapodes, so all who visit should plan to bear witness to egg-laying at dawn, but to abstain from egg-snatching afterward.

Related Tags

Endangered Eats Yolk Lore Volcanoes Eggs Geology

Know Before You Go

While the villagers harvest the eggs for food and income, visitors should refrain from digging, trampling, or disrupting the megapodes' habitat.

Community Contributors

Added By

rachelrummel

Edited By

Steve 55

  • Steve 55

Published

May 2, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.getinthehotspot.com/savo-island-day-trip/
  • https://westtravelclub.com.au/stories/jurassic-park-meets-rottnest-island-the-solomons-savo-island
  • http://www.sibconline.com.sb/the-disappearing-megapode-birds-of-savo-island/
  • https://books.google.com/books?id=mni4FUq6B1oC&pg=PT179&lpg=PT179&dq=egg+fields+savo+island&source=bl&ots=i05deccZYR&sig=ACfU3U2YmQS6aKN9-j24HJsVSs2ckyj9Rw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjI8amsrcjhAhWSjFkKHXdNCMYQ6AEwCnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=egg%20fields%20savo%20island&f=false
  • https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727761-600-why-wartime-wrecks-are-slicking-time-bombs/
Egg Fields of Savo Island
Panueli
Solomon Islands
-9.130729, 159.806133

Nearby Places

The World Discoverer

Solomon Islands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Oceania

Places 2
Stories 2

Nearby Places

The World Discoverer

Solomon Islands

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Oceania

Places 2
Stories 2

Related Places

  • A beach on the island with distinctive rock formations.

    Malpe, India

    Thonsepar

    These four small islands contain unique hexagonal rock formations.

  • Approaching the south rim of Easy Chair Crater on the trail..

    Nye County, Nevada

    Easy Chair Crater

    An unusual double cinder cone with a bent oval crater, in the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field.

  • A view of the perfectly round Lac Pavin.

    Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, France

    Lac Pavin

    This volcanic crater lake is renowned for its perfectly round shape, stunning blue-green waters, and unique geological properties.

  • Looking down the Gorge from the footbridge at its head.

    Tuttle, Idaho

    Malad Gorge

    Some 46,000 years ago, a volcanic eruption led to a flooding event that carved this short canyon with steep vertical walls.

  • Arequipa, Peru

    Añashuayco Quarry

    An outdoor gallery of sculptures chiseled from a unique stone that deemed Arequipa's old town a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  • West crater, looking slightly northeast.

    Cleft, Idaho

    Crater Rings

    Two geologically young and nearly circular volcanic subsidence craters, each about a half-mile in diameter, abruptly break the nearly featureless Snake River Plain.

  • This way to Volcano Observatory

    Flemming, Montserrat

    Montserrat Volcano Observatory

    Safely view the Soufrière Hills volcano, which has been erupting since 1995.

  • Abert Rim from US-395 near Valley Falls.

    Valley Falls, Oregon

    Abert Rim

    This spectacular fault escarpment, a popular hang-glider launch point, extends some 30 miles long and towers about 2,500 feet over the valley floors to the west.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.