Marianas’ Natural High

The "other island syndrome" is an affliction that affects a large percentage of the population. Say you wing your way to Saipan, the tourism showcase for the Northern Marianas. It sits floating in the azure seas of the western Pacific. You take in the hues of blue and green and make plans to bask on the sandy western beaches. And then it happens. You look across the channel and there's Tinian Island. Immediately, you wonder what it's like on the "other island."

Waters around Rota are filled with stunning coral formations.

There are actually two "other islands" in the Northern Marianas that have allure for those seeking to commune with nature, and getting away from tour buses and shopping centers. Rota, a CNMI hideaway to the south (and just 30 miles north of Guam), offers a great deal for the diver, hiker and mountain biker. These limestone gems will also intrigue cavers and history buffs. This outpost is a reward in natural beauty, undersea treasures and Chamorro culture.

Rota is known as the friendliest island in the Marianas. Rota's residents seem to always have a smile. Everyone waves or nods at everyone else as they pass on the road. This is an island tradition. Rota's annual fiesta, which takes place in October, is also a famous event. The enormous and varied food spread is legendary.

Complimenting its generous citizenry is its ample supply of eye-popping scenery, both above and below the sea. Rota is full of rough and tough limestone. Sheer cliffs rise from the sea on the east side while the west has beaches with badland formations that lead right out to water's edge.

A Micronesian Kingfisher is a common sight.

The charm of this island is not only its people, but also its lack of people. The picturesque villages occupy relatively little space on the island, making it the perfect place to roam. Early morning jaunts may bring a glimpse of a monitor lizard, a shrunken cousin of the feared Komodo dragon. These large critters like to sun themselves in the early morning and the warmth of the sandy back roads draws them from their cover.

There are no places to rent mountain bikes on Rota, but bringing one packed in its case is not a problem. Rides here can be easy to very tough and always full of great eco-surprises. Just bring plenty of water. A trip to the north will lead to a one-lane road shaded by towering ironwood trees. Looking like a scene out of Maine or New Zealand, only the tropical climate gives the location away.

The nearby beach is also a contrast of natural formations. A huge sandy plain leads not to the sea, but to a volcanic shoreline pocked with valleys and crevices. Waves crash against this barrier reef creating a reverberating thunder that carries up and down the deserted coast.

Follow a few signs to see some of Rota's uplifted caves. Rota's most famous landmark is the Wedding Cake Peninsula near town. But the entire island looks as if the Maker layered it.

Rota’s cliffs offer dramatic vistas.

The result of a series of uplifts spanning hundreds of thousands of years; Rota has sites that are sheer cliffs. Within these cliffs are caves now open to the sun, which illuminates fully formed stalagmites and stalactites. Hiking can be fascinating, and one occasionally comes across World War II artifacts in caves. They pock the island and can be found both high and low and even below the sea.

Near one series of caves is a fishing cliff where some of the island's most spectacular blowhole activity can be found. The northern end of Rota can feature rough, open seas that are not abated by outer reefs. Here, deep swells have carved the cliffs into basins. Waves crunch in and shoot geysers through giant cracks.

The fishermen use this spot only when seas are relatively calm as big fish swim just below, cruising in and out of the rocks for food.

The island’s main village, Songsong, is quiet and charming.

Entrepreneurial Rotanese have started botanical gardens, small cattle ranches and beach rest stops along this lush section of the island. Highlighted by winding roads and scenic vistas, a slow cruise can lead to a quiet stream rolling down from the hills and cascading over a bed of rocks until it empties into the sea. Higher up, the stream may narrow. But as its water gains velocity, waterfalls and tiny rapids are created.

Here, Micronesian Kingfishers warble in the trees and butterflies flit from bush to bush. On some tracts of the Sabana plain, it seems as though an African lion should amble out from the bush. There isn't anything here so exotic. There are, however, a few wild pigs and deer.

Birds, especially sea birds, are one of the island's claims to fame. Its cleverly built bird sanctuary is set in the most scenic of sites in the Pacific.

Few places in the Pacific offer the panoramic view of nature that you'll find at the Sagua Ghaga seabird sanctuary on the south coast of Rota. Situated on the edge of a high cliff, this overlook is a loft over the lush green roosts of the red-footed boobies that nest in the trees below. Brown boobies nest in the cliffs, together with brown noddies, white-tailed and red-tailed tropicbirds, and fairy terns. The immense greater frigate bird often soars overhead, and collared kingfishers rattle a noisy call while they roost on the railing. The endangered Mariana crow is not an uncommon visitor here, nor is the Mariana fruit bat.

Along with the ocean-faring birds, nearly all of Rota's forest birds can be seen here. Less frequently you may see or hear a deer, and looking out to sea, you're all but guaranteed to catch a glimpse of a green sea turtle surfacing for a breath of air, and pods of dolphins occasionally swim past. Trees and time hide the ancient latte sites below.

Down below Rota's Bird Sanctuary, the sea crashes into the cliffs. All along this eastern coastline are natural surprises waiting to be found. As it can be rough over here during certain months of the year, especially during trade wind season, much of the underwater world has yet to be explored.

New finds are popping up all the time and known sites yield new features as more people take the time to visit them.

Pods of dolphins are common sights in the waters around Rota.

Rota is famous for its extremely clear water. Thus, cave exploration isn't as tricky as it could be in some places. Divers swimming underwater along the cliff line can spot the dark indentation in the sea wall that might be a cave entrance. A quick look can usually yield enough information to let a diver know if the cave is worth extra exploration.

Some sites have no names as yet. But the stories of first penetration have already become minor legends. One such cave is located south centrally on the eastern coast. At 80 feet, the cave mouth is wide, but the inside can be very, very dark. Like on a night dive, where the light beam points after the daylight from the cave mouth dwindles is what you see. I was told that one of the first guides from the Dive Rota dive shop to penetrate followed his beam right into the face of an immense moray eel.

Strange sponge formations grow along the cave walls and on the cave floor. Some of these large sponges resemble small snowdrifts.

Lobsters abound along one upper carved out shelf and beautiful cowries are common. Copper sweepers dart in and out of the reach of the light beam and soldierfish school in corners or disappeared in the cave's crevices. Waves crash above.

The eerie blue of the cave mouth can be easily seen in the clear Rota water after a diver's eyes adjust to the light. There is a special shade of aqua that comes from this natural filtration that seemingly can be found nowhere else but on the Mariana Islands.

Other caves also show a penchant for housing marine life. Pearlman Tunnel is one such site that is home to a couple of white tip sharks. The cave has an entrance at about 80 feet and runs up a slope to less than 20 feet where it opens up again. The silhouette of the sharks swimming nervously back and forth can be seen as the diver enters the cave.

Normally not aggressive, the sharks will leave while their home is being explored. But they usually don't stray too far, occasionally swimming by on the outer reef to see if it is okay to come back and take a rest stop.

This site also has a forest of golden gorgonian fans that give off a brilliant hue when the underwater light is shined on them.

Cave diving offers dramatic views.

Near Rota's Bird Sanctuary is an odd formation called the Hobbit House. This huge rock is full of large passages. The ceiling of the House is covered in delicate lace corals and encrusting sponges and tunicates line the walls.

A school of skipjacks has made this site its home. Like the sharks, they will swim nervously from passage to passage and streak a diver in a flash of silver when he or she least expects it.

The setting for all of these caves is the majestic eastern coastline. Rivers flow right down to the sea here and coconut-lined groves cover the mountains where the water has run through the jungle. At certain sites, the boat engines can be cut and waterfalls can be heard gurgling and splashing over the last shelf of rocks before they become part of the ocean.

Diving into these climes can be a little disorienting, like looking at the world with petroleum jelly on your glasses.

Rota's attraction has always been its friendly people and quaint charm. Some new spots have popped up to add to this including the Rota Resort and some other beach bars and small, reasonable hotels in the village.

At night, the sky is as clear as the water. There aren't many lights on Rota, so stargazers are in for a treat. The Southern Cross and Orion punch through the blackness.

And the Milky Way is absolutely incredible, flowing across the universe in a shimmering array of creation. Rota can be a daylong or a weeklong getaway adventure. But for sure, Rota is a natural high.