The centre of Pohnpei is a volcanic mountain called Nanalaud, rising about 770 metres above the sea. Rain clouds pile up against the mountain and release their water as torrents - not just on rainy days, but almost every single day. All that water flows off in streams and waterfalls before reaching the reef below.
The rainforest of Pohnpei is full of plants that exist nowhere else on Earth. Because the island sits alone in the Pacific Ocean, species evolved there completely separately from the rest of the world. Trees, ferns, mosses and orchids fill every surface. It feels like the whole island is made of green.
Pohnpei is also famous for its pepper. Pohnpei pepper is a long, spicy black pepper grown on the island that chefs around the world love because of its unusual, flowery taste. It grows on vines that climb the trees of the rainforest, and local farmers harvest it by hand.
The waterfalls of Pohnpei have names and stories. Kepirohi Waterfall is one of the most beautiful, where fresh mountain water drops into a pool surrounded by ferns. Swimming there after a hike through the jungle is one of the things visitors remember most.