Travel to Palmrya Atoll is limited to individuals and/or institutions that have received permission from PARC, The Nature Conservancy, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. All research conducted on Palmyra must first be approved by the USFWS via a Special Use Permit. Various permission forms and documents need to be prepared and provided to PARC prior to working at the station.
Travel to and from Palmyra is on a Gulfstream turboprop plane. Approximate flight time is four hours, one-way. This charter is considered an International flight and requires special handling through US Customs and Border Protection and Immigration. For each leg of the flight, US citizens are required to present their passport. Non-US citizens must present a passport and visa. These documents must be valid within six months of departure from Palmyra. Travel to Palmyra on the visa waiver program is not possible.
Because the plane cannot land during a heavy storm or in the event of standing water on the airstrip, flights may be unexpectedly postponed until the next available flight window, which could result in a delay of up to several days. Likewise, weather, bird activity, Customs issues and other situations can lead to delays of a few hours. For these reasons, all travelers to Palmyra are advised to allow at least a 24-hour window around connecting flights through Honolulu.
Space and weight on the plane are strictly monitored. The standard weight allotment is 30 lbs total per person, including all luggage, research gear and carry-on items. Researchers who wish to bring more than 30 lbs will need to make an advance request for additional allotment, but at peak research times space and weight constraints may prevent additional allotments. Chemicals and hazardous materials are not allowed on the plane; these materials must be sent ahead of time by barge. In addition, quarantine procedures must be followed to ensure that invasive species and pests are not inadvertently introduced to the atoll.
In order to plan a research trip to Palmyra, PARC participants should contact their institutional representative and inquire about the current Palmyra Flight Schedule and space availability.