I’ve spent a month of my life visiting my family on Guam, and I think it’s one of the most underrated tourist destinations in the US. These photos will show you why.

• Guam is a US territory in Oceania that is often overlooked by American tourists. According to travel search site Skyscanner, few Americans plan trips to this destination.
• As the largest island of the Mariana Islands, Guam’s rich culture and adventure-friendly terrain make it one of the most underrated travel destinations in America.
• The indigenous people of Guam are CHamoru. I’m half CHamoru, and most of my CHamoru family lives on Guam. When I visit them, we go on adventures all over the island and surrounding waters.
• These photos of tropical jungles, coral reefs, and some of the most culturally rich destinations Guam has to offer will show why it should be No. 1 on everyone’s travel bucket list.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

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Guam’s slogan is “Where America’s day begins” because it is — literally. Guam is an American territory west of the International Date Line. So it’s the first place in America that experiences a new day each day.

Source: Guampedia

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Guam is in the North Pacific Ocean. It’s the largest and southern-most island in the Mariana Islands archipelago.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

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When I visited my family on Guam, I flew from the contiguous US by connecting through either Honolulu, Hawaii, or Tokyo, Japan.

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Guam is actually much closer to Japan than any US state. It takes less than four hours to fly there nonstop from Tokyo, but almost eight hours nonstop from Honolulu.

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Guam only has two seasons — wet and dry — and it’s a tropical marine climate. The dry season is from January to June, and the rainy season is from July to December. The temperature stays around 80 degrees all the time.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

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The warm weather is perfect for swimming. Guam is surrounded by coral reefs and has five protected marine preserves.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

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On the western shore of Guam in a village called Piti, the Guam Seawalker Tours offer a unique underwater adventure in a marine preserve called Piti Bomb Holes.

Source: Guam Seawalker

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This tour takes people to the seafloor to see schools of fish, complete with a Sandy-Cheeks-like helmet straight out of "Spongebob Squarepants."

Source: Guam Seawalker

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Professional divers take each patron down to the seafloor using a ladder that is attached to a small boat.

Source: Guam Seawalker

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For 25 minutes, divers guide patrons around the seafloor using an installed railing for balance.

Source: Guam Seawalker

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The air pressure underwater makes it feel like you're on an airplane. It's slightly uncomfortable, but breathing underwater makes the experience feel like a reverse aquarium.

Source: Guam Seawalker

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After 25 minutes is up, the group goes back up to the boat, and the next group begins their descent.

Source: Guam Seawalker

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While waiting for other groups to do their tours, visitors can snorkel in a designated area on the side of the boat ...

Source: Guam Seawalker

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... and the Seawalker Tour provides life jackets, snorkels, and goggles to do so. I think this tour is one of the most unique things I've ever done, and other visitors agree.

Source: Guam Seawalker

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"We were surrounded by so many different kinds of beautiful fish and corals," one Trip Advisor review said. "I've lived on the island all my life and visit the beach often, but this was a completely new experience that was great to share with family ...

Source: Trip Advisor

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"... It is a great activity for both tourists and locals," the review continued.

Source: Trip Advisor

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But if hanging out underwater isn't really your thing, there's still plenty to do on Guam, like a hike through Guam's tropical jungles. I recommend Ritidian Point, which is on the northern tip of Guam in a village called Yigo.

Source: Guampedia

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It used to be an ancient CHamoru village, but now Ritidian is a wildlife refuge. The refuge includes 832 acres of land and 371 acres of coral reefs.

Source: Guampedia

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Aside from wildlife, like snails, lizards, and fruit bats, Ritidian is known for its archaeological significance.

Source: Guampedia

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The caves in Ritidian have some ancient rock art, or pictographs, in them. The art is very difficult to preserve because of high humidity and mold growth.

Source: Guampedia

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Archaeological studies suggest that the first CHamoru people settled on Guam about 4,000 years ago.

Source: National Wildlife Refuge, Guampedia

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I went to Ritidian on the first day of my summer 2018 trip to Guam. I was still feeling sick from the plane journey, but my mother told me I couldn't vomit on these lands because they're sacred.

Source: Guampedia

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Ritidian is untouched land. Many CHamoru people believe that Taotaomo’na — the spirits of the "people before" — reside in Ritidian. It is widely believed that if you don't respect the land, Taotaomo'na can pinch and scratch people in their sleep and make them physically ill. Needless to say, I kept my mouth closed until we left Ritidian.

Source: Guampedia

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For another historically informative adventure, you can also visit the Valley of the Latte Adventure Park, which is on the south side of Guam in a village called Talofofo.

Source: Valley of the Latte

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Tour guides take visitors to the valley by boat, but you can take a kayak or a paddleboat if you are feeling more adventurous.

Source: Valley of the Latte

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When traveling through the Talofofo and Ugum Rivers, patrons can see wildlife in and around the river.

Source: Valley of the Latte

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The river supports wildlife in the area, including mangrove crabs, tilapia, catfish, mangrove snappers, trout, perch, shrimp, and halfbeaks.

Source: Valley of the Latte

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Once at the site, patrons can see how ancient CHamoru people lived in the Talofofo River Valley over 3,000 years ago.

Source: Valley of the Latte

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This is a traditional CHamoru home. It's supported by latte stones, which are a type of pillar used by the ancient CHamoru people that features a tall column and a hemispherical stone on top.

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Visitors can walk through the home and picture what it would be like to live inside one of these huts.

Source: Guam Museum

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"The presence of our ancestors can be seen and felt as people tour the river and grounds," Valley of the Latte CEO Daniel Tydingco told Insider.

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The rest of the tour is a combination of exploration and demonstrations.

Source: Valley of the Latte

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Visitors can gather and watch as a tour guide shows them how ancient CHamoru people wove baskets and made fire.

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The tour is also interactive. Visitors get the chance to make fire themselves.

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Then, the tour guide gives everyone some time to explore the lands. The valley is home to chickens, caribou, lizards, and wild dogs. My family explored the village with me even though they had been there before.

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"For our locals, many of them take great pride in being able to visit a place that celebrates our history and culture and are proud to share it with guests that they bring with them," Tydingco told Insider.

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My family also took me to the Senator Antonio M. Palomo Guam Museum and CHamoru Educational Facility. This is a history, culture, and natural science museum located in the island's capital — Hagåtña ...

Source: Guam Museum

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... but the museum wasn't always here. War and natural disasters have shifted the museum's location multiple times over the last century.

Source: Guam Museum

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The Guam Museum has a history of destruction and rebuilding, just like the island of Guam itself.

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The first thing that stands out about the museum is the building's exterior. The 65-foot-high arch and other unique characteristics have made the building an icon in Hagåtña.

Source: Guam Museum

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Museum director Dominica Tolentino told Insider that the building's architect was inspired by memories of growing up on Guam, such as the woven patterns, sling stones, and latte stone elements included in the design.

Source: Guam Museum

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This slab of cement on the front of the building resembles a book page, and the words come from an ancient CHamoru chief's speech and lyrics from the Guam Hymn, which is the official territorial anthem of Guam.

Source: Guam Museum

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But the inside of the museum is even more impressive. It's complete with a permanent exhibition called "I Hinanao-ta Nu I Manaotao Tåno Siha: The Journey of the CHamoru People."

Source: Guam Museum

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The exhibition is 6,200-square feet in total, and it uses technology to make it an interactive and unique experience. "It is an exciting story about humanity and homeland, our relationship with the land and sea, and it provides a frame of reference for beginning to understand the human interactions which have brought us to where we are today," Tolentino told Insider.

Source: Guam Museum

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The exhibition is divided into several sections and presents the history of Guam chronologically.

Source: Guam Museum

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The first gallery focuses on the diverse ecology of Guam. Stone, ceramic, and shell artifacts are presented here.

Source: Guam Museum

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The next section of the exhibition focuses on the ancient CHamoru culture and ways of life before colonization ...

Source: Guam Museum

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... which leads us to the next section — early colonization. This part begins with Spanish contact and ends with the first American naval administration.

Source: Guam Museum

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The exhibition then goes into World War II and post-war reconstruction. This display is accompanied by sound bites that feature stories by war survivors.

Source: Guam Museum

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A wall of this exhibit is dedicated to those who were affected by the war. My cousins and I ran our fingers down the wall and found "Chaco," one of our family's names, on it several times. When I found great-grandpa Manuel Chaco's name on the wall, I immediately pictured his aging face as I remembered the story he told me of how he and my great-grandma Josefina Chaco had a baby — Norman — in a concentration camp. Norman Duenas Chaco died in the camp before the war ended.

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Finally, the exhibition ends with CHamoru's perspectives on Guam’s political status and cultural revitalization. This covers the growth of tourism and the continued militarization of Guam. Most of Guam's tourists come from Asian countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan.

Source: Guam Museum, Guam Daily Post

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Tolentino told Insider that Guam's economy relies on foreign tourism. Tourism employs thousands of people and provides growth opportunities for local businesses.

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At the same time, tourism commercializes Guam, introduces foreign illnesses and diseases, and it's Guam's only driving economic force, according to Tolentino.

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Ultimately, Tolentino believes that the people of Guam will support tourism as long as it does not challenge the community’s core family values. In my experience as a CHamoru, this includes respect, collectivism, and courage. Coming to Guam might give you a sense of these values, too, and that's part of what makes this tourist destination so underrated.