Suicide Cliff
A limestone cliff about 250 metres high on Marpi Mountain, where Japanese forces and civilians jumped at the end of WWII. The clifftop offers views over the northern coast and Banzai Cliff.
Suicide Cliff sits on Marpi Mountain in the north of Saipan and is a limestone cliff face roughly 250 metres high. In July 1944, toward the end of the Battle of Saipan, remaining Japanese troops and some civilians retreated here, refused to surrender and jumped from the clifftop, which gave the cliff its name. The clifftop is now a peace memorial park, with a Memorial to the War Dead of the Central Pacific erected by the Japanese government, along with several memorial stones. The platform offers wide views over the northern plain, Banzai Cliff, the direction of Bird Island and the blue Pacific, and on clear days you can even see the distant ocean. The road up is narrow and steep, so drive slowly. Caves beside the clifftop still hold trenches and gun emplacements built by Japanese forces. Admission is free. Please keep a respectful silence and do not climb on the memorials. Getting there: about 25 minutes' drive from Garapan. It lies on the way to Banzai Cliff, so the two can be visited together.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Last Command Post Park
- Banzai Cliff
- Bird Island
- Wing Beach
- The Grotto
- Kalabera Cave
- Pau Pau Beach
- Japanese Lighthouse (Navy Hill)