Port Vila
2 hostels
The capital on Efate: a market, a harbour, and the arrival point for most visitors.
Vanuatu country guide
Vanuatu Travel Guide
An active volcano you can stand on the rim of, the best wreck dive in the world, and 83 islands with more languages between them than anywhere else on earth.
VT6,000
A guesthouse room, from
83
Islands
110+
Languages
1
Accessible active volcano
Volcanoes, wrecks and more languages than anywhere
Vanuatu is 83 islands strung across 1,300km of the South Pacific, with over 110 indigenous languages between them: the highest density of languages per person anywhere in the world. Bislama, an English-based creole, is what ties them together.
Efate holds the capital, Port Vila, and is where most visitors land. Espiritu Santo to the north has the SS President Coolidge, a luxury liner turned troopship that sank in 1942 and is now among the most accessible large wreck dives anywhere, plus blue holes and Champagne Beach.
Tanna in the south has Mount Yasur, an active volcano where you can stand on the crater rim at dusk and watch it throw lava: one of the few places on earth that is both possible and permitted.
Ten days covers Efate and one other island. Two weeks does it properly.
Where to go
Domestic flights link the main islands. Inter-island boats exist but keep their own counsel.
Tanna
Mount Yasur, an active volcano you can stand beside, and custom villages nearby.
What kind of trip is this?
Vanuatu is a volcano, diving and custom culture trip, and it takes some effort to reach.
Adventure in Vanuatu
An active volcano, blue holes and world-class wreck diving.
What to do
- Stand on the rim of Mount Yasur
- Dive the SS President Coolidge
- Swim the Nanda blue hole
Spots to visit
- Mount Yasur
- SS Coolidge
- Blue holes
Best cities for it
Culture in Vanuatu
Custom villages and 110 languages in one country.
Beach in Vanuatu
Champagne Beach and the blue lagoons of Efate.
What to do
- Champagne Beach on Santo
- Efate's Blue Lagoon
- Snorkel off Hideaway Island
Spots to visit
- Champagne Beach
- Blue Lagoon
- Hideaway Island
Best cities for it
Food in Vanuatu
Island food, French colonial leftovers and very good beef.
What to do
- Laplap, the national dish
- Santo beef, which is excellent
- Port Vila market breakfast
Spots to visit
- Port Vila market
- Luganville
- Village kakae
Best cities for it
Budget in Vanuatu
Not cheap, and guesthouses beat resorts by a distance.
What to do
- Guesthouses and bungalows
- Market food in Port Vila
- Share transport to sites
Spots to visit
- Port Vila
- Luganville
Best cities for it
City break in Vanuatu
Port Vila for a couple of days, mostly as a base.
What to do
- The market, open most of the week
- The waterfront
- A nakamal at dusk
Spots to visit
- Port Vila centre
- Waterfront
Best cities for it
Things to do
Things to do in Vanuatu
Mount Yasur on Tanna is the headline and it is extraordinary: a 4WD track and a short walk bring you to the crater rim at dusk, where you watch an active volcano throw lava a few hundred metres away. Access depends on the volcano's alert level, which is monitored and changes: trips are cancelled when it rises, and that is a good thing.
The SS President Coolidge off Espiritu Santo is a 200-metre liner sunk in 1942, lying in accessible depths from about 20 metres, and it is regularly ranked among the best wreck dives in the world. Santo also has blue holes (freshwater springs of startling colour) and Champagne Beach.
On Pentecost between April and June, land diving sees men jump from wooden towers with vines tied to their ankles, the ritual that inspired bungee jumping.
Around Efate, the sealed ring road makes a good day of beaches, blue lagoons and villages.
Food and drink
Eating in Vanuatu
Laplap is the national dish (grated root vegetable baked in leaves with coconut cream, often with meat or fish) and it is heavy, good and sold at markets.
Port Vila's market is open most of the week and runs almost continuously from Monday to Saturday, with cooked food stalls upstairs serving full plates for a few hundred vatu.
The French colonial period left a surprising legacy: Port Vila has good bakeries and French-influenced restaurants, and Santo produces genuinely excellent grass-fed beef that turns up on menus across the country.
Kava here is considerably stronger than Fiji's. Nakamals (kava bars marked by a coloured light outside) open at dusk, and drinking is done quietly then sitting in silence for a while, which is the custom rather than a coincidence.
Nightlife
Going out in Vanuatu
Port Vila has bars along the waterfront, a couple of clubs and a resident expat crowd, and that is the extent of conventional nightlife in the country.
The real evening institution is the nakamal. Marked by a coloured bulb outside, these are kava bars where you buy a shell for a couple of hundred vatu, drink it in one, and then sit quietly: Vanuatu kava is strong and the custom is silence rather than conversation after the first few shells.
Outside Port Vila and Luganville, evenings are your guesthouse and the stars. On Tanna, the evening is the volcano.
Tusker is the local beer at VT400 to VT700.
Getting around
Getting around Vanuatu
Air Vanuatu links the main islands and flying is how visitors move between them: Port Vila to Tanna or Santo takes under an hour. Schedules change and cancellations are common, so leave a buffer day before any international connection.
On Efate, minibuses marked with a B circulate and stop wherever you flag them, with fares fixed within Port Vila. Taxis are marked T and unmetered: agree the fare first.
Efate's ring road is sealed and makes hiring a car straightforward for a day. Other islands have rough roads where 4WD and a driver are the norm.
Inter-island cargo boats carry passengers cheaply, keep no reliable schedule and can be uncomfortable, but they are how most ni-Vanuatu travel.
Costs
What Vanuatu costs
Vanuatu is not cheap. Guesthouse rooms start around VT6,000 to VT12,000, meals in Port Vila restaurants are VT1,500 to VT3,500, and market food is far less.
The costs that shape a trip are the activities and the flights. Mount Yasur access with transport runs VT10,000 to VT20,000 including the custom fee paid to landowners, diving the Coolidge is VT12,000 to VT20,000 for two tanks, and domestic flights are VT15,000 to VT30,000 return.
A day without an activity comes to VT9,000 to VT18,000. Cash matters outside Port Vila and Luganville: ATMs are limited and card acceptance patchy. Custom fees at sites are normal and go to the landowning families.
Safety
Staying safe in Vanuatu
Vanuatu is generally safe for visitors, with petty theft in Port Vila the most common issue and little else.
The country is among the most exposed in the world to natural hazards. It sits on the Ring of Fire with several active volcanoes, in the cyclone belt from November to April, and Cyclone Pam in 2015 caused catastrophic damage. Earthquakes and tsunami warnings occur. This is a place to have insurance that covers disruption and evacuation.
Mount Yasur is an active volcano and its alert level changes: access is restricted or closed when it rises, and those closures are not negotiable or worth arguing with.
Medical facilities are basic outside Port Vila, and serious cases are evacuated to Australia or New Zealand. Malaria is present on some islands, so take advice on prophylaxis before travelling.
Entry and documents
Entry and documents
Most European, UK, US, Australian and New Zealand citizens enter visa-free for 30 to 90 days depending on nationality, with proof of onward travel sometimes requested.
Passports need six months' validity.
The thing to understand here is customary land. Almost all land in Vanuatu is held under custom by families and villages, including beaches, volcanoes and waterfalls, and access fees are paid directly to the owners. This is not a tourist surcharge: it is how land works in this country, and paying it politely is part of visiting.
When to go
April to October is the dry season and the time to come. November to April is hot, wet and cyclone season.
Jan
Hot, wet and peak cyclone risk
Feb
The wettest and riskiest month
Mar
Still wet. Cyclone season continuing
Apr
Improving, and land diving begins on Pentecost
May
Dry season proper. Land diving continues
Jun
Excellent. Cool, dry and clear
Jul
Peak season. The best weather of the year
Aug
Excellent, with the best diving visibility
Sep
Superb and slightly quieter
Oct
Still dry, warming up
Nov
Wet season and cyclone risk return
Dec
Hot and humid, busy over Christmas
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs for Port Vila. The northern islands including Santo are hotter and wetter year-round, and Tanna in the south is slightly cooler.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in vatu.
Mount Yasur at VT10,000–20,000, Coolidge dives at VT12,000–20,000 and domestic flights at VT15,000–30,000 return sit outside these figures.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
What's on
What is on while you are there
Land diving on Pentecost is the one to plan around, and it only runs a few months a year.
April to June
Naghol land diving
Pentecost Island
Men jump from wooden towers with vines tied to their ankles. The ritual that inspired bungee jumping.
30 July
Independence Day
Nationwide
String bands, sport and celebration marking independence in 1980.
Irregular, dry season
Toka Festival
Tanna
A custom exchange festival between villages, held every few years.
April to October
Dry season
Nationwide
Best weather, best diving visibility and the most reliable flights.
November to April
Cyclone season
Nationwide
Vanuatu is among the most cyclone-exposed countries in the world.
Nightly
Nakamal evenings
Nationwide
Kava bars open at dusk, marked by a coloured bulb outside.
Vanuatu travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Can you really stand next to an active volcano?
On Tanna, yes. A 4WD track and a short walk bring you to the rim of Mount Yasur at dusk, where it throws lava a few hundred metres away. Access depends on the alert level, which is monitored and does close the site: respect it.
What is the SS President Coolidge?
A 200-metre luxury liner turned troopship that sank off Espiritu Santo in 1942, lying in accessible depths from about 20 metres. It is regularly ranked among the best wreck dives in the world and is why divers come to Vanuatu.
How long do you need?
Ten days for Efate plus one other island, two weeks to combine Tanna and Santo without rushing. Domestic flights are short but schedules change, so buffer days matter.
What is land diving?
A ritual on Pentecost between April and June where men jump from wooden towers with vines tied to their ankles. It predates and inspired bungee jumping, and it is a genuine ceremony rather than a display.
Why do I have to pay to visit a beach?
Almost all land in Vanuatu is held under custom by families and villages, including beaches, waterfalls and volcanoes. Access fees go directly to the landowners. It is how land works here, not a tourist surcharge.
Is Vanuatu expensive?
Not cheap. Guesthouses from VT6,000 to VT12,000, a day around VT9,000 to VT18,000, and the big costs are Mount Yasur access, diving and domestic flights.
When should I go?
April to October, the dry season, with June to September the best of it. November to April is hot, wet and cyclone season: Vanuatu is among the most cyclone-exposed countries in the world.
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