Vanuatu

Introduction

boys from siviri village

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Melanesian Vanuatu lies just south of the Solomon Islands, making it a favourite destination among Australians. It presents a self-confident palette of cultural influences interwoven with traditional island ways. In Port Vila, the French quarter and Chinatown highlight the vibrancy of modern Vanuatu - it's a town firmly locked into the future while retaining the emblems of its past with pride.

The real attraction of Vanuatu, though, is its phenomenal sightseeing. Underwater visibility at its peak hits fifty metres, revealing limitless schools of colourful fish darting around spectacular coral reefs, as well as a formidable array of submerged WWII wreckages. Above sea level, the scenery only gets more amazing. Tall volcanic peaks present a stunning backdrop to any photo, as well as lush ground for an eco-tourist's dream-come-true.

Brief History

Espiritu Santo was the first island in Vanuatu to be discovered by Europeans, back in 1606 when Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernández de Quirós, saw what he thought to be a southern continent. It was not until 1768 that Europeans returned when Louis Antoine de Bougainville rediscovered the islands. It was in 1774 that Captain Cook named the islands the New Hebrides, a name that lasted until independence in 1980 at which time it became the Republic of Vanuatu.

In the 1990s Vanuatu experienced political instability which resulted in a more decentralised government. The Vanuatu Mobile Force, a paramilitary group, attempted a coup in 1996 because of a pay dispute amongst allegations of corruption in the government of Maxime Carlot Korman. New elections have been called for a number of times since 1997, the most recent in 2004.

Geography

Regions/Provinces

Vanuatu consists of 6 provinces.

• Malampa
• Penama
• Sanma
• Shefa
• Tafea
• Torba

Cities/Towns

• Port Vila - The capital
• Luganville
• Port Olry
• Isangel
• Pango
• Whitesands

Sights and Activities

Volcanoes

yasur

© All Rights Reserved debnic

What the Hawaii Islands are for the east of the Pacific, Vanuatu is for the west. The islands have many volcanoes to see and explore as the islands are located right on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Probably the most famous one is Yasur volcano on Tanna Island. This volcanoe is easy to reach and although it's active year round, it is unusual for it to be too active to approach. Therefore, the Yasur volcano has become an extremely popular tourist attraction not to be missed when you are visiting this part of Vanuatu. Apart from Tanna, also the islands of Ambrym, Lopevi, Kuwai, Ambae and Gaua have nice volcanoes, many of which are just beautiful only to look at.

Chief Roi Mata's Domain

Chief Roi Mata’s Domain is the first and so far only site in Vanuatu that is on the Unesco World Heritage List. The site consists of three sites on the islands of Efate, Lelepa and Artok dating back to the early 17th century AD. They all refer to the life and death of the last paramount chief, or Roi Mata, of what is now Central Vanuatu.

Vanuatu Waters alive with fish

© All Rights Reserved StephenJen

Wreck diving

Vanuatu is famous for its diving opportunities and one of the most important diving sites is located on the island of Espiritu Santo. The biggest draw to Espiritu Santo Island is the wreck of the SS President Coolidge. This was a WWII troop carrier sunk by friendly mines in 1942. Most travellers to Espiritu Santo are divers who only come for the purpose of exploring this famous wreck. That said, there are more options on the island, regarding diving, snorkelling or just relaxing on one of the beaches.

Other sights and activities

mid air

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• You simply cannot go to Vanuatu without Scuba-diving or at very least snorkeling in some of the clearest water and surrounded by colourful fish and sea-life. There are numerous dive and snorkel tour operators in Port Vila so be sure to stop in and see what they can offer.
• Kava drinking - Vanuatu claims to have the strongest in the Pacific!
• Bungee jumping - originally from Vanuatu, but probably best avoided in the traditional way.

Events and Festivals

• Toka ceremony on the island of Tanna
• Malvatumauri Arts Festival
• Vanua Lava Day!

Weather

Girl on Vanuatu Beach

© All Rights Reserved StephenJen

Getting there

Plane

The national carrier of Vanuatu is Air Vanuatu and most flights arrive at Bauerfield International Airport (VLI) in the capital Port Vila. International destinations with Air Vanuatu include Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Nouméa and Sydney. Air Pacific flies to/from Nadi in Fiji and Honiara in the Solomon Islands. Other airlines serving Port Vila are Aircalin based in New Caledonia and serving Noumea as well, Air New Zealand serving Auckland, and Pacific Blue serving Brisbane. Air Pacific is the best way to connect to North America and Japan.

There are connections from and to Espiritu Santo: Santo-Pekoa International Airport (SON) serves Brisbane and Sydney with Air Vanuatu.

By Boat

The MV Havannah runs a monthly service out of Noumea in New Caledonia to Port Vila, Malekula and Santo in Vanuatu.
Other than that, it's mainly cruisehips and yacht you will have to rely on, which are either expensive or difficult to find.

Getting Around

By Plane

Air Vanuatu, operating under the name Vanair for domestic flights, offers many daily scheduled flight connections. Domestic destinations include Aniwa, Craig Cove, Dillon's Bay, Emae, Ipota, Lamap, Lamen Bay, Longana, Lonorore, Luganville, Norsup, Paama, Sara, Sota, South West Bay, Tanna, Tongoa, Torres, Ulei, Valesdir and Walaha.
Other airlines include Unity Airlines and Air Club Vila, offering charter flights to many islands.

By Car

Rental cars are available at Port Vila and the airport, including normal, 4wd cars and smaller jeeps. Several roads are in good condition, but on the smaller islands, roads are of a lesser quality, being dirt tracks. You need a national driver's licence and traffic drives on the right on the Vanuatu islands.

By Bus

Minibuses travel in and around Port Vila and the island. You can wave one down as there are no scheduled services. Getting of the bus is just as easy, just shout.

By Boat

There are several options of getting around the Vanuatu islands by boat. Some of them are modern catamarans, some of them are nothing more than a sleeping place on a cargo ship. But it's a fun way of getting around and you will meet lots of locals. The options are as followed:

• The powered catamaran Diepsea, operated by Island Gateway (islandgateway@vanuatu.com.vu), travels to Espiritu Santo via the Shepherds, Epi and Malekula each Friday. The returns trips goes via Ambae, Maewo, Pentecost, Ambrym and Paama on Saturday. Another option with this boat is a loop that travels to Tanna on Monday or Tuesday via Erromango, returning to Port Vila on Tuesday or Wednesday. The catamaran has room for almost 60 people and has comfortable seating, refreshments and onboard entertainment.
• Pelsaert (adventure@vanuatu.com.vu) travels to Tanna twice-weekly, arriving at Port Resolution on Tuesday and Lenakel on Thursday. Fridays it travels to Litslits on Malekula (14 hours), and on to Luganville on Santo. The return trip to Port Vila is on Sunday and there is room for up to 70 persons.
• The cargo ship Brisk takes passengers from Port Vila to Santo, Pentecost, Ambrym, Epi and back to Port Vila.
• The Dinh 1 travels from Port Vila to Tanna, Malekula and Santo.
• The Sarafenua (baboak@ifira.com.vu) goes from Port Vila to Epi, Paama, Santo, Pentecost, Ambrym, Ambae, Erromango, Tanna, Aneityum, Futuna and Aniwa. Travel on all these three cargo ships is infrequent and generally not comfortable. It is an adventure though!

Red Tape

Most people do not need a visa. A valid passport (at least 4 months after leaving the country) and proof of onward or return transport is enough.

Money

See also Money Matters

The local currency is the Vatu (VT). Coins include 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 VT pieces.
There are notes of 200 VT, 500 VT, 1000 VT, and 5000 VT.

Work

Study

Language

The main languages spoken in Vanuatu are Bislama, French and English though, like most of the pacific islands, there are dialects and variations in different regions.

Eat

A trip to Port Vila, Vanuatu, is not complete without a night out at French Restaurant and Piano Bar L'Houstalet, on Elluk Road, Port Vila. It is one of the most popular casual restaurants on the island since its opening in 1972, where host Clement Martinez will make sure that your night is one to remember! House specialities include escargot, coconut crab, flying fox, pizza, pasta and traditional French desserts. Open for dinner every day, but you might want to call first to make sure there is a table for you!

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

There are no vaccinations legally required to travel to Vanuatu. It's a good thing to get your vaccinations in order before travelling to Vanuatu. The general vaccination against Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP) is recommended. Also a hepatitis A vaccination is recommended and when travelling longer than 2 weeks also typhoid.

Hepatitis B and Tuberculosis exist throughout the islands but should be of no concern to travellers provided they take normal precautions. If you travel for more than 3 months, it might be wise to get your vaccinations though.

Malaria is prevalent and most travel agents and travel doctors will recommend you take preventative medication. Also use mosquito repellent (50% DEET), sleep under a mosquito net and wear long sleeves when it's dark. Dengue sometimes occurs as well. There is no vaccinations though.

Finally, other possible health issues include diarrhea and other general travellers' diseases like motion sickness. Watch what you eat and drink and in case you get it, drink plenty of fluids (to prevent dehydration) and bring ORS.

The sun is hot and sunblock a must in Vanuatu - even in winter. Remember to re-apply after swimming or you may end up as red as a beetroot after a relaxing day of snorkeling. It is not unheard of for tourists to have required MedEvac after sustaining serious sunburn and heatstroke. Keep in mind, too, that many anti-malarial tablets increase the likleihood of sunburn significantly.

There is one hospital in Port Vila, another in Luganville. There are small clinics also throughout the islands. There are several English and French GP's on the Islands, speak to your staff at your accommodation and they can get you in contact with one should you need it.

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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