> > by Craig Tansley
For anyone who’s ever been to Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila on a visiting cruise ship, you only need know one thing: you ain’t seen nothing yet! For while Port Vila (and the island of Efate) offers a wide range of ultra-modern resorts for visitors, the other 82 islands of Vanuatu are characterised by cargo cults, exploding volcanoes, two-kilometre high mountains, islanders with 120 distinct languages, endless white beaches with not a footprint on them and blue lagoons with some of the best diving available in the Pacific (including the best shipwreck dive on Earth).
But you don’t need to rough it when you get there; Vanuatu has some of the South Pacific’s lowest-impact romantic accommodation options, often hundreds of kilometres from the next spot, amongst a forest of intact tribal communities. What’s more, you can even experience the remnants of French culture here in wild Melanesia – Vanuatu only gained independence from the French (and British) in 1980. Vanuatu’s main island Efate has become a favourite haunt for Australian couples for very good reason – it’s an inexpensive three and half hour flight from Sydney and the island offers everything from five-star resorts to white, sandy beaches to an endless offering of water and land-based activities at reasonable prices. You can abseil 50 metres down a waterfall, canter across a perfect beach on horseback, surf reef breaks, snorkel and dive some of the Pacific’s best- preserved coral shelves and dine at world-class restaurants and cafes. But for those who dare to explore deeper, Vanuatu offers plenty of thrills. Just 45 minutes north by plane will take you to Vanuatu’s largest island – Espiritu Santo – the setting for much of James A Michener’s Tales Of The South Pacific.
Michener – along with a young JFK – were stationed here along with 100 000 other young Americans during WW2 – buildings from that time still stand, as well as wrecked ships in her harbours. There’s low-impact accommodation options here on deserted beaches and tranquil tiny islands – all within view of the imposing 1879 metre high Mt Tabwemasana. The pace of life on Espiritu Santo is remarkably slow – locals go about their business in the traditional way, but you’ll adjust to it more easily than you think.
Or fly south to the wild island of Tanna – with its erupting volcano, the most accessible in the world – you can walk to the very edge of Mt Yasur and watch dry lava the size of small cars explode into the air. Cargo cults still rule the rainforest on Tanna, the most documented is the John Frum tribe, still waiting for an American deserter to return 65 years after the end of WW2.
Life is incredibly primitive here, your days will be spent snorkelling lagoons and lying on beaches, but accommodation options are far from primitive.
WHERE?
Vanuatu is located 2500 kilometres east of Australia between Tonga and New Caledonia and is a three and a half hour flight from Sydney. Air Vanuatu offers direct flights from Australia to Port Vila and Espiritu Santo.
www.airvanuatu.com.au
TOP THREE THINGS TO DO:
No visit to Vanuatu is complete without a visit to Mt Yasur on the wild island of Tanna. Drive for hours past primitive villages while hundreds of locals come out to wave before spending sunset on the edge of an erupting volcano, could there be a more exciting tourist activity in the Pacific?
Why not try diving for the very first time on the world’s largest, and most accessible, ship wreck, the SS President Coolidge, an American aircraft carrier sunk during WW2. Couples can learn together, or alternatively, the wreck offers both experienced and novice divers various dive depths to conquer.
Forget the adventure and cargo cults for a day or two and pamper yourself! Book a his-and-her package with massages, body scrubs and facials at one of Efate’s many world-class spas like the Lotus Day Spa, Namele Day Spa, the Healing Centre or Jo Jo Vanuatu.