Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# scooters on efate Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Vanuatu
chickster122 09:51 UTC 21 Sep 2010 | My husband and I have booked a trip to Vanuatu in early November. Seeing that the island is only 132 kms around, we thought it would be fun to hire scooters for a day and ride right around the whole island. Just wondering if anyone has done this type of a trip? We are not regular motorcycle riders so we would not try to attempt this trip if the roads are in bad condition. If scooters are not an option, what would you recommend as a fun way to travel right around the island? |
uncle_sav 14:53 UTC 21 Sep 2010 | This is not a very good idea for 2 reasons ; (i) the road can be dreadful. A new road is partly built but not yet finished. Unfortunately, I can't confirm where the construction crew will be up to in November. You are likely to encounter dirt sections with potholes around 30 - 40 cm deep but on the other hand some sections will be brand spanking new bitumen. (ii) November is wet season when it rains every second day meaning that your chances of getting rained on are 50/50. Something with 4 wheels might be better. You can rent a dune buggy if you want to give the potholes a bit of biffo or maybe go sedately in a little Hyundai or maybe split the differnce in a 4WD Suzuki. The car rental places are on the ridge 2 blocks behind the Melanesian Hotel in the same street as the museum. Think about stopping on the North shore and going to Nguna for a day or two. The boat leaves from Emua and is always at the wharf around 2 - 4 pm to take school children home. 'Tis a different world up there and much more interesting than any resort. Take a gift for the chief. | 1
soksabai 13:29 UTC 28 Sep 2010 | Hired a very small car with an 800cc motor last week and drove around the island. Road is actually in very good condition. There are however some VERY steep hills with hairpin bends. I think that the buggy is probably a better idea than a scooter. | 2