Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# How long for Vanuatu Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Vanuatu
lizzyk 08:50 UTC 15 Dec 2011 | Hi I am planning a trip to Vanuatu from New Zealand in June/July 2012 (I am from UK currently working in NZ). I have a few days of annual leave to play with but was wondering what a decent amount of time would be to spend in Vanuatu. I get the impression there is plenty to see and do there and I would rather not just tear around the place in a few days! I am quite keen to get to the villages and do some diving or other activities (waterfalls etc!). How long would be a realistic time to spend accounting for the travel between islands? ( I am thinking of 2 weeks at the moment) Thanks |
Laszlo 13:03 UTC 15 Dec 2011 | It all depends on how many islands you visit, and how big those are - and, very importantly, whether you plan to travel between islands by sea or air. I'd say 2 weeks sound OK for a visit to 2 of the outer islands by air besides the compulsory visit to gateway Efate. Note that diving is only available on the main islands so if that's a priority, it will limit your choices (though leaves in Santo, the most interesting one). | 1
sofiamolsson 19:43 UTC 29 Dec 2011 | I'm on Vanuatu right now (will write a trip report later). I've spent 2,5 weeks doing Efate and Santo incl some outerlying islands off of those two. There would had been time to do one more main Island like Tanna or Epi, I haven't felt rushed at all, time has almost felt long (but good!). I've basically stayed 3 nights at each accomodation which has felt like à good amount. | 2
deltazet 17:59 UTC 26 Jan 2012 | Please keep in mind that flights between islands are expensive, and travel by sea is taking long time and not reliable. Your budget may quickly define, how many islands you can visit. If you into diving, Santo is famous for it. If budget is tight, you can consider snorkeling instead of diving - reef is high, corals and fishes are beautiful. I did snorkeling from Hideaway island (close to Efate), and spoke to people diving in the same area - we've seen the same corals and creatures. Only major islands have daily flights between them, so if you want to visit something not so close, check the flight schedule, as there could be just one flight per week. | 3
earthgipsy 01:48 UTC 14 Mar 2012 | How long's a piece of sting?! 2 weeks will do it, but you'll go home wanting more :) Espiritu Santo is the best dive island. It's a bit of an all round wilderness retreat; http://www.portvilavanuatu.com/espiritu-santo-attractions.php If you've not been to Vanuatu before a rough guide would be: 1 week Efate / 2 weeks Santo / 3 days Tanna | 4
jayanraj 10:53 UTC 01 Apr 2012 | If domestic flights are affordable then you can visit 4 islands easily. Just check Air Vanuatu website and see if you can get a multi-destination ticket covering 4. I could manage Efate, Santo, Tana and Malekula. btw Vanuatu is an expensive country overall. Budget of even US $ 100 a day was not enough for me. but country is very beautiful. People are nice too. | 5