Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Coral beach - shoes required? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Vanuatu
jjtravelbug 04:36 UTC 20 Mar 2008 | Hi, Sorry if this question seems silly... we're looking at staying on a bungalow by the beach at Hideaway and Friendly Bungalows, and we have two toddlers... Does the coral beach require shoes at all times? Or is the coral relatively smooth on the beach, and okay to walk on? Presumably there is coral near to shore, shoes would be required for swimming? Just that this may decide how long we stay in these places, our kids being wanderers and shoe-removers! Can't find any info on this on any of the review websites. Many thanks. |
ozjo2001 12:21 UTC 20 Mar 2008 | You will need shoes. The coral pieces are hard to walk on and may cut your feet, coral cuts have to be covered or they will ulcerate. Suggest crocs or similar. You can wear them from beach into water and swim in them too. Guaranteed the shoe-removers will only remove them once. | 1
yehyeh 22:46 UTC 20 Mar 2008 | From the Vanuatu LP guide: "Hookworm is endemic, so keep your shoes on in rural areas unless you're at the beach. Infestations may not show up for some time. Although they are generally not serious, if left untreated some can cause severe health problems later". When in Vanuatu I was somewhat surprised that the locals wore thongs or shoes most of the time. This must have been why. | 2