Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Traveling solo to Vanuatu - which island to base myself? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Vanuatu
adel.alemadi 11:06 UTC 15 Nov 2014 | Hello, It has been over 20 years that i have been dreaming to visit Vanuatu and now it seems a reality and will be arriving in December. I was wondering if you could kindly help advise me which island would be best suited for me to base myself. As I will be traveling solo I would be keen to interact with locals and traveler alike but also be able to explore crystal clear beaches, volcanoes and tribes Thanks! |
Laszlo 03:20 UTC 17 Nov 2014 | I was going to say Santo but it has no volcano. So Tanna it is. Be prepared though that like most Pacific countries, Vanuatu mostly gets people on package holidays so don't expect to meet too many other 'travelers'. | 1
atlasandboots 21:49 UTC 19 Nov 2014 | Hi Adel, We visited Efate, Santo and Tanna as well as a few smaller islands (Erakor, Aore and Iririki). Our favourite was Tanna because it's a lot more rural than the others. I'd recommend Port Resolution Yacht Club on the east side of the island. It is fairly basic (shared showers, cold water, no electricity bar two hours in the evening)but you have access to Mount Yasur volcano (one of the best travel experiences I've ever had!) as well as stunning, deserted beaches (ask Werry to point out Little Beach and White Beach). The village of Port Resolution also gives you a taste of 'real' Vanuatu. If you're after something a bit more developed/comfortable, Santo was nice and lowkey. I hope this helps. Kia, Atlas and Boots | 2
lmnop43 22:58 UTC 03 Dec 2014 | I wouldn't say that you could pick any one place as a "base" in Vanuatu, seeing as it is a scattering of many islands, each with their own character and unique things to see and do. What you do is choose which islands you want to explore and spend a few days based on each one. Tanna is worth a visit for the volcano and lovely landscape. Santo is great for scuba or snorkeling, and I highly highly recommend doing a tour of the Millenium cave. On Malekula I was able to watch very impressive local dance performances, sometimes as the only spectator! Vanuatu is a wonderful place to explore. The people are extremely warm and friendly and you will have no problems meeting locals. There isn't much of a backpacker scene there however, so don't expect to meet many other solo travelers. | 3
istan 18:14 UTC 07 Jan 2015 | To mix with locals it's better to go to Santo. There are nice beaches there too. Tanna is really beautiful and has Mount Yasur but a two days visit is enough. There's almost nothing else there. | 4
Thorn Tree 01:00 UTC 08 Jan 2016 | This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you. | 5