Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Vanuatu-fresh info on "outer islands" anyone? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
s7k5 17:07 UTC 27 Dec 2009 | Hi, I`m heading to Vanuatu in March/April for about 4 weeks.I do read this forum frequently and found already quite some information and suggestions.I also worked my way through the great "Positiveearth" site - still I have a hard time deciding which islands to see,and would be happy about some fresh info and suggestions... I`ll be arriving in Santo,planning to spend some time there of course.I read a post by Laszlo (master of the Indonesia forum) who suggested Lonnoc Beach.Guess it would be wise to leave Santo for the end though.Has anybody been hiking the mountains in western Santo? My main question in whether to go to Tanna or not.It sounds great and I`d like to visit a John Fum village and the Volcano of course,hiking also sounds good,BUT flights from Santo are not exactly cheap.I can afford the 200,-Euro for the flight if it´s worth going there,or will a good combination of other islands be as good? Also high on my list would be Ambrym (to hike the volcanoes).Would that replace Tanna?Ideas where to stay,transport,costs of the volcano hike and is it true that I should bring some extra food? And then...don`t know,Malekula sounds great (Uri+Uripiv,the Maskelynes),or Epi (Lamen and Nikaura),Pentecost for some hiking and the Naghol (if affordable and not over touristy),maybe Ambae for it`s crater lake and I was also considering to visit one of the Banks. My main interest is snorkelling,but I`ll hopefully visit Indonesias Banda Islands again before going to Vanuatu.So,nature in general,some hiking and one or two volcanoes would be my focus,though I´m surely happy about some snorkelling off the beach. Where would you go???I was thinking to see 4-5 islands while there. Budget does matter.I don´t want to fly too much.Does anybody know about passenger boats?Decent ,rather budget ,accommodation on the islands mentioned?Is a budget of approx. 30 Euros/day enough without guide/tours?Transport seems to be expensive and changing a lot.Any recent experience/info.? Thanx very much for your help!!! |
Laszlo 09:36 UTC 31 Dec 2009 | I did hike through Santo, but it was a few years ago - am pretty sure not much has changed though. Very much a DIY thing, unless you go with a guide from Lugainville. And very worthwhile. Tanna is unique, culturally. Forget the bloody volcano, there are hundreds elsewhere (notably in Indonesia where you plan to go earlier!) and that alone would hardly justify the expense - but the people do. Ambrym's volcanoes are harder work than Tanna's, but very impressive! So is the culture, but unless you happen upon a festival, that will not be as visually obvious as on Tanna. 30 Euros would be a very VERY tight budget for Vanuatu, I am afraid! As for which islands to choose, note that Epi, Ambrym, Ambae, Santo and Malekula are easily combined with each other, even by boat, while Tanna is a separate trip from Vila. As culture was not listed among your priorities, maybe skip Tanna. As for the boats - most are more like cargo than passenger vessels and have no fixed schedules so trying to find "new" info on these is kinda useless. You will need to be flexible with either time or money (and preferably both) in Vanuatu! | 1
s7k5 15:33 UTC 31 Dec 2009 | Thank you Laszlo, I think I forget Tanna then,definetly go to Ambrym first and then try to be flexible,see where boats are hopefully going to the nearby islands - unless somebody comes up with some kind of "definetly must go there suggestion"... As for the budget,I read mixed storys so far,that range from very expensive to quite cheap (for basic living and lodging on outer islands).I was aware though that transport,tours and guides won`t be cheap at all.Guess I´ll better be prepared for a daily budget equal to that in Australia then,though I did get by with 30 E/day in Tahiti`s islands on a one month trip. I´m also a happy and frequent visitor to your East Indonesia site -just great,thanks for the effort. ...and then...happy travells to all of you in the year to come!!! | 2
Laszlo 12:09 UTC 01 Jan 2010 | One thing that could (but should NOT) reduce costs in Vanuatu would be letting the locals pay for your trip. They are so hospitable that you get invited and fed in villages all the time, but you should really try and compensate them financially (rather than just with a thank you) as most are in fact very poor. | 3
s7k5 10:31 UTC 02 Jan 2010 | Yeah,heard/read about the VERY friendly and inviting locals.And I was in no way planning to live cheap on the their expenses - wherever I go.I´m not on a very tight budget necessarily,just trying to figure out how much to expect as daily costs. Another thing...I got an E-Mail from Air Vanuatu yesterday,saying that they stopped the Brisbane -Santo route and rescheduled me to/via Port Vila.That puts Tanna in a closer range again,tough I understand it´s best to make little to no plans and see whats happening once I arrived. Thanks again... | 4