exploring vanuatu

Hello!

My girlfriend and I are considering a trip to Vanuatu this September. We've travelled and worked in the Himalayas, India and Africa. We thought we'd try something a bit different this time. We have a month.

We are interested in people and culture more than anything else. We are keen to stay away from tourist spots and stay with families in homestays instead. Does anyone have any recommendations or thoughts?

Thank you! :)

The ni-Vans are incredibly friendly people, so I find it easy to strike up conversations with, say, the mamas in the markets. I'll ask them where they're from, and if they come from an area where I want to travel, they'll often suggest someone they know I can stay with. As a couple, you should also not have a problem with security. I'm travelling as a single female, so I've always stayed with family of friends that I trust. Accomodation in the villages are very basic of course - last time, I slept on the floor in a bamboo hut with no electricity, running water and a bush toilet, but it was an experience of what local life is really like.

But if you ask the tourism office (on the main street in Vila) or even go through the LP guide for local bungalows, the bungalows are often on the properties of local families. They'll treat you like their own. I guess I'm suggesting that as an option because I always wonder whether I'm an imposition on the family during homestays (though I always give them some money at the end of my stay and they appreciate it, because there's a lack of new money flowing into the local economy, especially in the outer islands.) Just be aware that ni-Vans regularly change their phone numbers, and bungalows go in and out of business, so the contact information in the LP guide might be out of date by now.

Also, I know you said you want to stay away from the touristy spots, but some of them are worth seeing because so much of the attractions in Vanuatu are natural. For example, I would not miss Yasur volcano - and you can organise local transport (for much cheaper than a tour through the resorts) and just pay the entrance fee. Places like the Mele Cascades offer local rates. The locals frequent them as much as the tourists.

Whatever you decide, have a great time! I spent 6 months in Nepal and have now spent 6 months in Vanuatu, and really love the people both equally.

You'll find a wide choice of guesthouses and bungalows on this website:
http://www.positiveearth.org/bungalows/index.htm
http://www.positiveearth.org/bungalows/explorer.htm (click on the island of choice )

Not listed here is Clemets Guesthouse in Pangi, Pentecost. Very much recommended! You will feel like a member of the family...

eflatjan
http://www.pbase.com/bolla49
http://my.flightmemory.com/eflatjan

Thanks so much both of you. Really helpful. Getting really excited.