Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Vanuatu or Solomons?

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea

I have two weeks in May and not much money and I would like to get a little off the beaten track. Should I go to the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu?

Thanks in advance,

S.

The Solomons are cheaper, and as a whole, more off the beaten track.
However getting around the country, especially reaching the off-the-beaten-track areas, can be quite time-consuming and it's likely that with only 2 weeks you'd end up stuck on the more accessible/touristy islands.
If still opting for the Solomons, Malaita and rural Guadalcanal might be worth looking at.

Vanuatu might be pricier, but then I also find it nicer: friendlier and more traditional.
It also receives more tourists, but the majority never get off Efate (the main island), and most of those who do, only make it to Santo or Tanna.
This leaves most islands almost completely unspoilt, and while shipping serrvices are only marginally better than in the Solomons, the air connections are more reliable, making it easier to reach more remote islands within 2 weeks.

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Thanks Laszlo, that is really useful information and a great help!

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It is now relatively easy to get around more of Malaita in Solomon Islands, than it was even a year ago, as areas like the Lau Lagoon are accessible to Auki (the provincial capital) by truck.
This is a very traditional area, and not touristy. The road, wich hass been inaccessible for about 10 years, has now been fixed.

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