21 days in Vanuatu

Hello

Sorry for asking this again. I have about 21 days vacation in May this year. Given that time is limited and that my interests are mainly for the off-the beaten track remote places where I can experience the 'real' Vanuau, which islands should I include in my itinerary ?
I try to avoid the tourists hubs or at least not to give them too much time.
Have you done any trekking which you would highly recommend ?
I have read the Lonely Planet guidebook but I am not sure how much can I rely on all the information given the time restriction I have.

Thank You
Eli

The whole of Vanuatu other than Vila is off the beaten track and remote :) I did trekking on Malekula, Santo, Pentecost and Ambrym to villages that were only accessible by walking.

How long have you been in Vanuatu?

I was in Vanuatu for 6 weeks. I could easily have fitted another island into that time, such as Tanna.

21 days is plenty time to see a few islands and May is a good time to come. Rainy season will be over and the temperature will be hot but not too hot (in my opinion!) If my memory serves me correctly the land dives happen in May on Pentecost. Assuming you fly into Port Vila (it's also possible to fly international to Santo now) I would recommend hopping down to Tanna for a few days at least. Then up to Santo which you can use as a base to get to the Northern islands. I recently spent a week up North on Ra island in the Banks islands in Torba province and can highly recommend. A real feeling of remoteness. If you're feeling particularly adventurous then go to the Torres islands in the far North. I haven't been yet but they're on my to do list... I've been living on Santo for about 10 months now. I'm a volunteer at the Sanma provincial government.

I would agree with the earlier post from the volunteer in Santo re getting up to Banks and Torres if you really like off the beaten track. Tanna is definitely worth seeing, but you tend to get the tourist deal (although the volcano is amazing whatever type of tourist you are), so it's quite hard to get away from things. Ambae is a halfway option, in that it's not too remote, but you rarely see other tourists. It's very close to Pentecost (land diving) and you can do a 1 day trek up to the crater lake (Manaro) from either side of the island, or cross the island via this route. You can definitely fit in several islands in 3 weeks, although inter-island flights are expensive and boats take forever. Enjoy!

How frequently do planes and/or ships run to the Banks and Torres Islands?

Planes go Monday and Friday mornings. Forget ships . . . . let's just say they go " occasionally ".

The two least touristy islands in Vanuatu are Erromango and Aneityum. There are no modern facilities on either, just some guest houses.

Any island is good for trekking! Just start talking to locals and they are generally more than happy to take you where ever they go. You will get to see gardens and may be invited to celebrations!
I spent 6 months in North Pentecost and didn't even get to see everything! Highly recommend heading there! Even if the lonely planet book says there is no guesthouse don't be afraid to go because someone is likely to take you in for a small price or small gift. Contact me if you want more info on Pentecost, I can give you numbers etc.

Vanua Lava in the Bank Islands is amazing too! If you go, stay at Uklel Guesthouse is Sola. It is run by a local family, they are so welcoming and will take you anywhere!

Like most others said, Tanna is worth visiting even just for the Volcano. You only need a few days though because there isn't much to do and the other islands have more to offer (in my opinion).

Hi, well be visitng Vanuatu in June and July by private sailing yacht...we plan to be there about 2 months before heading to Solomon Islands...
well be available to have people aboard with us, contribution covers all meals and diving if anyone is interested

We trekked in Tanna Island for 1/2 day. We walked past the "John From Society" villages. It was a nice and moderate hike. We saw and crossed a small river which had hot/volcanic water. Volkan Akkurt

#10
And what was your general impression of Vanuatu ?