8 days in vanuatu - solo traveller

hi all!!

i'm going to vanuatu on my own 18/11-26/11, flying to port vila (although i plan to stay there just 1 night). i'm 30, male, and definitely like adventure (relatively experienced solo traveller - 40 countries), but i'm aware that with such a tight schedule maybe i just can't have as much adventure as i'd like to...anyways, i've been reading through the posts in this forum and i'm finding difficult to make up my mind, so many nice alternatives for such a short time!!

so i'd like to get your advice for a 2 islands/7 days trip looking for:
- some beach-drinks-diving-relax time with the possibility to meet other travellers (maybe Santo is the place?)
- some adventure travel-volcano, etc (Tanna would be great but maybe too far away, should I get to Ambrym instead?)
- some local culture in one of the 2 islands i'd like to get to
- budget: variable (i can bring my own tent but some punctual high expense would be tolerable)

many many thanks, all tips are super welcome :)

f.-

I don't have any answers for you, but would be interested to hear what you ended up doing. I'm about to do the same in a few weeks (although I'll have 3-4 weeks in Vanuatu) and it seems that our interests etc are quite similar.

Thanks!

I think it's either the choice of 1. Santo or 2. Pt Vila with a side trip to Tanna. I've done both and they are as good as each other.

Both will offer you the ability to do beaches, relax, meet other travellers and have adventures. If you go to Santo, Deco Stop is a good place to stay with a relaxed vibe. They have private rooms but also have cheaper dorm arrangements which means there are singles and groups there .

Port Vila itself is nothing special, but it is the gateway to other adventures i.e. snorkelling or diving day trips, island trips, exploring beaches, the cascades. Tanna of course has the spectacular volcano which is well worth seeing and it has the more traditional villages which you can visit. If you go to Tanna, go for a few days. I initially went for 2, extended by 1 day but wished I could have stayed a week.

I think the Pt Vila-Tanna option would be more expensive because of the cost of the trip to Tanna and the probable need for travel or a tour to get to the volcano.

I wouldn't do the tent option this time of year as it is the wet season.

The other way of saving money is to use public transport. It is an adventure in itself.

Vanuatu is magic. It is a safe destination. What I love about it is that you can just hang around and you never know what you'll see or who will pop out of the bushes for a chat and a laugh.