Air Vanuatu 20% discount ?

hi there,

Soon I will be in South Pacific and would love to visit Vanuatu after Fiji.

This is my tentative plan.

Fly from Nadi to Tanna (via port vila),
spend 3 full days in Tanna,
fly from Tanna to Espirito santo (via port vila),
spend 4 full days in Espirito Santo,
fly from Espirito Santo to Port Vila,
spend a day at port vila,
fly from Port vila to Nadi.

Regarding air tickets I can see two options on Air vanuatu -
option 1 : two separate tickets - (Nadi - Port vila - Nadi), (Port vila - Tanna - Espirito santo - Port vila).

option 2 : one ticket (Nadi - Tanna - Espirito santo - Port vila - Nadi).

option 1 saves AUD 100+

Does Air vanuatu have 20 % discount scheme on Vanuatu domestic flights if having international booking with them ? If yes then how can I get it ? Their Nadi - Port vila sector is operated by Pacific air.

Also is it required to visit Yasir volcano thr' a tour operator ? I have been in touch with some Tanna guesthouses but some are asking 5000 VT for it even though I am going to stay hardly 1 km from volcano. Hiring a guide will be ok however.

Finally are there tour operators in Espirito santo who accept last minute day as well as multidays island trips ?

thank you in advance.

I was on Tanna in Sept. 2010 and paid 4450 Vt for a volcano tour from my accommodation (about half an hour drive). Part of this amount is entrance fee, the rest is for transport/guide, arranged by your accommodation (so not a tour operator proper). A lot of land is privately owned and apparently you can't just cross it on your own, I was told. And you need transport, as you go there at the end of the afternoon and come back in the dark, and a guide who tells you were you can view the volcano safely.
Don't miss out on this because of the -admittedly steep- price though, as it was an amazing sight, that I wouldn't want to have missed out on for anything. I even went twice.
Have a great time!

Thanx,

Definitely I will visit Yasur. Well that's why I am going to Tanna.

5000 VT are peanuts as compared to my Vanuatu Int'l & domestic flights rates :)

thanx sgardner -

I have booked my return flights to Port Vila. However I will see if I can get some discount on their domestic route. I would like to visit Tanna, ES, Norsup one by one. Very tight schedule it seems.

Is it possible to get some sort of transport from Tanna airport to east part ? Vanuatu is an expensive destination.

Apparently there are trucks and "taxi's" waiting at the airport to transport people to various destinations, but I arranged transport before, just to be sure, which was quite expensive. People who just showed up paid half of what I paid.

I booked my flight to and from Tanna at the office of Air Vanatu in Vila and they also booked accommodation and some tours for me. I did this so I could use my credit card, because on Tanna there are very few places (only the more upmarket accomodations, like Tanna Evergreen) that take credit cards. There are no ATM's on Tanna, at least when I was there (Oct. 2010), so you have to bring cash for the duration of your stay.

Yes, Vanuatu is an expensive destination. Even (arranged) transport on Tanna between places is not cheap. I saw some trucks that the local people take, but you have to wait by the road until one passes and then flag it down.

Thnx Lilau,

I too will book Vanuatu domestic flights only after reaching Port vila. I have sent e-mails to Air Vanuatu but so far no reply and am not sure if tel call will work.

I hope Lonely Planet's SP guide book won't disappoint me :)

1) yes, Air Vanuatu does offer 20% off domestic flights if you have an international ticket. No problem to book it on arrival in Port Vila, flights to the outer islands are regular unless they have sent their plains to NZ for repainting (long story!)

2) Yes, you'll need a tour guide to visit the volcano, but you will get it cheaper once you're on the island ...

3) When on Espiritu Santo, hire a bus and driver for the day ($15-20 Australian dollars), taxi's are more expensive. They'll take you where ever you want to go, show you the sights plus some you didn't know about, introduce you to the people and if you don't mind them giving lifts to villagers en-route you get to meet the locals and chat with them on the way. Your accommodation place will be able to give you the name of drivers / tour guides (they are all local).

Pre-booking accommodation is wise, but no need to pre-book anything else in vanuatu - it's cheaper once you're there and it's no hassle.

PS: Where are you staying on Santo? My favourite is Turtle Bay Lodge ... http://www.turtlebaylodge.vu/ ... reasonably prices, 20 minutes out of Lugainville but you can kayak from the lodge to the Metavulu Blue Hole. The lodge is 1/2 way up the east cost, so closer to all attractions than Lugainville. It's magic!

Thanx earthgipsy,

I got 20% discount on air Vanuatu domestic route but it does not look like a rule. I might got it bcoz of low tourist season in Vanuatu. Air Vanuatu was too slow in response.

Regarding Yasur volcano tour I paid 3350 vt as entry fee and my guest house provided a guide throughout my stay in Tanna. His rate was 500 vt per day. I paid 2500 vt a night for accommodation which is the only gh in village isaka (3 kms from Yasur). Lunch 800 vt, dinner 500 vt, one way transfer between Yasur and gh 1000 vt, one way transfer between gh and airport 2000 vt. Also I attended two custom dances and paid 2000 vt per dance to the dance group. Visit to waterfall cost me 1000 vt as entrance fee.

Right now at Port Vila domestic airport waiting for Santo flight. I will try to stay at Unity park motel since that is my budget for single room in expensive Vanuatu :)

Hi jayanraj, how do you get the 20% discount for domestic flights? Do you have to book it together with the international flights in a single ticket? I checked the website but it doesn't seem like there is a tickbox for such purpose.

Hope you enjoyed your trip to Vanuatu and hope to hear from you soon! Cheers!

For Chihautan -

First you need ticket with them out of Vanuatu. Don't mix international and domestic route in one ticket.

I had booked and paid Port Vila - Nadi flight with Air Vanuatu even though that flight is operated by Air Pacific of Fiji. I e-mailed that PNR to Air Vanuatu along with my tentative tour plan on their domestic route. I had checked the rates on their website so I knew the price and discount accordingly. After a day or two Air Vanuatu emailed me a domestic route ticket with PNR alongwith a due date and timing for payment. I cross-checked and then paid accordingly.

In Simple words -
Buy international ticket with them with sector out of Vanuatu. Return ticket will work. Nadi - Port Vila - Nadi or Port Vila - Nadi or Brisbane - Port Vila - Brisbane or Port Vila - Brisbane etc etc
Send them that PNR and your domestic route plan with dates.
If they reply with a domestic route ticket with discount then make payment. You can use any mode of communication like email, telephone or personal visit. I used email service and it was ok.

I hope this works.