hiking in Vanuatu

Hello

Can anybody tell me from his experience what are the costs of travelling in Vanuatu as a budget traveller ?
I guess I can travel there for one month. I have no idea what to expect and heard it is not a cheap destination at all. Any tips for how I can bring down daily costs ?

Thank you
Eli

Hi Eli,
I've been to Vanuatu just recently.I also "tried" to be backpacking there for a month.Well,to say that first,I left after 2 weeks,and so did all the other backpackers(4) that I met.I don't want to discourage you,Vanuatu is a great country with nice,helpful,friendly ,happy locals and there is a lot of unique things to see and do.I just didn't find it easy (or affordable) getting to do those things I wanted to and the other backpackers I met had the same struggle.That certainly depends on your budget,though.My main "problem" where transport costs and that I had nobody to share those with.Hireing a truck on the "outer islands" is not cheap.Fuel,spareparts and cars are very costly and of course roads are bad,so the cars don't live very long.The locals have the same problem, since they can afford the prices even less but sometimes have to go somewhere.The prices quoted in the LP and on the very informative Positiveearth website seemed correct to me.I was hoping to find others to share a ride with.That wasn't the case.

For what to expect,I obviously haven't visited most of the country,but maybe I can help you a little...
If you fly around,get a Air Vanuatu route map for planning and to avoid flying between Vila and Santo too often.In Santo the official taxi fare into town was 1500 Vt (very short ride).Try to hitch a ride with some locals,otherwise stick to some other tourists who get picked up by their resort.
I stayed at Unity Park Motel.Friendly,nice and clean,there's a kitchen,too.I think it was 1500 or 1700 Vt/night.Make a online reservation as it can be full and everything else in Santo is much more expensive,except Asia Motel,also on the main street.You can cook for yourself but I found it almost cheaper to eat at the little foodstalls around the market.
All the tours out of Santo (BlueHole,Millenium Cave) start at 5000Vt.There is public transport at weekdays to the east coast.While I was there the cheaper options on the east coast where closed or full-I didn't go.Santo and Vila are pretty much "white tourists resort areas",many Aussies on short trips,diving is big.I stayed on Malo for some nights.Affordable shared transport and a very nice place to stay,great people and the best food I had at Pandanus Guesthouse.Good snorkelling,too.

I skipped Tanna because it was too far away and flying too expensive from Santo.One French guy I met twice went there.He liked it but left after two nights-too expensive.Instead I went to Epi and Ambrym.The plan was to also see Pentecost and the Naghol but flying didn't work out and there were no ships at the right time.Entry fees I was quoted from the locals were stiff,but I would have gone for it.
There were no other tourists on Epi and Ambrym at the time I was there.Nice and friendly locals to spend the evenings with in the Kava bars.I didn't find Epi too special,the dugong was there but I didn't see it-very bad visibility.I stayed at Coral Guesthouse,2500Vt including food,not bad,friendly people.The snorkelling at Lamen Bay was rather bad,transport to Nikaura 3500Vt and walking (in the heat) just a bit too far.
On Ambrym I stayed at Sam's Guesthous,near the airport,not the nicest area of the island,I guess.1500 Vt with meals.You live with the family ,nice poeple and good to have a chat with.I would definetly recommend Ambrym to see the lava lakes at Mt Benbow or Mt Marum or even better both.I found it one of my best experiences ever.Not from this world.That alone made my trip worth it.Once again transport is the biggest cost on the volcano trek.Iwent from Lalinda with Joses Wiltfred.Nice guy,fit and knowledgable.You can also stay at his place,nicer than Craig Cove.

Overall I would call it a good experience,Ambrym even outstanding.I got a bit annoyed to not realy be able to do what I wanted to and to be alone pretty much everywhere.That's why I headed back to Indonesia after half the planned time.The South Pacific is for sure not as easy and cheap for backpacking as South East Asia.I've been to French Polynesia some years ago and found that almost cheaper than Vanuatu if you're camping and cook for yourself-at least regarding transport.I guess Vanuatu is a lot easier and nicer if you have someone to travel with.That also brings down the costs.But tastes,budgets and expectations are different for everyone of us.This is just how I found it.Go there,have fun.
See also www.positiveearth.org.

The above is a great detailed reply!
The one thing it did not give is a daily budget - I would say at least 30-50 USD depending on how much you fly.

Thank you both.
Laszlo, how long have you been in Vanuatu ? Would you recommend it ?

I have done 3 trips to Vanuatu and I thoroughly recommend it. It is my favorite destination. I recommend getting out of the main towns of Pt Vila and Luganville as soon as possible.

I don't really stay at budget accommodation, but I do try to save on other bits and pieces. I found I was able to save a lot by catching the local buses which sometimes travel only once or twice in and out of the main centres each day. Or just getting a lift with locals.

The other way to save is to eat what the locals eat and buy local produce from the markets. These things are cheap. It's when you want to buy western food that it becomes expensive.

Thank you yehyeh.
I am specially interested in cultural life. What shall I expect from Vanuatu?
Are there traditional villages to stay at ? I really look for something untouristic.

My trip there did last 5-6 weeks so it is not necessarily hopeless! ;-)
I would certainly recommend it - I still find it perhaps the very friendliest of all countries I have been to, and the most traditional of the Pacific countries.
There are LOTS of untouristed traditional villages - just find your own.
The organized tours stick to a few.

Ni-vans are so friendly. Just hang around and be open and you will get into conversations with people. Go anywhere in the remote areas, and inevitably someone will pop out of the bushes for a chat and invite you to their village.

Some villages have guest bungalows. I understand they are fairly basic.

Just a gift suggestion: I often take gifts of either sunglasses or x1 or x2 vision glasses. Older people like to read their bible, but with failing eyesight and little or no optometry they are unable. Sunglasses are of particular use to the albinos. Each time they are ecstatic at the gift of glasses.

Having lived and worked in the tourist sector here for the past 9 years I can say that back packing is not a cheap option really in Vanuatu. The island of Efate is the home to the capital Port Vila and the international airport. There are 83 islands in the archipelago however travel to these islands is not cheap by air and the options for accommodation in some of the outer islands is basic island bungalow style accommodation hosted usually by the ni vanuatu locals who provide a great friendly dissposition but you will not be able to access many of the comforts of even a backpacker hostel.
On the isloand of efate there is a variety of accommodation starting with basic motel style accommodation from around $50 a night to luxury resorts. Hiking around efate is quite feasible but accommodation is sparsley located once you get outside of Port Vila and nearby areas and the accommodation is more likely to be more expensive.
Vanuatu is also a fly in lfy back destination so it makes flights more expensive as you need to take a return flight from either Australia, New Zealand or Fiji. Fare from Australia with Pacific Blue start at around $250 one way which is quite good.

Thank you Vanuatulocal.
I am really interested in visiting traditional untouristic places . I can pefectly manage with less amenities.
Is Vanuatu a destination offering such opportunities to see real traditional native life without the touristic fuss around ?
I guess Fiji is more touristic. That's why I'm asking about Vanuatu....

Is Vanuatu a destination offering such opportunities to see real traditional native life without the touristic fuss around ?

Definitely.
But you must make an effort - the usual tourist trap sort of traditional villages that charge entrance fees and stage dances for tour groups on a regular basis also exist in Vanuatu - and tend to be the ones in the guidebooks.
However, I must say that I think even those tourist traps would be friendlier and more authentic in Vanuatu than in most of the rest of the Pacific.

I know it's a while ago but I stayed with a friend in Vanuatu in 2004 and I didn't find it massively expensive, granted it sounds like accommodation is pricey. I stayed mainly in Port Vila and while there were white people there they were mainly French. The tour boats came in maybe once a week, prices rise, and then all returns to normal the day after. Travel around Port Vila was pretty cheap I thought, around 100 vatu for a short journey and 200 or 300 for longer journeys, but hitchhiking is feasible and as someone else said, the locals really are some of the friendliest people in the world. Not sure how it rates on the 'tourity' scale but hideaway island/beach is a beautiful spot for swimming and snorkeling. One of the best things we did was a group of 5 or 6 of us paid about 1000 vatu each for a driver for the day, got some beers and a boombox and drove round Efate stopping off at some spots of interest; beaches, climbing trees, WW2 wreckage etc. Not sure how it's changed in the past 5 or so years but my suggestion would be that Vanuatu is fantastic, definitely worth the the journey and even the 'on the beaten track' places were still very local feeling.
Enjoy!