Vanuatu -4 days only!

HI guys,

I've just read all the posts and there is some GREAT info there. Tried to find the answer to my question,...but didn't quite get there, so here's my question to all of you who have already been to Vanuatu:

I'll be in Port Vila for 4 days at the end of Nov (staying in Le Meridien Resort) for a work conference. When the conference ends on Tuesday night, I have Wed-Saturday free time to go and do as I please.
After reading from above how wonderful Tanna is,....would you recommend me to visit Tanna for 3 days? I fly back to NZ on Saturday and I really can't miss that flight.
I'll be going solo, so hoping to get some recommendations on, if Tanna is not possible in 3.5 days, what I can do in Vanuatu (I'm interested in mainly getting some R&R after a full-on conference and sitting by the beach and swimming is probably the best way forward for me)!

Any suggestions? Where should I stay as a solo traveller with only 3.5 days to move from Port Vila?
Cheers!
KJ

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<hr>would you recommend me to visit Tanna for 3 days?<hr></blockquote>

Absolutely Kristina, you'll have a ball. After the relative luxury of Le Meridien you'll be ready for a bit of authentic adventuring! ;-) Suggest you book flights/accomodation before you leave.
If you want somethinf a little less adventurous, I recommend staying at Nakie Women's guesthouse, Nguna. (Get a boat from North Efate) also perfect for your length of stay.

Cuppa

Hi Kristina,
How do I get a job that involves conferences to Vanuatu? :)

Yes, you could certainly get to Tanna and back in 3 days, there are daily flights and a range of accommodation to choose from such as White Grass Ocean Resort which is very nice, Evergreen Bungalows are cheaper and I have heard that it is pleasant to stay there, Port Resolution Yacht Club on the eastern side is much cheaper, more rustic and has a beach and a live volcano not far away. It depends what level of comfort you are looking for.

If you want to hang around Port Vila, there are a heap of different accommodation styles to choose from. You could try Breakas which has gorgeous fares, fantastic food and an eternity pool looking out onto the ocean lapping a white sand beach ... paradise! It sounded like you were looking for something like this.

If you stay around Vila there is a lot to do and see in 3 days.
Visit Mele Cascades; walk up the track past pool after pool of cool fresh water and take the turn off near the top for a fantastic view over Mele, with any luck you will find Revelations 7 who will sing acappella to you.
Hideaway island is an interesting place to have lunch, snorkel and perhaps post cards in the underwater mail box. You can stay on the island but it is very crowded in the day, especially if the boat people are in town.
The markets in Vila are really entertaining, don't miss them. Take buses to get to places like the cascades, Hideaway or markets, they don't cost much and they travel between these places regularly.
You can take half and full day tours, be paddled up lagoons and feed sharks and huge turtles or be driven right around the island, stopping at places of interest. There are a number of tour operators who will pick you up from your lodgings.
Visit Lelepa island where you walk a fair way into a cave that is lit with candles and see tiny bats and cave paintings, snorkel with an amazing array of tropical fish and also some very large fish who will gulp down whole chicken leg bones left after lunch.

There is so much more that is possible. Keep reading other people's adventures and googling away. You won't have a problem with finding things to do, only narrowing your list down to a workable size!
Happy travels,
Jo

As the above posters, I would also recommend going to Tanna.
It would be an entirely different experience from Vila/Efate, a lot more like traditional, remote Pacific, and a lot less like a developed resort area.
However, you should plan to fly back to Vila a day early for your international flight out of Vanuatu, just in case a cancellation happens - rare but not impossible!

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<hr>How do I get a job that involves conferences to Vanuatu? <hr></blockquote> - me too ! me too !

I recommend Tanna too, but in case you can't make it, there is a lot to do around Port Vila as well. They have an accommodation in Mele Maat village (not Mele village) just near the Mele cascades. Call Pastor Fred Weiran 22074 or 46464 to make a booking. It gives a unique opportunity to stay with Vanuatu people. Near Mele cascades and Hideaway Island (which charges 1000 for entrance!) there is also a Botanical/Cultural garden whichis very interesting.
I went to a conference in Vanuatu last year too, at the Kaljoral Senta. Are you going to be there? Then would you please ask for mr Eddy Hinge in the staff and tell him that I have sent information about printing of sanddrawing books to his friends Simon Godden and Christopher Tevi in Pentekost but I did not receive any answer. Thank you.
How to get a job etc? This was a conference on research on Vanuatu. This link is from last year, but it could give you some hint: http://www.linguistics.unimelb.edu.au/vks/index.php<BR><BR>Ann Lindvall

Tanna is amazing if you are interested in visiting the volcano at Mt. Yaser and seeing the "kastom villages"; but if you are interested in beaches, staying on Efate may be better. We had a pleasant stay at Evergreen Village and had several great meals at White Grass Resort but there were no beaches around there. Most accommodation on Tanna operate with generators and usually have periods with no electricity and, as been stated, are rustic. But it was the highlight of our trip. I would just recommend that you book and pay for your flight as early as possible as the Tanna flights are quite often sold out.

Yeah must agree that Tanna is a great option as you are already on Efate.

Throwing my 2 cents in, I recommend mountain breeze next to the Volcano. You can take a tour on horse back to the top of the Volcano through the jungle, and get the bet views around. There are sometimes circumcision ceremonies going on (they use bamboo poor little buggers), and they wear beautiful cloths and styles

Anyways, I've got a conference around the same time so might see ya - lol

ciao