Vanuatu Travel Guide

Vanuatu OVERVIEW

Vanuatu stretches for almost a 1000 kilometers dotting the Pacific Ocean with 83 islands. An adventure seeker will find a paradise here featuring verdant jungles, bubbling volcanoes and colorful reef rings to explore. You'll surely discover your stay loaded with kicks and thrills. Depending on your adrenaline need and stamina, you can choose from a wide variety of attractions including drives up the Yasur crater, frequently cited as the most accessible active volcano, underwater searches of WW II relics perfectly-suited for the history buffs and energizing hikes through the lush tropical rainforest and coconut plantations. If you are more into a laidback holiday, there are also plenty of options to choose from like boating along the islands' shorelines, some fun in the sun on the countless beaches and savoring the local culinary dainties. You'll be surprised with the highly diversified natural beauty where caves and waterfalls interweave with hot springs and rugged cliffs. In Vanuatu the unchanging and traditional way of life mixes with the glam of package tours and commercial resorts. It's entirely up to you whichever way you'll go. Consider it your very own discovery time, just ask any of the hospitable ni-Vanuatu, meaning indigenous inhabitants, and they will gladly point the right direction.

Before gaining independence from Britain and France in 1980, Vanuatu was known as the New Hebrides, a name given to the archipelago by James Cook in his 1774 expedition as the dark rugged islands resembled the Hebrides island group off Scotland's coast. Since 1980, the archipelago has been developing a national identity based mainly on Melanesian "kastom', a unique set of traditional customs and taboos applying to all kinds of matters, and blending Melanesian, English, French and Chinese heritage into a truly charming and intricate potpourri. Most of the country business and cultural activity is centered around the capital city of Port Vila, a cosmopolitan place buzzing with upmarket resorts and plenty of colonial feel. The list of popular destination also includes Tanna famed for the dramatic Yasur Volcano and Jon Frum Cargo Cult as well as Espiritu Santo, boasting the South Pacific's most stunning beaches, and Ambrym with its bubbling craters. Vanuatu's specific location, where the Indo-Australian Plate slips under the Pacific Plate causing tectonic moves, accounts for the archipelago's moving 10 centimeters northwest each year and being shaken by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A truly hot holiday spot!