Vanuatu Travel Guide

Family friendly Vanuatu travel guide.

Vanuatu is made up of over 80 islands and is renowned for its fantastic underwater world of coral reef formations and colourful tropical fish. It is less than four hours flying time from Australia's east coast The Vanuatu people are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality. The quality of the resorts available are the equivalent of resorts anywhere in the Pacific, although there are a limited number that cater well for families. This page contains information on Vanuatu that may be of value to families. There is a list of facts about Vanuatu and some tips for families planning holidays in Vanuatu. The accommodation page contains links to every family friendly resort available in Vanuatu. Each resort is listed with the facilities available especially for children from children's meals to kids clubs, accommodation discounts, children's activities, playgrounds etc. Once you have found a resort you like you can visit the web site for that resort to find more details about rooms, meals, accommodation prices and activities.

Vanuatu Facts

Language: Both English and French are common in Vanuatu. Bislama (Pidgin English) is the native tongue.

Currency: The local currency unit is the Vatu (VT). You will need to exchange money into Vanuatu currency on arrival. All banks and resorts will exchange for you. Australian dollars are accepted at many places like supermarkets, restaurants and shops but the exchange rate will be poor. Most credit cards are accepted. Banks in Port Vila are open Monday to Friday 8.00am till 3.00pm.

Departure Tax: 2500 vatu per person payable in local currency. Kids under 12 are exempt.

Flying Times To Port Vila: Sydney - 3.5 hours, Melbourne 4 hours, Brisbane 3 hours.

Passports: All visitors to Vanuatu must have a valid passport with at least 3 months validity beyond the date of departure.

Health: No vaccinations are required. Vanuatu is situated in the malarial belt so anti-malarial medication is recommended especially if you intend to visit the outer islands. Check with your doctor one month prior to departure. There are hospitals in Port Vila and Luganville as well as medical centres. There are no dangerous animals or insects in Vanuatu.

Climate: The average summer temperature from November to March is 28 degrees and the winter average from April to October is 23 degrees. It can get a bit cool at night during the winter months.

Tips For Families Visiting Vanuatu

Airlines
Air Vanuatu fly frequently from Australia and New Zealand. Port Vila airport is only five minutes from the town centre.

Food
Most resorts provide children's meals. Generally the quality and choice of food in Vanuatu is excellent. Seafood is in abundant supply as well as fresh vegetables and fruit. The restaurants in Port Vila are first class and many cater for children with set children's menu's. However food prices are generally high (as with most things in Vanuatu) so check out the prices first. Restaurants include seafood, French, Indian, Melanesian, Polynesian, Chinese and Japanese. The seafood in particular was superb. The local coconut crab is a must. If you're looking for good food at reasonable prices (including children's meals) try Club Vanuatu. There are also plenty of cafe's in Port Vila where you can get a hamburger and chips for the kid's.

Water
Water in Vanuatu is generally safe to drink, however all resorts stock plenty of bottled water. When travelling to the outer islands stick to bottled water.

Money Exchange
The hotels offered a poor rate of exchange for both cash and cheques. The banks in Port Vila are much better. A money exchange called Goodies, on the main street of Port Vila offered the best rates.

Shopping
Shopping in Vanuatu is good with Port Vila offering plenty of shops to pick from. These include high class duty free shops to cheap clothing and souvenir shops. You can also pick up some cheap computer software (maybe not as cheap as Bali but the same quality)
You'll find the shopping a much more pleasant experience than places like Bali or Fiji, as there is no pressure placed on you to enter shops or buy something that you don't want.
The sidewalks in Port Vila are reasonably narrow and any attempt to cross over to the other side of the road, especially with a couple of kids in tow, is a hair raising experience.
Most supermarket food is reasonably expensive (compared to Australia), however it's a lot cheaper than you'll pay at the resorts. Things like soft drinks, chips, bottled water, beer are well worth stocking up on.
The markets in Port Vila (every day except Sunday) provide an opportunity to buy local crafts and fresh fruit and vegetables as well as shells, beads, necklaces and clothing.
One thing we were told was that every time a ship was in (a passenger cruise ship), the prices in Port Vila go up. We were unable to prove or disprove this theory as we weren't in town when the ship arrived, but just keep this in mind.

Getting Around
Taxi's are everywhere and you will have no trouble finding one at the front door of your resort or anywhere in Port Vila. Buses (small vans seating about 10) are a little bit cheaper, but you may not go directly to where you want. If you're thinking of driving yourself in Vanuatu, be careful. Cars travel on the right side of the road (as in the US) but give way to traffic on their right (as in Australia). It can be very confusing (just being a passenger).

Things To Do

Hideaway Island
Not far from Port Vila is the tiny Hideaway Island. You can catch a taxi from your resort or take a family package (about 10000 VT or AU$125). A boat will ferry you from the mainland to the island (the ferry is free, but you pay a small charge when you arrive at the island.) The island has a restaurant and bar and the main activity is snorkeling.
The island is a marine sanctuary. The coral is magnificent and the fish are truly unbelievable. You can buy some fish food and feed the fish (they will take the food from your hand). There is a pontoon situated about 50m from the shore where the kids could see and feed the fish.
Certainly not an experience to be missed and one of the highlights of the trip to Vanuatu.
The beach at Hideaway is made up completely of coral, so you will need adequate foot ware. You can hire snorkeling equipment at the island, but it's always better if you have your own gear, especially for the kids. Take some bread with you. Even though the fish food available is only a dollar a bag, the bread is much better for hand feeding the fish.

Beaches
The best family beaches include Erakor Island (a quick ferry ride from near the Le Lagon resort) and Eton Beach, which is situated on the east coast of the island, about 40k from Port Vila.

Waterfall
The Cascades waterfall is located just past Mele Maat (about 10k from Port Villa). You can drive right up to the base of the waterfall, and a natural pool provides a good place to cool off with a swim. You can also take the 20 minute walk to the top of the falls. Organised tours of the waterfall are available through most resorts.

Round Island Tour
A good way to see the sights of Efate. You can book through your resort (around 6000vt for adults and 3000vt for kids). You will get to stop at most of the local attractions and points of interest including Eton Beach and Cascades Waterfall.

Other Activities
The Vanuatu Cultural Centre and Museum features a collection of historical artifacts from Vanuatus past. The Ekasup Cultural Village tour is situated at the road to Erakor village, about 10 minutes from Port Villa. Horse riding is available in Port Vila through Club Hippique, with trail rides through coconut plantations. Organised half or full day kayaking trips are also available. There is an 18 hole golf course on the road to Mele (about 8k from Port Vila).

Outer Islands
Tanna Island is about a 1 hours flight from Port Vila and features Mount Yasur volcano, the most easily accessible volcano in the world. Day tours are available.
Espiritu Santo is about 1 hours flight north of Efate. This is regarded as one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific. Scuba diving is popular with world famous wrecks like the 'President Coolidge' in Santo Harbour, and the spectacular marine life. Vanair fly to Espiritu Santo three times daily.
Other islands include Pentecost, with its famous land diving, Erromango, Aneityum and Epi.
For more information on activities and things to do in Vanuatu, visit the Vanuatu tourism website at www.vanuatutourism.com

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