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 included in your airfare. 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 6 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.
FoodMost 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.
WaterWater 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 ExchangeThe 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.
ShoppingShopping 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.
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
Links
Vanuatu Accommodation
Vanuatu Family Packages