Find places in Vanuatu

Must-Haves

• Port Vila Central Market (Waterfront)
  Village women sell island cabbage, taro, flowers and fruit around the clock through the working week.
• Seafront handicraft market (Waterfront)
  Woven baskets, carvings and pareos made in villages across the islands.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Port Vila duty free shops (Kumul Highway)
  A row of stores for gifts, rum and local products.

Must-Haves

• Vanuatu Cultural Centre and National Museum (Rue d'Artois)
  Carvings, slit drums and sand drawing demonstrations make sense of the country's many cultures.
• Chief Roi Mata's Domain (Lelepa and Mangaliliu)
  Vanuatu's UNESCO World Heritage Site, visited on community-led tours with a cave and island.
• Parliament House (Town)
  The national parliament building, a symbol of independence in 1980.

Must-Haves

• Mele Cascades (Mele)
  Limestone terraces and clear pools lead up to a waterfall you can swim beneath.

Fun for Everyone

• Blue Lagoon (Eton, Efate)
  A vivid turquoise swimming hole with rope swings and shady lawns.
• Eton Beach (Eton, Efate)
  A sheltered white sand cove with a natural pool, ideal for families.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lelepa Island (North west Efate)
  A day trip with snorkelling, caves and a village lunch.
• Nguna Island (North Efate)
  Hike to an extinct volcano crater and snorkel in community marine reserves.

Fun for Everyone

• Hideaway Island (Mele Bay)
  A marine reserve with easy snorkelling off the beach and an underwater post office.
• Erakor Lagoon kayaking (Erakor)
  Calm water and small islands to paddle around.

Must-Haves

• Efate Ring Road (Efate)
  A sealed loop past beaches, villages, war relics and cascades that makes a perfect day out.

Off the Beaten Path

• Havannah Harbour WWII relics (Havannah Harbour)
  Remains of the American wartime base on the quiet north west coast.

Great for Date Night

• Iririki Island Resort (Iririki Island)
  A resort on its own island in the harbour, a short free ferry hop from town.
• The Havannah (Havannah Harbour)
  An adults-only retreat on a quiet bay with sunset views towards Moso and Lelepa.
• Warwick Le Lagon Resort (Erakor Lagoon)
  A classic lagoon resort with kayaks and calm water.
• Erakor Island Resort (Erakor Lagoon)
  A small island at the lagoon mouth with bungalows and its own snorkelling reef.

Fun for Everyone

• Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu (Tassiriki Park)
  A big lagoon-side resort with pools and easy activities for families.

Great for Date Night

• L'Houstalet (Town centre)
  A long-running French restaurant known for hearty classics in a cosy setting.
• Chill Restaurant and Bar (Waterfront)
  Harbour views and modern Pacific dishes make it a favourite sunset dinner spot.
• Rossi Restaurant (Waterfront)
  A long-standing harbourside spot for seafood and steaks on the deck.

Must-Haves

• The Waterfront Bar and Grill (Waterfront)
  Santo steaks and fresh fish served right on the harbour edge.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Seafront food stalls (Waterfront)
  Local women cook rice, beef, chicken and fish plates for a fraction of restaurant prices.

Must-Haves

• Jill's Café (Town centre)
  An American-style diner beloved for breakfasts, burgers and milkshakes.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Au Péché Mignon (Town centre)
  A French bakery for croissants, baguettes and pastries.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Nakamal kava bars (Across Port Vila)
  A lantern outside a shack marks a kava bar where locals gather quietly at dusk.

Great for Date Night

• Iririki sunset bar (Iririki Island)
  Cross by ferry for a sundowner overlooking the harbour lights.

Must-Haves

• Independence Day (Port Vila)
  On 30 July the capital fills with parades, sport, music and celebrations.

Must-Haves

• SS President Coolidge (Luganville)
  One of the world's great wreck dives, reached straight from the shore.

Off the Beaten Path

• Millennium Cave (Butmas)
  A full-day adventure through rainforest, a bat cave and a river canyon.

Fun for Everyone

• Peterson Bay kayaking (Peterson Bay)
  Paddle a mangrove-lined bay to blue holes.

Must-Haves

• Million Dollar Point (East of Luganville)
  Wartime machinery lies in the shallows, perfect for snorkelling.
• Champagne Beach (Hog Harbour)
  Powdery white sand and clear water on one of the Pacific's finest beaches.
• Matevulu Blue Hole (East coast)
  A freshwater pool of astonishing blue, with a rope swing.

Fun for Everyone

• Nanda Blue Hole (East coast)
  A calm, clear spring in the forest, lovely for a quiet swim.

Off the Beaten Path

• Riri Blue Hole (Matevulu area)
  Reached by dugout canoe up a jungle river.

Great for Date Night

• Oyster Island Resort (Peterson Bay)
  Bungalows on a small island near the blue holes.
• Ratua Private Island (Off south Santo)
  An eco island retreat of restored teak villas and horse rides.
• Moyyan House by the Sea (Luganville)
  Waterfront bungalows with views across to Aore Island.

Fun for Everyone

• Aore Island Resort (Aore Island)
  A short boat ride from Luganville with calm water and kayaks.

Off the Beaten Path

• Turtle Bay Lodge (East coast)
  A peaceful lodge on a lagoon near Matevulu.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Luganville Market (Main Street)
  Fruit, root crops and lunch plates in a busy covered market.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Port Olry beach restaurants (Port Olry)
  Lobster and fish cooked simply beside the sand.

Off the Beaten Path

• Quonset huts of Luganville (Luganville)
  Second World War buildings still used as shops and stores.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Luganville nakamals (Luganville)
  Try strong local kava with residents at dusk.

Must-Haves

• Mount Yasur (South east Tanna)
  Watch lava burst from the crater at dusk on guided visits.

Off the Beaten Path

• Yasur ash plain (Below Mount Yasur)
  A grey moonscape of ash and lava, eerie and beautiful.
• Shark Bay (East Tanna)
  A bay where small sharks are often seen in the shallows.

Fun for Everyone

• Port Resolution (East Tanna)
  A sheltered bay with yachts, beaches and a village welcome.
• Blue Cave (West Tanna)
  Swim into a sea cave lit by a shaft of sunlight.

Must-Haves

• Yakel kastom village (Near Lenakel)
  A village that keeps traditional dress and customs, visited respectfully.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sulphur Bay village (East Tanna)
  Home of the John Frum movement and its annual gathering.

Must-Haves

• John Frum Day (Sulphur Bay)
  On 15 February the movement marches, sings and raises flags.

Off the Beaten Path

• Nekowiar Toka festival (Tanna villages)
  A huge traditional ceremony of dance and exchange held in some years.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Lenakel Market (Lenakel)
  Produce, kava and coffee in the island's busy market town.

Must-Haves

• Tanna Evergreen Resort (West Tanna)
  A comfortable base near the airport with tours arranged.

Great for Date Night

• White Grass Ocean Resort (West Tanna)
  Clifftop bungalows over the ocean with a good restaurant.

Off the Beaten Path

• Volcano view bungalows (Near Mount Yasur)
  Fall asleep to the rumble of the volcano in a village guesthouse.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Tanna Coffee (Lenakel area)
  Coffee grown on the island's rich volcanic soil.

Off the Beaten Path

• Wild horses of the ash plain (East Tanna)
  Horses roam the volcanic plain beneath Yasur.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Lenakel food stalls (Lenakel)
  Simple plates of laplap and rice cooked by local women.

Must-Haves

• Nagol land diving (South Pentecost)
  Men leap from wooden towers with vines tied to their ankles.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bunlap village (South east Pentecost)
  A kastom village that keeps traditional ways close.

Must-Haves

• Land diving day trip (Lonorore)
  Fly in for the morning dive and out again the same day.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lonorore airfield (South Pentecost)
  A grass strip landing that is an adventure in itself.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pentecost kava (Across Pentecost)
  Kava from Pentecost is prized across Vanuatu for its strength.

Must-Haves

• Small Nambas villages (Malekula)
  Traditional villages in the interior with dances and kastom.

Off the Beaten Path

• Big Nambas territory (North west Malekula)
  Home of a famous traditional group, visited with a local guide.

Off the Beaten Path

• Maskelyne Islands (South east Malekula)
  Small islands with marine reserves, clams and village stays.

Fun for Everyone

• Uri Island (East Malekula)
  A small island marine reserve with snorkelling and bungalows.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Lakatoro Market (Lakatoro)
  The provincial town's market for produce and handicrafts.