Vanuatu – A World Away On Our Doorstep by Sarah Pye
Imagine stepping into the arrival lounge after only three hours on a plane to be greeted by a haphazardly organised band of colourful musicians with wide, white grins and cloths wrapped around their waists.
This is Vanuatu. It’s simple, yet heart warming: developing country, yet with sophisticated dining and shopping and culturally so different, yet close to home. It’s a family holiday with palm trees, snorkelling, cascading waterfalls and a unique culture. Its government is stable, roads are reasonable and it’s people are some of the friendliest on earth.
Small Guides Travel director and Vanuatu travel specialist Ian Heydon knows this island nation intimately and it was he that helped me organise a holiday to suit my own requirements. Ian, his wife and two children fell in love with Vanuatu and spent three years living there between 2000 and 2003. If you want to know where to go, where to stay and what to do here, he’s your man. “Most travel agencies offer a world of destinations to local clients,” he says. “We offer our ‘local’ destination to a world of clients and we deal directly with both our guests and the accommodation properties.”
Personally, Amber and I wanted to spend a couple of days at a resort finding our feet, then move to our own self-contained apartment to use as a base for more adventure and cultural interaction. Ian suggested staying close to Port Vila for easy exploration. He designed a holiday which met all our needs and even organised a driver, Henry, who would pick us up at a moment’s notice and take us wherever the whim suited.
For two days we swam in the resort pool, treated ourselves to mocktails at the swim-up bar and ate overlooking landscaped gardens and sheets of tropical rain. There are several resorts with a kids’ club. Ian recommends recently refurbished Le Lagon where kids stay and eat free, only five minutes from Port Vila. Self-contained Lagoon Beach Resort is another great option. “When I was over in the September/October holidays last year they hired in a jumping castle and a giant waterslide,” he says.
Once we felt acclimatised, our driver, Henry, picked us up and waited for us at the supermarket before depositing us outside Pacific Lagoon Apartments. A simple self-contained unit, set in lush green grass and perched right on the edge of a turquoise lagoon, awaited. Free kayaks were piled haphazardly on the foreshore and, once we filled the fridge with our provisions, we were on the water counting blue starfish in the clear waters.
An exciting and relaxing five days followed. We had come in cyclone season (November to April) and sat on high alert for a couple of days while a storm threatened. With ocean activities affected by the high winds, we opted to explore inland. Henry dropped us at the start of a walk to stunningly beautiful Mele Cascade waterfalls, then met us again at a prearranged time. We drove to the ferry departure point for Hideaway Island where, even in choppy seas, we snorkelled out to post a letter at the underwater post office and managed to spot Nemo on the way.
We woke to another cloudy day and signed up for a buggy trip over the island. Strapped in, having chosen the most ridiculous helmets, we traversed the island, visited a turtle sanctuary and returned splattered in mud with grins from ear to ear.
Yet another two-hour excursion took us to the Ekasup Cultural Village. Set in the bush, this tourist attraction offers a unique insight into the history and traditional culture of this proud people. We learned how to trap chickens using coconut shavings and bake bananas in skins. We saw skulls remaining from the island’s cannibalistic past and watched traditional dance. The markets were in full swing in Vila on Saturday. From plantain to root vegetables and exotic gingers, the colours and smells opened our hearts.
Our tropical adventure had lasted but eight days. Stepping off Pacific Blue (Virgin) in Brisbane it felt like much longer. Batteries recharged, our braided locks only hinted of the tales to tell. Vanuatu is a family destination with it all: safety, friendliness, variety and culture. Best of all, it’s right on our doorstep!
Ian’s Top 10 things to do in Vanuatu
Ekasup Cultural Village – A great way to learn about traditional culture in a couple of hours.
Coongoola Cruise – Visit the turtle sanctuary (maybe name and release a tagged turtle), beach barbecue, snorkeling and perhaps dolphins off the bow.
Hideaway Island Marine Sanctuary – Easy snorkelling with platforms above for the not-so-good swimmers.
Mele Cascades – Walk to a stunning waterfall and swimming holes.
Off-road Fun Buggies – Mum and/or Dad drive with the kids as passengers. A great one for a wet day as it can get very messy.
Kayak Safari up Rentapao River with Vanuatu Ecotours – Wonderful scenery and sense of adventure.
Lololima Cascades with Vanuatu Ecotours – A swimming hole with a ‘Tarzan’ rope.
Markets and waterfront – Wander, observe and absorb. Maybe end with a moonlight movie at the Nambawan Café. Watch the sunset over the harbour, order some pizza and drinks and enjoy a free movie.
Explore the island – Hire a local bus driver to see villages and local schools.
Learn the language – Teach the kids a couple of pleasantries in Bislama (pidgin) and French – there are three ‘official’ languages in Vanuatu and ‘Bonjour’ and ‘Merci beaucoup’ plus ‘Alo’ and ‘Tankyu tumas’ are pretty easy to learn!
More information:
Small Guides Travel - Phone: 3715 7348 or visit: www.smallguidetravel.com.au
Lagoon Beach Resort – Visit: www.LagoonBeachVanuatu.com.
Pacific Lagoon Apartments – Visit: www.pacificlagoon.com. Le Lagon – Visit: www.lelagonvanuatu.vu
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