Vanuatu

[Prawn_86]

Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some 1,750 kilometres east of northern Australia, 500 kilometres north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands.

[Prawn_86]

Recently went to Vanuatu on a cruise. Only spent a day there so didnt have toime to fully explore it, but it looks like a nice island.

I could handle a holiday home there ;)

[Prawn_86]

This pic isn't actually Vanuatua, its Le Fue (spelling?) which was a small island consisting of essentially nothing but about 50 people and the cruise industry to sustain them im guessing.

Beautiful spot though. Great for snorkling.

[kennas]

This pic isn't actually Vanuatua, its Le Fue (spelling?) which was a small island consisting of essentially nothing but about 50 people and the cruise industry to sustain them im guessing.

Beautiful spot though. Great for snorkling.Ship! that looks amazing.

Any dive businesses for sale there?

Hey there's an idea Prawn.

Start a section for people selling travel companies, or wanting to buy one...

[chrissylewis03]

This pic isn't actually Vanuatua, its Le Fue (spelling?) which was a small island consisting of essentially nothing but about 50 people and the cruise industry to sustain them im guessing.

Beautiful spot though. Great for snorkling.

Hi Prawn,

It's actually Lifou where we stopped on the P & O cruise. Lifou is made up of Lifou island and actually has a population of over 10,000 people. Where we stopped though, (Easo) was very quiet and barely touched by the outside world so it was very easy to think that it was unpopulated and far from civilisation.

a really lovely place

[white_crane]

I'm going to Vanuatu for about two weeks in May. I'm counting down the days LOL.

[Prawn_86]

I'm going to Vanuatu for about two weeks in May. I'm counting down the days LOL.
G'day WC,

Welcome to ATF :)

Vanuatu is a great place to start if its your first overseas holiday. You'll get a good experience of a different culture, but you shouldnt have to worry about culture shock as the whole island is based around tourism.

Let us know how you go or if you have any other questions :)

[white_crane]

It is indeed my first overseas trip (hopefully the first of many). I do have a couple of questions which you may be able to answer.

Firstly, what are the telecommunications systems like? I understand mobiles were introduced recently. I really only want to call home occasionally, just to let everyone know that I'm ok.

and

Do you need an International Driving Permit to drive around Vanuatu? I'm thinking of hiring a car for a day and driving around Efate, seeing the sights in my own time.

[Prawn_86]

I have an international roaming mobile and it worked fine over there. Personally though if i wanted to actually call anyone (aside from emergency situation) i would just buy a phonecard, they work out to be very cheap in comparison.

I would assume you need an International Driving Permit, but dont know for sure. I know in Thailand there are places that you can hire scooters without any paperwork, providing you can show them you know how to turn it on, so there may be dodgy operators like that in Vanuatu, but again im not sure sorry.

There are a hell of a lot of taxis/mini vans there though, and what some people we know did, was just negatiate with the driver a price for the day. That driver then took them to heaps of little local places (waterfalls etc) that are off the tourist track

[chrissylewis03]

I'm going to Vanuatu for about two weeks in May. I'm counting down the days LOL.


you're leaving soon then?? it should be good! for a good tip... it's good to try out the traditional food in other countries and to do that go into the markets there and ask a local. Whatever you do though, don't try Lap Lap in Villa! it looks, tastes and smells terrible! i'll attach a warning pic.

Don't be afraid to try the food there though, the second pic of the fish was one of the best fish dishes i've ever had. i got that at the same markets i got the Lap Lap from! Just be logical i guess, if it's looks and smells bad then it's probably going to taste bad! (i should have been more logical then!)

[white_crane]

Got back to Australia a week ago. I had a fantastic time.

And now I can answer my own questions...
No probs with mobile phones, nearly everyone has one now (i've got a good pic to post about this)
and
What road rules? There aren't any! LOL

I wrote a diary whilst I was there - I might post it up if anyone is interested.

[Prawn_86]

I wrote a diary whilst I was there - I might post it up if anyone is interested.

A diary or at least the highlights of your trip and 'must do's' would be great :)

Glad to hear you had a good time

[woywegian]

Looking for suggestions of places to stay that aren't expensive but still with some comfort. Want to get away from the capital.

Don't want to stay in Port Villa!

[white_crane]

Looking for suggestions of places to stay that aren't expensive but still with some comfort. Want to get away from the capital.

Don't want to stay in Port Villa!

There are 73 islands in Vanuatu, many of them have a resort of some kind, so pick one! lol

Espiritu Santo is the largest island and has the next biggest town (Luganville) after Port Vila. It also has an international airport, so you can fly there direct from Sydney and Brisbane. Plenty of opportunity to go diving.

Tanna is the other island I visited. Famous for coffee and the volcano, Mt Yasur. I believe that there are plans to make the airport international sometime in the near future. You may not want to stay there more than a couple of days though.

Look around on the net for some good deals - you can usually get the accomodation for less than the normal rate. Hope this helps.

white_crane


PS - apologies for the late reply