Alex Arcuri · Pexels LicenseVanuatu
“A volcano you can stand on the rim of, land diving, and 80 islands of Melanesian custom.”
Vanuatu is 80-odd islands strung over 1,300 kilometres, with more than 100 languages and a strong kastom tradition that in places rejected colonial and missionary influence outright. Mount Yasur on Tanna is one of the few volcanoes anywhere where you can stand on the crater rim and watch strombolian explosions from a hundred metres — it has erupted more or less continuously for centuries and is reached by 4x4 and a short walk.
On Pentecost, the naghol land dive — men jumping from a wooden tower with vines tied to their ankles, which inspired bungee jumping — is a yam-harvest ritual held between April and June and is not a show, though visitors may attend. Espiritu Santo has the SS President Coolidge, a 200-metre troopship in shallow water and probably the most accessible large wreck dive on earth, plus the Blue Holes and Champagne Beach. Cyclones and earthquakes are frequent; the December 2024 quake damaged Port Vila significantly.
Highlights
Mount Yasur
A permanently active volcano on Tanna where you walk to the crater rim at dusk and watch lava bombs thrown up from the vent. Access depends on the alert level, which changes and is enforced.
The SS President Coolidge
A 200-metre luxury liner turned troopship, sunk in 1942 off Espiritu Santo, lying from 20 to 70 metres — the most accessible large wreck dive in the world, with penetration routes for qualified divers.
Naghol land diving
On Pentecost between April and June, men dive from wooden towers with vine ankle tethers as a yam-harvest ritual. It predates and inspired bungee jumping, and it remains a kastom obligation rather than a performance.
The Blue Holes and Champagne Beach
Freshwater springs of impossible blue in the forest of Espiritu Santo, and a white sand bay on the east coast regularly named among the best beaches in the Pacific.
Entry requirements for Vanuatu
Checking your passport…
We don't hold entry details for this passport group yet.
Before you fly
The detail
- Passport validity
- Most destinations want validity beyond your stay, and some want six months. Check yours against the return date.
- Onward travel
- Airlines may ask for a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Health
- Malaria is present, particularly in the north — prophylaxis is generally advised. Dengue outbreaks occur. Medical facilities are limited; anything serious means evacuation to Australia or New Zealand, so insurance covering it is essential.
- Money
- The vatu in cash for most things. ATMs in Port Vila and Luganville; nothing on the outer islands. Cards work at resorts and larger restaurants. Vanuatu is a tax haven, which has no effect on visitor prices.
When to go
BestMay–Oct. AvoidDec–Mar.
Dry season begins; land diving continues.
The band above each month is our editorial verdict - it weighs crowds, prices and access as well as weather. The line is average daily temperature, the bars are monthly rainfall. Select a month for the figures. Climate figures: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2005–2024 normals.
What it costs
A day in Vanuatu
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $140
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 244 countries we have costed
July and August coincide with Australian holidays and are the peak. Cyclone season from January to March is cheapest and least reliable.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis — operator tariffs and accommodation sampling (2025–2026) · confidence medium
Excludes international flights - they depend on where you fly from.
Regions to know
5Efate and Port Vila
The capital, the ring road, Mele Cascades, Havannah Harbour and the offshore islands.
Tanna
Mount Yasur, kastom villages, the John Frum cargo cult movement and black ash plains.
Espiritu Santo
The Coolidge wreck, Champagne Beach, the Blue Holes and the Millennium Cave trek.
Pentecost and Ambrym
The land diving towers, and Ambrym's twin lava lakes and sand-drawing tradition.
The northern and southern outliers
The Banks and Torres islands in the far north, and Erromango and Aneityum to the south.
Practical guide
Getting there
Port Vila Bauerfield is served by Air Vanuatu, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Fiji Airways and Air New Zealand from Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland and Nadi. Espiritu Santo takes some regional flights.
Getting around
Domestic flights link the main islands, with reliability caveats. Shared minibuses do local transport in Port Vila cheaply — you flag one and it takes you where you are going. Hire cars and 4x4s are available; Tanna's roads need clearance.
Money & costs
The vatu in cash for most things. ATMs in Port Vila and Luganville; nothing on the outer islands. Cards work at resorts and larger restaurants. Vanuatu is a tax haven, which has no effect on visitor prices.
Safety
Low crime, though petty theft occurs in Port Vila. The genuine hazards are natural: cyclones from November to April, earthquakes, and volcanic activity that closes Yasur without notice. Follow alert levels, which are published and enforced.
Health
Malaria is present, particularly in the north — prophylaxis is generally advised. Dengue outbreaks occur. Medical facilities are limited; anything serious means evacuation to Australia or New Zealand, so insurance covering it is essential.
SIM & internet
Vodafone and Digicel; SIMs at the airport. 4G in Port Vila and Luganville; patchy elsewhere and absent on much of Tanna and the outer islands.
Driving
Right-hand traffic. Efate's ring road is sealed and easy; Tanna and much of Santo need a 4x4, and the road to Yasur is rough volcanic ash. Pedestrians, pigs and dogs on the road are constant.
Rules change - verify with an official source before you rent.
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From the Journal
Before you go
VanuatuFrequently asked questions
Is it safe after the 2024 earthquake?
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake in December 2024 caused deaths and substantial damage in Port Vila, including to buildings and infrastructure. Recovery has progressed but check the current state of accommodation and services before booking, and read a current advisory. Vanuatu is also among the most cyclone-exposed countries in the world.
How do I get to Tanna and Santo?
Air Vanuatu flies from Port Vila to Tanna in about 45 minutes and Espiritu Santo in an hour. The domestic airline has had significant financial and reliability problems, so build buffer days and do not schedule a tight connection to an international departure. Cargo boats also run but slowly.
What is kastom and how should I behave?
Kastom is the body of traditional law, land tenure and practice that governs much of rural Vanuatu. Land is customarily owned, so ask before walking, swimming or photographing, and expect a small fee at many natural sites — it goes to the landowners. Villages will tell you what is appropriate; the guides exist partly to manage that.