Vanuatu – a Trip to the Other Side of the World

Have you heard of Vanuatu? No, it’s not an Indian name, but one of the farthest corners of the world.

While some parents have doubts about short trips with their children, this brave family set out with two little girls to the other side of the world. So, how did the trip go? Find out here.

What is Vanuatu?

Vanuatu is an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean consisting of 83 islands. The choice to visit such a remote place was determined by several reasons. My husband and I traveled around the Dominican Republic after the wedding and we always said that we wanted to go back to where there was “something like this.”

In addition, Vanuatu is not yet a well-known country. It is a distant land, perhaps the furthest point you can go to from home – that’s what made it so tempting. By the way, another interesting fact is that when you fly away from Vanuatu, you start getting closer to home. Vanuatu is about a two and a half hour flight from Australia. We’ve traveled with our stepdaughters who are 2 and 3 years of age so there was everything, but after stopping for a few days to get used to the time difference, everything worked out quite easily.

Archipelago

The archipelago is trying to recover from the landfall of Category 5 Cyclone Harold. This cyclone devastated several islands, leaving people without homes, electricity, communication and food. 5 years ago, the Vanuatu archipelago was also hit and devastated by Cyclone Pam, after which it took a very long time to restore everything.

Locals sometimes call their islands “dancing islands” because of the constant earthquakes. If you look at the statistics of earthquakes, it can be scary, but buildings do not collapse, tremors are relatively short, and sometimes they are not felt at all.

The archipelago has a rainy season and a dry season, so be sure to check before traveling. The rainy season coincides with the cyclone season, so if there is a strong cyclone, you can be stranded on the island for an indefinite period of time. The climate here is tropical: very warm and humid, and the interesting fact is that for the first time we encountered the fact that even in the rain you need to remember to protect yourself from the sun.

Life in Vanuatu

Vanuatu is suitable for people who are looking for something exotic, who want to escape from civilization, who want to maybe reflect on their life or just relax and get away from the fast pace of life. There is a calm mood in this country, people are not in a hurry and are happy. There are not many night clubs, calm prevails. The nature here is fabulously beautiful – palm trees, ocean, waves, sand and indescribably blue water.

Most often, Australian tourists come to Vanuatu – they arrive both by plane and by cruise ship. Most of the foreigners who have already settled and live here are from France and China. The people of Vanuatu are very religious, so there are a lot of churches, chapels and prayer houses. The locals are very helpful, friendly and love children very much, so if you get lost while traveling and meet a local person, they will not only show you the way, tell you, ask where you came from, but also talk and play with the children. Vanuatu is relatively safe, there is not much crime or aggressive people.

Communication and Transport in the Islands of Vanuatu

Travel around the islands occurs by bus, ATV or car. Although the buses do not have a schedule or routes, you usually have to stop and ask if they will take you where you need to go. Renting a car for the entire trip is very expensive, so you have to be patient and enjoy your vacation. There are no addresses or house numbers here, everyone either simply knows where it is, or gives a reference based on certain objects: a palm tree, a tree, a stone. The city is a bit easier to navigate because of the buildings. For inter-island travel, cargo ships, air taxis or airline flights are used. Large cars with open trunks prevail on the islands, so usually 5-6 people travel in the trunks.

Languages ​​and Life in Vanuatu

Vanuatu has three official languages: English, French and their own Bislama, so there is no difficulty in communicating. The official currency is the watt, whose exchange rate with the euro is 1:130, so the prices seem extremely high.

True, it should be mentioned that traveling here is expensive, since tourism is probably the main source of livelihood, and the main visitors are rich Australians, the prices are adjusted accordingly. It is also worth mentioning that when traveling in Vanuatu and checking the working hours of the resort or the zoo, you should keep in mind that they have island-based time on the islands, so you should plan everything considering the fact that there is almost no specific time here.

Most people live in villages and communities. The order in the village is overseen by the village Chief. The chief also distributes money and establishes the order of the village. While visiting local villages, we saw how children are raised. We saw how knowledge and traditions are passed on to them, how children are taught from a young age how to grow fruits and vegetables. We saw how they are taught to build houses, how to fish. It is extremely beautiful and interesting to observe this. It is interesting, because then you see the true meaning of the expression “from generation to generation.” Of course, the life of locals in the capital is very different because there are many offices in the city where educated people work, so it is already a more common sight to our eyes.

Local women often wear traditional multi-colored dresses.

Vanuatu Cuisine Traditions

Vanuatu has a traditional drink, Kava, which is made from the root of the plant. The drink itself has a minty smell, a bitter taste and a rich green/brown color mixture. This drink has relaxing properties. The locals drink such drinks in local cafes, which are called Nakamal and can be distinguished by the colored lights that illuminate the roadsides. Speaking of food, of course, everything here is very fresh and delicious. Even several harvests are harvested per year. There is also plenty of seafood, most of the locals are fishermen, so fresh fish and other goodies are especially popular.

Most local people have large gardens, so they grow and produce their own vegetables and fruits, as well as some animal products. You can easily find such local produce in the local markets. The traditional dish is called LapLap – it is a dish-like porridge made of vegetables, which can also contain meat or fish. This porridge is placed on banana leaves, and after adding the other ingredients, it is wrapped and baked in an underground oven. Everything is seasoned with coconut milk, which is poured either before cooking or after everything is cooked (depending on family traditions.) The cooked dish resembles our Lithuanian kugel.

Entertainment in the Islands of Vanuatu

Vanuatu is famous for its spectacular underwater world, so diving (surface or underwater) is a must. Almost anywhere, being near the sea, you can meet several types of crabs, starfish, and if you have snorkeling goggles and a tube, you can see colorful fish.

The Main and Most Famous Islands of Vanuatu

Vanuatu has several more famous islands that are more popular with tourists, so we will talk about them in a little more detail.

Efate with the capital – Port Villa

Densely populated, with a lot of arrivals, it is also home to the main port for cruise ships. There are several small islands around which can be reached in 15-20 minutes by a local boat. There are many hotels and resorts on this island, but it is still possible to find completely empty beaches. In the city itself there are many different shops, cafes and local markets. The road around the island is 130 km, so it is not long. While driving along the road, you can visit one other place of interest, see waterfalls, swim in lagoons, hot current pools,see turtle conservation reserves or luxury villas and resorts.

Espiritu Santo

The largest island in the entire archipelago, famous for its incredibly beautiful sandy beaches. Deep diving enthusiasts can see a World War II sunken ship (named SS President Coolidge) up close.

Tanna

An island famous for its active and very accessible volcano, Mt. Yasur. The flight from the capital to this island takes 25-60 minutes, depending on the type of plane you will fly. Whether it is the one that can accommodate up to 20 people, there are no flight attendants and you can see everything the pilots do in their cockpit, or with a usual plane.

This island is also famous for the fact that a movie based on a true story about the traditions that existed between the communities was filmed. Although the trip to the volcano is not cheap, it is worth paying for such an adventure and experience of a lifetime. It is worth it, because words cannot describe the feeling when the volcano erupts with all its power, creating a huge cloud of smoke, spitting rocks up and spreading the acrid smell of sulfur all around.

Also on this island, we decided to visit the Kastom community, which lives according to old customs. for that in order for us to visit them, the owner of the villa. The villa had contact the Chief of the community and get his consent. We went deep into the jungle, where the Chef of the community welcomed us. He showed us his farm, showed us how they grow everything, what they do, and after the walk, we demonstrated their traditional dances and were able to buy their own products.

Pentecost

This island, which is about 190 km from the capital, holds ceremonies every Saturday from April to June. During the ritual, people jump down from a 20-30 m high tower, tying their feet with a rope made of a plant. Since these are rites of honoring the harvest and fertility, only men and boys from the age of 7 can participate in them. This month is chosen because at this time of the year, the plant is flexible enough to avoid disasters.

Dangers on the Island of Vanuatu

It is important to mention that you should take care of your health when traveling in Vanuatu, as the medical field is not as advanced as you would like. There are only 2 hospitals in the entire archipelago, on the island of Espiritu Santo and the capital, Port Vila.

There are no deadly animals, there are only those that should be watched out for, centipedes, the sting of which can cause a strong allergic reaction, and water snakes.

Those who are planning to come here, do not expect the usual “all-inclusive” entertainment (at least for now.) However, but come to charge yourself with a good mood, to see nature of extraordinary beauty, to gain positive energy and the ability to live in a calm rhythm. People here are friendly, naive and not yet corrupted by jealousy, money or other things that are already inseparable from our world. Being here, you get the idea that there are no problems, and the ones that used to worry you don’t seem so serious. We are glad to have visited here, because we received impressions for a really long time and we will try to remember them as long as possible and remind the children.

We thank the author of the text, Dovilė. She shared her impressions and took us to the other side of the world with her thoughts. You can see more wonderful moments on her Instagram profile.

Copying and use without the permission of the author or “Travelling with Children ®” is strictly prohibited.

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