Accommodation

Hotel (4 nights), Bungalows (3 nights)

Transport

FLIGHTS: Due to frequent flight delays and cancellations on Air Vanuatu, we highly recommend allowing additional days in Port Vila before and after your tour and considering flying Virgin or Fiji Airways. Our trips include scheduled flights between islands. In the case of flight cancellations, we will do our best to reschedule and rebook an alternative option if available, however please be prepared that on occasion due to limited aircraft, a charter flight may need to be booked instead, with the additional cost to be covered by the traveller and paid on ground locally. Private vehicle , Boat , Plane

Others

Efate - River Kayaking Efate - Rarru Cascades Tanna - Rainforest hike Tanna - World’s largest banyan tree Tanna - Kava Bar visit Tanna - Village & community visits Tanna - Mt Yasur volcano crater hike Tanna - Sulphur Bay Hot Springs Tanna - Port Resolution village visit Pele - Snorkelling Efate - Coffee roaster visit Efate - Rum & gin distillery visit Nguna - Village walk

Guide

All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.

Meals

7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 3 dinners

Not included:

Others

Other activities and services are not included.

Flights

International flights not included.

Optional

Other activities and services are not included.

Insurance

Travel insurance not included. Travel insurance is compulsory on all our trips for those travelling internationally. We require that at a minimum you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. If you are travelling within your home country or region please confirm before travel that you are entitled to access the public medical system easily should an accident occur. We strongly recommend all travellers have a policy that also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage or personal effects. For international trips, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance and the insurance company’s 24-hour emergency contact number has been sighted by your leader.

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Port Vila
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Port Vila

Halo! Welcome to Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. Your adventure begins today with a welcome meeting at 5 pm at your accommodation tonight. If you arrive with time to spare before the welcome meeting, maybe head to the heart of the city for Port Vila’s produce market and the waterfront promenade, just a short walk away. There’s also the option of hiring a sea kayak from the hotel and taking to the ocean for a true taste of the Pacific.
Day 2 Day 2: Port Vila – Rentapao River
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Port Vila – Rentapao River

Today, you’ll discover some of Efate’s best spots. A 25-minute scenic drive will take you to the exclusive kayak base on the Rentapao River. Experience Vanuatu’s rainforest and village life as you paddle its safe waters for 3 hours. After a French-style lunch at the river’s edge, transfer upstream to the river cascades, a great place to swim, relax and shake off any jet lag. You’ll be back at your hotel by mid-afternoon, allowing ample time to discover more of Port Vila and choose a place for your optional dinner tonight.
Day 3 Day 3: Tanna
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Tanna

It is an early morning start today for your Air Vanuatu flight to the legendary southern island of Tanna. From there, it’s a short transfer to your beachside bungalow, your home for the night. After an included local lunch, begin the first of your amazing Tanna hikes. The world’s largest banyan tree is high on a ridge overlooking the coast. Your path there will loop back through scattered villages, food gardens and rainforests – a great opportunity to meet ‘the happiest people in the world’ going about their daily lives. On the way back to your bungalow, stop at a kava bar for some refreshments. Watch the sunset with your group tonight, keeping an eye out for the whales that cruise along the coast (from July). You’ll have dinner as a group and a chance to swap stories by the campfire.
Day 4 Day 4: Tanna – Mt Yasur
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Tanna – Mt Yasur

Get ready for a big day today! Start with a drive across the spine of the island to your new accommodation and a John Frum village hidden in the rainforest at the foot of a smouldering volcano. Road conditions permitting, you’ll have a short dip in the Sulphur Bay hot springs before travelling to Port Resolution, named after one of Captain Cook’s ships. After lunch, return to the foot of the volcano and hike along a rutted road to the rim of the volcano (a driving option to the crater carpark is also available for those who would prefer). Throughout the hike, you’ll feel the ground shaking and hear the volcano rumbling, and finally, as you arrive at the crater rim in the late afternoon, you’ll be amazed at the firework show that awaits. Return from the volcano in the evening for a late dinner at your beachside bungalow.
Day 5 Day 5: Tanna – Port Vila
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Tanna – Port Vila

This morning, you’ll head into the jungle-clad hills to a ‘kastom’ village. The community here has long rejected modern life and conserves many aspects of traditional lifestyle. Learn about traditional rites of passage along with their proud links to Prince Phillip as your leader guides you around the village. While life around them is definitely changing fast, it’s an interesting insight into a community at the cusp of making decisions about the future and how tourism can help conserve long-held practices. Have lunch at a local cafe in town and a stop at a coffee shop brewing local beans before returning to the airport for an afternoon flight back to Port Vila.
Day 6 Day 6: Pele & Nguna Islands
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Pele & Nguna Islands

After Tanna’s spectacular culture and rainforests, today you’ll head to a pristine tropical island renowned for its marine conservation area. It’s a scenic drive to Emua wharf and you’ll stop at a coffee roasterery along the way. Take a short boat ride to Pele, where you’ll sit down for a local lunch on the beach. Then, go snorkelling in the lagoon (weather permitting) or in the marine conservation area. Expect lots of fish, the occasional turtle and plenty of hard corals and small canyons to explore. This afternoon, you’ll have the option to take a boat over to Nguna for a challenging 3-hour volcano walk. Alternatively, you can go for a few easier walks around Pele’s villages. Your accommodation for the night is at beachside bungalows on Pele hosted by the village women.
Day 7 Day 7: Pele & Nguna Island – Port Vila
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Pele & Nguna Island – Port Vila

This morning, take an easy walk into Nguna’s main village to visit the historic church and community sites, before heading back to Efate for lunch at a locally-owned restaurant. Here, there are more great snorkelling options available for those missing the water. Take in the lovely views across the islands, then drive back to Port Vila, this time along the east coast road, meaning you also get to do a round-Efate tour. There are lots of roadside markets to explore and plenty of photo opportunities. Stop for a swim at the sublime Blue Lagoon or one of the local coves around Eton village. Make a final stop at a new distillery, for a delicious tasting of local liquers. Arrive back at your Port Vila accommodation for your final night together in the late early evening. Finish the trip with an optional farewell dinner, a fantastic way to finish your Vanuatu adventure.
Day 8 Day 8: Port Vila
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Port Vila

Your Vanuatu adventure comes to an end this morning after breakfast. If you are staying longer, ask your tour leader about the optional Discovery Bushwalk tour to visit more villages and communities nearby. If you are travelling from May to June, this trip can be combined with the five-day Vanuatu Expedition: Land Diving Festival (just search code TESLC on our website).

8 days tour

Vanuatu Expedition

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Vanuatu Expedition

Day 1: Port Vila

Day 2: Port Vila – Rentapao River

Day 3: Tanna

Day 4: Tanna – Mt Yasur

Day 5: Tanna – Port Vila

Day 6: Pele & Nguna Islands

Day 7: Pele & Nguna Island – Port Vila

Day 8: Port Vila

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