Vanuatu Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Vanuatu (previously known as the New Hebrides Islands) is an archipelago nation in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The archipelago more than 80 islands includes deserted sand beaches, remote beauty, tribal communities and world-class deep-sea diving.

Vanuatu is one of the smallest of five independent Melanesian countries in the southwest Pacific. The archipelago of 83 or so islands includes deserted sand beaches, remote beauty, tribal communities and world-class deep-sea diving.

The prehistory of Vanuatu is obscure; archaeological evidence supports the commonly held theory that peoples speaking Austronesian languages first came to the islands some 4,000 years ago. Pottery fragments have been found dating back to 1300–1100 BC.

The first island in the Vanuatu group discovered by Europeans was Espiritu Santo, when in 1606 the Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós working for the Spanish crown, spied what he thought was a southern continent. Europeans did not return until 1768. In 1774, Captain Cook named the islands the New Hebrides, a name that lasted until independence.

During the 1860s, planters in Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, and the Samoa Islands, in need of labourers, instigated a long-term indentured labor trade called "blackbirding": essentially slavery. At the height of the labor trade, more than one-half the adult male population of several of the islands worked abroad. Fragmentary evidence indicates that the current population of Vanuatu is much lower than that of pre-contact times.

The British and French agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, popularly known as the "Pandemonium" because of absurd duplication and confusion this entailed: there were two police forces with their own laws, including road laws, two health services, two education systems, two currencies, and two prison systems.

Challenges to this form of government began in the early 1940s. The arrival of Americans during World War II, with their informal demeanor and relative wealth, was instrumental in the rise of nationalism in the islands. The belief in a mythical messianic figure named John Frum was the basis for an indigenous cargo cult (a movement attempting to obtain industrial goods through magic) promising Melanesian deliverance. Today, John Frum is both a religion and a political party with a member of Parliament.

In 1980, amidst the brief Coconut War, the independent Republic of Vanuatu was created. During the 1990s Vanuatu experienced political instability which eventually resulted in a more decentralized government. The Vanuatu Mobile Force, a paramilitary group, attempted a coup in 1996 because of a pay dispute.

Vanuatu sustained extensive damage due to Cyclone Pam in March 2015. While the island of Espiritu Santo was unscathed, destruction on many outer islands was severe. Port Vila was also hit hard by an earthquake in December 2024.

With such a large north-south area, Vanuatu has all the tropical variances possible. From hot and humid in the north, to mild and dry in the south. The capital Port Vila on Efate can expect 27°C in July to 30°C in January. Nights can drop to 12°C. Humidity from December to February is around 82% and 70% around July.

Rainfall from January to April is around 300 mm per month, for the rest of the year around 200 mm per month. The Banks Islands in the top North can receive above 4,000mm of rain in a year, yet the southern islands may receive less than 2,000 mm.

Cyclones are natural phenomena to understand and respect. Mainstream tourism facilities are solidly built and experienced in cyclone management. Cyclones appear (in varying degrees with plenty of warning) on an average every couple of years from December to March. By following instructions given by the local authorities, you will be in no danger.

Yachties commonly avoid cyclones from Nov through April. There are no effective cyclone holes for any size of ship in Vanuatu. Yachties typically leave to the north of the equator, New Caledonia, New Zealand or Australia. There is a small boatyard in Port Vila with haulout facilities for yachts.

Tourism peaks from July to December. January to June is quietest. Experienced travellers take advantage of these tourism troughs to travel, as airlines, accommodation providers and other tourism-related businesses discount heavily during this period.

January to June is a little more humid, but cooled by the occasional tropical downpour. The added bonus is that in this period, tourism numbers are low. You have more opportunities to mingle with locals and aimlessly do your own thing instead of being rushed by the crowd (except when cruise ships are in port).

Vanuatu retains a strong diversity through local regional variants and foreign influence. In the north, wealth is established by how much one can give away. Pigs, particularly those with rounded tusks are considered a symbol of wealth throughout Vanuatu. More traditional Melanesian cultural systems dominate in the central region.

• 1 January: New Year's Day
• 21 February: Father Lini Day
• 5 March: Custom Chief's Day
• Easter (in accordance with the Gregorian calendar)
• 30 July: Independence Day
• 5 October: Constitution Day
• 29 November: Unity Day
• 25 December: Christmas Day
• 26 December: Family Day

• Vanuatu Travel website

The 83 islands of Vanuatu are grouped into six geographic provinces, the names formed by combining the first syllables or letters of the major islands in each.

Matthew and Hunter are uninhabited islands southeast of Aneityum. Aneityum people believe that the islands are in their historical territory. Aneityum appears to have provided the ancestors of the people of New Caledonia and there are cultural links particularly with the Loyalty Islands.

There are only two recognized municipalities in Vanuatu.

• -17.73333168.3166671 Port-Vila - Vanuatu's pint-sized capital (pop. 50,000) is the country's main tourism hub and arguably the prettiest city in the South Pacific
• -15.5128167.17352 Luganville (Santo) - Vanuatu's second city and main port, the few travellers who make it here are mostly scuba diving enthusiasts

• -16.7225168.2313891 Epi Island
• -15.416667166.92 Espiritu Santo - Vanuatu's biggest island, and popular with divers. It boasts shipwrecks for scuba diving, delightful beaches, coconut plantations, jungle and traditional villages where young men still engage in age-old rituals to celebrate their coming of age, and where women are provided with special places to stay for the time they menstruate. Champagne Beach can compete with any other beach in the South Pacific, and is therefore one of the most popular places to visit.
• Malekula - A good place to dive into the divers' cultural traditions of indigenous peoples of Vanuatu. This is a place where stories of cannibals and spirit caves come to life and a good chance to watch the ritual kastom dances of the locals, in this case, the Small Nambas and Big Nambas people.

A long list of countries are exempted from visas, which includes all Commonwealth and EU member countries. All visitors must have a passport valid for 6 months on arrival, an onward ticket and confirmed accommodation. On arrival, you will be allowed an initial stay of up to 30 days, extended one month at a time for up to 4 months.

If you need a visa in advance, you can apply by mail to the Vanuatu Immigration Service in Port Vila; you do not need to mail your passport, just a certified copy of key pages. Tourist visas cost 5,150 VT (around US$44), payable by bank transfer, and are valid for up to 4 months.

If you're flying in, odds are high you will arrive via the main international airport in Port-Vila (VLI ^IATA). There are connections from Australia (Brisbane, Sydney), New Zealand (Auckland), Fiji (Nadi), Solomon Islands (Honiara) and New Caledonia (Nouméa).

There is another international airport in Luganville (SON ^IATA) on Espiritu Santo. As of 2025, it offers a single flight per week to Honiara and Brisbane.

Flag carrier Air Vanuatu, notorious for frequent cancellations and hemorrhaging money, declared bankruptcy in 2024. While it has resumed limited domestic flights, as of 2025 it no longer flies internationally.

• Vanuatu's main ports are Port-Vila on the island of Efate and Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo.
• Various cruise lines including P&O Australia operate regular cruises through Vanuatu waters.

Subsequent 11-night cruises explore the Banks Islands, then the isolated islands of central Vanuatu, depart from Port Vila via Tanna island to New Caledonia on 19 Oct.

Getting around Vanuatu is always an adventure. Leave plenty of room in your plans.

The only scheduled domestic flights are operated by Air Vanuatu. However, the carrier's 2024 bankruptcy means schedules, always sparse, are now more skeletal than ever with only the "trunk routes" between Port Vila, Luganville and Tanna having regular flights. Online bookings are no longer available, you have to call, email or visit an Air Vanuatu office in person. As of 2025, fares are fixed at 19,320 VT for Port Vila to Santo (Luganville) and 17,600 VT to Tanna (Whitegrass).

Most visitors who travel between islands do so on package tours operated by charter airlines like Unity Airlines and Air Taxi Vanuatu. These are more reliable but expensive: a typical day trip from Port Vila to Tanna to see Mt Yasur costs around 80,000 VT (A$1000) per person.

Vanuatu's 83 islands are woven together by a web of passenger and cargo ferries. Operators include Vanuatu Ferry (tel. 26872, all major islands), Big Sista (Port Vila-Malekula-Luganville) and Tanna Ferry (Port Vila-Tanna). Services run roughly weekly but departures are irregular and prone to delays. Check the Facebook pages for updates and call directly to book. A journey from Port Vila to Santo or Tanna takes around 24 hours and costs around A$100, payable on vatu cash only. Creature comforts on board vary from minimal to non-existent, so bring your own food, water and a sleeping mat.

Public buses, really shared taxis that take passengers point to point, operate within and around Port Vila and Luganville only. There are no long-distance buses.

Renting your own car is the most flexible option for getting around Efate, which has a 140 km paved ring road around the island. Rates start from about 10,000 vatu/day and driving is (mostly) on the right. Foreign licenses are accepted for a period of up to 3 months, after which you'll need to convert to a Vanuatu license.

However, the state of Vanuatu's roads leaves much to be desired, with plenty of potholes, pedestrians, pigs and chickens to dodge, and hiring a taxi for the day is not much more expensive than driving yourself. In addition to the usual international chain suspects, local competitor World Car Rentals is worth checking out, they have 24/7 counters at Port Vila airport.

Outside Efate, Espiritu Santo also has a rudimentary road network with about 60 km of paved road from Luganville to Port Orly. The rest of the network, and basically all roads on the other islands, are rough gravel or dirt tracks.

There are three official languages: English, French and Bislama. Bislama is a pidgin language, and now a creole in urban areas, which essentially combines a typically Melanesian grammar with a mostly English vocabulary. It is the only language that can be understood and spoken by the whole population of Vanuatu, generally as a second language.

It is a mixture of phonetic English woven in a loose French sentence structure spoken with ‘local sound' producing some comical outcomes e.g., ladies brassieres or bathing top is called "Basket blong titi"; no offense intended. An excellent Bislama dictionary is available from good bookshops: A New Bislama Dictionary, by the late Terry Crowley. Some common Bislama words/phrases include:

• Me / you - mi / yu
• Him / her / it (neither masculine nor feminine)
• this here - hem/ hemia
• Us /we / all of us - mifala / mifala evriwan
• You / you (plural) - yu / yufala
• I do not know/understand - mi no save
• See you later / ta ta - Lukim yu/ tata
• I am going now - ale (French derivation of allez) mi go
• One/ two / three - wan / tu / tri
• How much (is that) - hamas (long hem)
• Plenty or many - plenti
• Filled to capacity / overfilled - fulap / fulap tumas (too much)
• Day / evening / night - dei / sava (literally supper) / naet
• Hot / cold - hot / kol
• What / what is that - wanem / wanem ia (literally wanem here?)
• Why / why did you - frowanem (for why?)
• Please / thank you / sorry (very sorry) - plis / tangkyu / sori (sori tumas) - sorry too much
• Do you know - yu save (pronounced savee)

In addition, 113 indigenous languages are still actively spoken in Vanuatu. The density of languages per capita is the highest of any nation in the world, with an average of only 2,000 speakers per language. All of these vernacular languages belong to the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian family.

Vanuatu is not on many peoples' destination wish list, except perhaps for those with a love for scuba diving, as divers have discovered the underwater treasures of this South Pacific archipelago a long time ago. However, even if you don't plan on touching this country's bright blue waters, it's a colourful mix of traditional Melanesian culture, friendly people, beautiful tropical beaches, active volcanoes and all the modern day facilities you'll need to have a great time.

The many islands rimmed with perfect sandy beaches offer lovely Pacific views. The Bank Islands boast great beaches combined with rugged terrain. On the largest of the Banks Islands, Gaua, you'll find the Siri Waterfall, which gets its water from the country's biggest crater lake: Lake Letas. Head to the island of Tanna to see Mount Yasur, the world's most accessible active volcano. A tourist favourite, Tanna is also home to waterfalls and men in penis sheaths and grass skirts. If you get the chance, stay to witness one of their ancient festivals or rituals.

Efate is the place where most visitors begin their encounter with Vanuatu and home to the country's friendly little capital, Port Vila. It strives to bring the best of the archipelago together and is the go-to place for fine wining and dining.

Other places well worth visiting include Aoba Island (known for the crater lakes on top of the large volcano that defines the islands) and Pentecost (the spiritual birthplace of bungee jumping). Last but not least, the active volcanoes, lava lakes and local villagers' artwork are a good reason to stay in one of the traditional style bungalows on Ambrym.

Just stop a van, ask the driver if he will be returning to your starting point. If so, get in (front seat if empty) and enjoy talking to many of the great and friendly locals riding the bus/van ( In my experience, they want to learn about you and your country and viewpoints). You'll go into small villages, to small homes as they drop a local off, see the real Vanuatu that nearly no one else ever does. Rent a vehicle, then driver yourself around the main island and back to Port Vila. Go slowly, lots of young children, people walking everywhere, and animals. Basically only one main road circles the island. Very hard to get lost.

Take a local/locals' water taxi across the harbor to some other location in the Port Vila harbor.

There is a small take away restaurant by the supermarket, next to the public market. Look over the wall into the ocean, you'll be amazed by all the brightly colored and oddly shaped fish waiting to be fed rice and chicken bones, by the diners.

Exchange rates for Vanuatu vatu As of January 2025: US$1 ≈ VT125 €1 ≈ VT130 UK£1 ≈ VT155 AU$1 ≈ VT85 NZ$1 ≈ VT70 Exchange rates fluctuate. Current rates for these and other currencies are available from XE.com

The local currency is the Vanuatu vatu (ISO code: VUV), abbreviated VT. There are notes for 200 VT, 500 VT, 1000 VT, 2000 VT, 5000 VT, and 10,000 VT while coins include 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 VT pieces. The current series of vatu banknotes is printed entirely on polymer. Two series of vatu coins are in circulation, the post-independence (1982) issues and the new 2015 issues.

The vatu is a small and unstable currency that's very difficult to exchange outside Vanuatu, and you'll take a hit on exchange even in the country: cash spreads are around 7% even for the Australian dollar and higher for anything else. Exchange only what you need.

Credit cards and debit cards on the major networks (Cirrus, Maestro, etc.) are accepted by many businesses in Port Vila, but rarely elsewhere. Expect to pay a 3-5% processing surcharge.

The main banks are National Bank of Vanuatu (NBV), Bank of the South Pacific (BSP) and BRED. NBV has a branch at Port Vila's airport and is open for all flight arrivals. Otherwise, banking hours are from 08:30 to 15:00.

ATMs are available in Port Vila and Luganville. All banks charge a flat 700 VT fee for withdrawals with foreign cards. Wanfuteng Bank only supports Chinese networks like UnionPay.

Thanks to the prevalence of Australian tourists, some places in Port Vila accept Australian dollars, but the exchange rate is rarely in your favor. However, some hotels offer to settle the bill in Australian dollars in cash or paid to an Australian bank, which can save you a bundle if this is an option for you.

Vanuatu is not a budget destination, so if you want Western-style amenities, expect to pay Australian prices for them. Typical costs in 2025 are around 2000 VT (A$25) for a basic burgers-and-fries type meal and 20,000+ VT (A$250) for a night at a mid-range resort.

Tipping is not expected in Vanuatu, nor is haggling or bargaining; it is not the custom and only encourages a "master-servant" relationship. However, gifts are very appreciated and the exchange of gifts for services rendered fits well into the local traditions. Western governments have a hard time coming to terms with this practice as it is interpreted as bribery and corruption. But in the Melanesian culture, this practice is a normal way to do business... well before the European colonisers introduced money.

A bag of rice to a village chief may be received with gratitude and dignity, but to offer triple the value in cash may be regarded as patronising, plus it will artificially inflate the price for the next visitor; set a wrong expectation, and rapidly destroy the genuine spontaneous friendship so easily given to you.

A nice gesture is to give phone cards or a T-shirt, or school pads, pens, etc. for the children.

Woven grass bags and mats are widely available and very attractive.

There are many restaurants and eateries in Port-Vila, ranging from up-market places catering to tourists and expats, with French food particularly common, to more low-key establishments. The approximate cost of lunch would be around 1000-1500 VT, depending on where and what you eat. Some examples of prices:

• sandwiches, around 450-600 VT
• bacon and eggs, 750 VT
• burger with fries or salad, around 1000 VT
• main meal, e.g. steak or seafood, 1200-2000 VT
• large, fresh-squeezed fruit juice, around 500VT

Like much of the Pacific, traditional food (kakae) in Vanuatu revolves heavily around tropical tubers like yams, manioc (cassava/tapioca), taro and sweet potato (kumala). In the islands where subsistence farming prevails, this still forms the core of the diet, supplemented with locally caught seafood, the odd can of tuna or Spam, and on feast days, pork.

• Lap lap: the traditional dish which you will most likely be offered once during your stay is a root vegetable cake called lap lap. Essentially this is shaved into the middle of a banana leaf with island cabbage and sometimes a chicken wing on top. This is all wrapped up into a flat package and then cooked in hot stones underground till it all melts together into a cake. The best place to buy some is at the food market in the town centre, where it should cost about 100 VT.

• Tuluk is a variation of lap lap with the cake rolled into a cylinder with meat in the middle. It tastes a lot like a sausage roll. You can find these again in the market (usually from mele village people) but they will be served from foam boxes to keep them warm.

• Simboro is the vegetarian version of this, flavored with coconut milk and wrapped in edible taro leaves.

• Steak: Vanuatu's meat is renowned in the Melanesian region. At the airports, you will see signs reminding you to pack the 25 kg of meat permitted to other nearby island nations. The reason the meat tastes so good is that the livestock are naturally reared, with no feedlots or other mass production methods used in some Western countries. This results in a steak that is very good indeed.

• Seafood: As you may expect from an island nation, seafood is a common option and the quality is generally excellent. Reef fish are commonly found in restaurants, along with many varieties of prawns and lobster. Snapper, known as poulet fish (literally "chicken fish"), is particularly common.

• Tropical fruits are cheap, delicious and can be picked up at roadside stands and markets. In addition to the usual bananas and papayas, look out for local fruit like ambarella (naus), Pacific lychees (nandao), dragon plums (nakatambol) and Vanuatu raspberries (frombwas, from the French framboise).

• Coconut crabs are the world's largest crab, with a "wingspan" up to 1 meter wide, whose claws are supposedly strong enough to crush coconuts. It has been declining in numbers so rapidly that it is now a protected species in most areas, and there is a minimum legal size of 9 cm for the carapace (body).

• Last and probably least, flying fox, a type of giant fruit bat, is available in some restaurants, most commonly in a French-style red wine stew called civet de roussette. It's bony and the taste can charitably described as gamey.

Kava is a local drink, made from the roots of the plant Piper methysticum, a type of pepper. Kava is intoxicating, but not like alcohol. Its effects are sedative.

Kava is consumed in private homes and in local venues called nakamal. Traditional nakamals are communal gathering places, traditionally thatched huts, where only men are allowed. Commercial nakamals in larger town, which are also known as kava bars, cater to all paying customers. Some of the resorts also offer kava on occasion for visitors to try.

Vanuatu kava is almost always prepared from the fresh root of the plant, which makes it much stronger than the dried, powdered variety found on other Pacific islands such as Fiji, where it is comparatively mild. Four or five large shells in a typical kava bar will leave the inexperienced drinker reeling (or worse) after a couple of hours, and it can take a day to recover. The cheapest variety is known as tudei (two-day), thus named for the length of the resulting hangover.

Kava is served in a coconut shell or small bowl. Drink the whole shell-ful down steadily, then spit. It's handy to have a soft drink on hand to rinse with afterwards, as the taste of kava is earthy, bitter, and not very pleasant. Nakamals often have snacks like fruit on hand. It takes about 20-30 min for the effects to kick in, starting with a numbing sensation around your mouth.

Good advice to experience kava as pleasantly as possible is to go with an experienced drinker and follow their lead, take the small shells, and stop after an hour and a half. It's quite easy to find a local kava drinking buddy, just ask around your hotel and you'll find volunteers, maybe at the cost of a shell or two.

The kava served in local nakamals can be less than hygienic. Traditionally, the roots are prepared by chewing and spitting out into a pot, although these days mechanical grinders are more common. The water kava is mixed with can be suspect, and some unscrupulous kava bars mix in yesterday's leftovers.

Nakamals/kava bars are normally quiet, dark places with very dim or no lighting at all. Conversation should be kept no louder than a whisper and cameras, especially flash photography, is banned. In Port Vila, though, you can find more touristy bars that may even serve alcohol on the side; mixing the two, though, is highly unadvisable.

Alcoholic beverages are also widely available. Resorts, bars and restaurants serving tourists serve a wide range of drinks. The local beers are called Tusker and Vanuatu Bitter. Note that take-away alcohol sales are prohibited on Sundays.

There is a choice of all types of accommodation, including resorts in Port-Vila.

When visiting other islands or villages outside of the cities, there are many small guest houses that charge around 2000 VT per night and offer full service (meals, laundry, etc.)

Many of the motels in Port-Vila and Luganville also fall into the budget category, with prices around 2000 VT per night. There are a number of websites which list such motels.

Many people from overseas work in Vanuatu, either running their own businesses or employed by others.

Generally speaking, work permits are only available for positions where there are not enough ni-Vanuatu to meet demand.

Vanuatu is, on the whole, a safe and friendly environment. You are unlikely to encounter any trouble unless you do something extremely provocative, though crime rates are said to be increasing, particularly in Port Vila at night. Take the same precautions you would anywhere else.

There are no seriously venomous snakes, spiders, or insects on Vanuatu. However, there are various poisonous aquatic animals that you should beware of if you are swimming, snorkeling, or diving in the area. The most dangerous of these is the stonefish. Saltwater crocodiles may remain on the eastern coast of Vanua Lava, but the likelihood of an attack is minimal.

Vanuatu is frequently struck by cyclones. The cyclone season runs from November to April, but out-of-season cyclones are not uncommon.

Vanuatu is on the Ring of Fire, so earthquakes are common, with the most recent one in December 2024 causing major damage to the capital Port Vila. Major hotels are built to earthquake-resistant standards, smaller ones may not be.

Many islands, notably Ambrym and Tanna, also have active volcanoes, although those on Efate are all dormant.

It is advisable to be immunised against Hepatitis A and B and typhoid fever before visiting Vanuatu.

Malaria is endemic within some areas of Vanuatu, but not Port-Vila. If you are venturing outside the resort areas, check with your doctor before you travel. Malaria may not be endemic but you may come in contact with mosquito carriers and visitors from outer islands who have malaria - particularly in the wet season and at the hospital.

Dengue fever is also mosquito vectored in Port-Vila and elsewhere particularly in the wet season. Be familiar with the symptoms as there is no cure all for dengue and malaria symptoms are intermittently leading to misdiagnosis. Many local clinics in the outer islands can test you for malaria.

Malaria preventative drugs have side effects which can cause problems in the sun, scuba diving, general stability and digestion.

Tap water in Port-Vila is clean and potable, but is best avoided elsewhere. Bottled water is not available outside the main cities. Fizzy drinks but not beer may be available outside the main cities. Giardiasis after using local water is rare. Tourism, cattle raising, and the rapidly rising population are placing stress on municipal water supplies.

Doctors used to treating common travel ailments are available in Port-Vila and Luganville. Any more serious problems may require some form of medical evacuation.

Be careful of any small cuts, scratches, or other sores you receive while travelling in Vanuatu. As in most tropical areas, small sores can easily become infected if you don't practice proper hygiene. Most of these things require common sense. Protect the wound with a sterile dressing and keep it dry.

Throughout Vanuatu, and especially outside of Port-Vila in the villages, life is strongly influenced by "kastom", a set of traditional customs and taboos that apply to all kinds of matters. Be aware of this, and respect locals' requests with regard to "kastom".

When visiting villages, women should dress modestly, wearing clothes that cover the shoulders and knees.

Christianity is very strong. It is common to invite and welcome visitors to attend local church services on a Sunday.

Revealing and sexy clothing (especially wearing beachwear in the capital) is not advisable, as over 100 years of missionary work has had its effect on the perception of what is considered as respectable attire in the islands. Regardless, it's considered disrespectful to the local people and can be interpreted by some indigenous inhabitants as an invitation for sex.

As Vanuatu is not a fashion conscious place no-one will notice or care if you were wearing the latest trends or not. You are best off bringing a practical tropical wardrobe such as light cotton summer clothes that are easy to hand wash, a pullover and a lightweight waterproof wind jacket. If planning to go to the outer islands, bring a good torch (flashlight) with spare batteries, lightweight, walking shoes, sandals or good thongs (flip-flops or crocs) for wet weather and old clothes.

When exploring the outer islands take all the older clothes you can carry, wear them and give them away to the islanders when you are finished wearing them. You and your children will be aptly rewarded in other ways. Instead of dumping your worn clothes in a charity collection bin at your local shopping centre, your children will interact with the very people who would be the recipients of those clothes (most NiVanuatu people buy these second-hand clothes from shops in Port-Vila).

Sharing and giving is a natural course of daily life in Vanuatu. The T-shirt you give to one person will be worn by all his friends as well. Three T-shirts on top of each other will be their winter outfit. You will provide them things that are hard for them to obtain, save them the expense of buying clothes (basic wages are quite low in Vanuatu) and you will depart with priceless memories, plus have more in your luggage for purchased local arts and crafts.

Communicating with NiVanuatu people:

• In Vanuatu, the display of anger, displeasure or irritability at a person or situation will reduce the recipient to a stony silence with a lack of co-operation or empathy to your point of view. Please be patient as it is a waste of time complaining. It will have no bearing on the outcome. And if you are verbally abusive, you will generate one of three responses: smiling, subdued laughter, or a fist in your face.
• Don't ask a question with the answer built into it. Locals will always agree in order not to contradict you. "Is this the road to X?" will generate a Yes. Try: "Where is the road to X..?", and you might get a different answer.
• Direct eye contact or raised voice level contact may be interpreted as intimidation. A local person's voice level combined with body language may be directly opposite to Europeans. He or she may nod agreement with everything you say in order not to offend you but may not have understood a word you have said.
• If you're in a bus and people on the footpath are turning their backs to you, don't be offended: they're simply letting the driver know that they don't require him to stop. There are few bus stops in Vanuatu, and those that exist don't get much use.
• If you see men or women holding hands, it's not what you may think. Men hold hands with other men, or women with women, because there is no sexual connotation attached to it. However, you will very rarely see a man holding a woman's hand in public because this would be considered as a public exhibition of sexual relations.

The Vanuatu people are a delight to photograph, friendly, co-operative and photogenic especially the children who are simply gorgeous. Yes, they love to be photographed but do not offer to pay to photograph local people as this will quickly discourage spontaneity and encourage commercialisation. Always ask before taking photos of local people.

In some cases, some people may be reluctant to be photographed for reasons that you may never know. It is prudent to enquire as to the fee for photographing cultural festivities as they are sometimes very high. The reasoning behind this is they put on the show, people take photos and make money selling these photos of their show, so they want to be paid accordingly. Shooting an exploding volcano at night calls for at least 800 as a setting and a tripod is essential for good images.

The international country code for Vanuatu is +678. To dial overseas from within Vanuatu dial 00 followed by the relevant country code and phone number.

Emergency phone numbers: Ambulance (22-100); Fire (22-333); and Police (22-222).

Vanuatu has GSM mobile coverage in Port-Vila and most GSM mobile phones roam seamlessly. You can buy special visitor SIM cards from TVI, which offer considerable discounts over roaming charges. Available at any post office.

International roaming from New Zealand and Australia is available. Telecom Vanuatu has a package called ‘Smile Visitor' which consists of a sim card with a pre-purchased credit. This can be purchased at the Vanuatu Telecom Office in town. Telephone: +678 081111. Email: [email protected]

Digicel is giving Telecom some overdue competition. Digicel offer a range of packages, and are widely available.

Many international radio stations such as Radio Australia, BBC World Service, Radio France International and China Radio International can be heard on FM radio in Port-Vila and in some other locations.

The national broadcaster, Radio Vanuatu is mostly broadcast in Bislama, but sometimes is in English and French. It is also available on AM and SW.

Distant AM broadcasts from Australia, New Caledonia and Fiji may also be heard.

Local and international TV broadcasts are available, but the national broadcaster 'Television Blong Vanuatu' is the only free-to air option.

Other broadcasts can be found on Telsat's Digital Pay TV service or via satellite.

Internet cafes can be found in Luganville & Port-Vila. You may also find that some post offices will also provide some kind of Internet facilities, and can be found on the main streets in Port-Vila and Luganville as well as on Espiritu Santo.

Postal services to mainland Europe can take up to 7 days. You can send letters and postcards from mailboxes in the streets, however the incoming postal service can be patchy, especially for parcels, so don't rely on people sending you things while you're staying in Vanuatu.

Vanuatu has 230V/50 Hz electricity with the same type I plug (angled live/neutral pins with a straight earth) as Australia.

Only about 30% of the country is wired to reliable mains power. Off-grid solar power is increasingly common.