Beautiful Vanuatu Holidays
What's Unique about Vanuatu?
Vanuatu holidays offer a contrasting style from eclectic Port Vila with a bustling harbour setting boasting waterfront restaurants and large branded resort chains, to the very traditional culture and wild adventures available in the outer islands which include several iconic attractions. Mt. Yasur volcano on Tanna Island is the most accessible active volcano in the world whilst the SS President Coolidge off the coast of Espiritu Santo is the world's most accessible large wreck dive and both are must-sees for visitors to these wild but beautiful shores.
If this is your first time visiting the islands, we recommend you use our Vanuatu Holidays Planner. Here you'll get a great overview about what there is do on holiday in Vanuatu along with general tourist information such as travel, weather and other handy tips. Otherwise, read our quick reviews below and find out our top places to stay for your holiday.
Vanuatu is the most accessible of the "true" Melanesian destinations to visit on holiday and offers a very traditional and rich culture to explore along with exceptional scuba diving and some of the worlds most amazing active volcanoes to marvel at. The capital Port Vila is a pretty waterfront town with good restaurants, an excellent market and has the majority of the countries large resorts, although few are on beaches.
Fun Things to Do on Holiday in Vanuatu
Vanuatu Holiday Inspirations
Port Vila
Port Vila, the capital town, offers a convenient holiday base with large resorts, small boutique resorts, excellent restaurants, a lively waterfront and lots of organised day tours and cruises.
Efate Island
The main island of Efate has several pretty beaches and small offshore islands with good snorkelling reefs. Don't miss the Cascades waterfall, the cultural centre and Lelepa historical site.
Espiritu Santo
Santo is the premier scuba diving destination with the world's most accessible wreck dive, the SS Coolidge. There are also great walks in tropical rainforest and kayaking in secluded bays.
Specialist Holidays
Outer Islands
Tanna is known for its active volcano, Mt Yasur, and has a rich culture with traditional kastom villages. The land divers of Pentecost and volcanoes of Ambryn are other highlights in the outer islands.
Family Beach Holidays
Close to Australia, Vanuatu is just 2hrs from Brisbane. Unlike other regions of the country, Port Vila is free from malaria so this is the place to visit with your kids.
Romance & Honeymoon
A honeymoon in the mystical Vanuatu islands combines a secluded beach with some exciting adventure. Head to Tanna for villages, Santo for diving and cap it off at Vila for some lively night life.
Our Vanuatu travel guide provides more detailed information on all the different regions to visit to help you decide where to go and what to do. Alternatively, try out our interactive Vanuatu picture map above to help you visualise the islands and find out where all the different hotels are located.
Holiday Accommodation in Vanuatu
Vanuatu has a good selection of accommodation with a handful of large brand resorts around Port Vila attracting the lion's share of holiday-makers - in Port Vila you can eat gourmet meals at top-tier restaurants, experience an island night for traditional fare and sample kava at one of the many kava bars along the streets. There are plenty of dive orientated small resorts on Espiritu Santo as well as budget beach huts and several boutique style resorts to entice the romantic and adventure market.
Port Vila is the most popular place to stay on holiday in Vanuatu with plenty of boutique beach resorts, a few of which are on small uninhabited islands in the lagoon, large hotels for families and several business hotels in the city centre. A second concentration of accommodation can be found around Luganville Town where the countries second international airport is located, and travellers come here mostly for scuba diving and hiking. Otherwise, accommodation is scattered around the islands in secluded spots and offering great scope for exploring and adventure.
If you're searching for the ideal place to stay at the right price, read our independent reviews of all Vanuatu Hotels highlighting our specials which have been hand created by our own travel specialists. Beautiful Pacific features both the popular large beach resorts and hotels sold by most travel agents, as well as highlighting the smaller, lesser-known properties which include luxury villas, boutique self-catering bungalows and affordable huts for backpackers or couples looking to do their own thing.
Vanuatu Tourist Information
Vanuatu is an excelent destination for exploring. It has a decent transport network with the domestic airline, Air Vanuatu, flying regularly to all major islands in good planes. Port Vila is the hub, and although public buses are non-existent, its easy to get about by local van which acts like a shared taxi on behalf of the missing bus network. Taxi's too are cheap, or you can hire a car, moped or even cycle around the main island.
Holidays in other South Pacific Islands
