Vanuatu

If you get a round-the-world ticket from BA (One World), did you know you could get a side trip to the exotic islands of Vanuatu?

The main island of Efarte is a popular destination for Aussies, Kiwis and French colonials from New Caledonia, but the outer islands of this South Pacific nation are still wild and off the beaten track. I took a roller-coaster flight to Tanna Island, to stay in a wooden hut in the bush and meet the Kustom villagers who have rejected the modern world. But the highlight for me was climbing a very active volcano. In between the earth-shattering blasts from Mt Yaser we could hear singing from the jungle below, men about to start the kava drinking ceremony. This scene hadn't changed much since Captain Cook described the very same location over 200 years ago.

The Lonely Planet - Vanuatu & New Caledonia seems to be the only guide book to the country and has recently been updated. The only decent map of the country is by Australian cartographers - the Hema map of Vanuatu.

Author: Guy Bristow
Date: 1 February 2004