A harbour town, an island you can drive around in a day and three onward islands — fourteen places worth planning around.
Almost everything you will want to see falls into three groups. In and around town: the market, the seafront, Iririki, the lagoons and the Mele Bay pair of cascades and coral island. Around Efate: the east-coast swimming spots, the quiet north with its village islands, and Havannah Harbour. And the onward islands that many people add to a Port Vila stay: Tanna, Espiritu Santo and Pentecost.
Each place below has its own guide covering what to do, how to get there and which tours include it.
Port Vila & Mele Bay Terraced pools and a rainforest waterfall
A river tumbling down a limestone hillside through a staircase of clear turquoise pools, ending in a waterfall of around 35 metres. Fifteen to twenty minutes from town, it is the most popular natural sight near Port Vila — and you swim your way up it.
Port Vila & Mele Bay A marine sanctuary with an underwater post office
A tiny coral island in Mele Bay, a few minutes by free ferry from Mele beach. The reef around it is a protected marine sanctuary with some of the easiest snorkelling on Efate — and a mailbox on the seabed where you can post a waterproof postcard.
Port Vila & Mele Bay The mamas’ market and the harbour promenade
The open-sided market house on the seafront is the heart of town: women from Efate’s villages sell taro, yams, island cabbage, fruit and flowers, and cook plates of local food at the back. Outside, the seafront promenade runs along the harbour past the handicraft stalls.
Port Vila & Mele Bay The resort island in the middle of the harbour
A green, private island a few minutes by ferry from the seafront, once home to the British Resident Commissioner and now a resort. Non-guests can buy a day pass for the pools, the snorkelling cove and a long lunch with a view of town.
Port Vila & Mele Bay Calm lagoons, a mission island and a surf point
South-east of the centre, the sheltered Erakor lagoons are lined with Port Vila’s big resorts and are perfect for kayaks and paddleboards. Little Erakor Island sits at the lagoon mouth, and the Pango peninsula beyond has ocean beaches and the best-known surf break on Efate.
Port Vila & Mele Bay A guided introduction to kastom life
In the forest a short drive from town, villagers in traditional dress walk you through how ni-Vanuatu lived before Europeans arrived: herbal medicine, food preservation, hunting traps, weaving and song. Staged for visitors, but taught by people who still hold the knowledge.
Port Vila & Mele Bay Slit gongs, sand drawing and Lapita pottery
The national museum, opposite Parliament, is small and excellent: towering slit drums, ceremonial masks, canoes, ancient Lapita pottery and — the highlight — a live demonstration of sand drawing, a tradition recognised by UNESCO.
Around Efate Efate’s famous turquoise swimming hole
A deep, tree-ringed inlet on the east coast where fresh spring water meets the sea and turns a startling blue. Rope swings, platforms and calm water make it the swim everyone wants — about 40 minutes from Port Vila by road.
Around Efate White sand, a river mouth and a reef
The prettiest easily reached beach on Efate: soft white sand, a shallow lagoon sheltered by reef and a small freshwater stream running into the sea. A few minutes beyond the Blue Lagoon and the natural second stop on any east-coast day.
Around Efate WWII relics, Lelepa and the quiet north-west
A sealed ring road of roughly 130 km circles Efate. Its north-west stretch runs along Havannah Harbour, a deep anchorage used by the US Navy in World War II, past a roadside war museum, the “Survivor” beaches and the boats to Lelepa and Moso islands.
Around Efate Village islands off the north coast
Two small islands a short boat ride from north Efate, inside a community-run marine protected area. Pele has white-sand beaches and coral gardens; bigger Nguna has an extinct volcano to climb. Both offer simple village bungalows and no cars to speak of.
Onward islands Stand on the rim of an active volcano
A short domestic flight south of Port Vila, Tanna is home to Mount Yasur, one of the world’s most accessible active volcanoes. At dusk you stand on the crater rim and watch it throw glowing lava into the sky — the single most memorable thing to do in Vanuatu.
Onward islands Champagne Beach, blue holes and a famous wreck
Vanuatu’s largest island, a domestic flight north of Port Vila. Santo is known for powder-white Champagne Beach, spring-fed blue holes you reach by road or canoe, and the SS President Coolidge, one of the world’s great wreck dives.
Onward islands The ritual that inspired bungee jumping
Between about April and June, men on southern Pentecost dive head-first from wooden towers with only vines tied to their ankles — the nagol, a harvest ritual and the original bungee jump. It can be seen on organised day trips by small plane from Port Vila.
Swim in the Blue Lagoon, climb Mele Cascades, post a card under water and drink kava at sunset. Compare guided tours and cruise-friendly day trips and book in a couple of taps.
