Pretty Perfect. That’s Port Vila Vanuatu! 

Written on Monday, January 18, 2021 by Emma Whiting Travel

Vanuatu is the ideal destination for a quick tropical island getaway, and it’s only a 4 hour direct flight from Melbourne!  How perfect is that!? 

I spent 6 nights in Port Vila which is the capitol of Vanuatu on the island called Efate.  It is a small but bustling city filled with rows of shops, restaurants and markets.  We stayed at the Iririki Island Resort which is right near town so were able to explore on foot, however you could hire a car and explore the entire island easily, (they drive on the opposite side of the road though, so heads up!) Read on to find ohttps://www.iririki.com/ut what other delightful surprises Vanuatu has to offer… 

Food: 

• One of my favourite things to do in town was wandering through the local fruit and veg market which is open almost every day and eating the best pineapple I have ever tasted!   

• The food markets are a perfect opportunity to stock up on healthy snacks for your trip.  The local supermarket is also right across the road from the market for those ‘comfort’ snacks and drinks. 

Day Trips/Tours: 

• We decided to book a couple of day trips which I had organised before we arrived in Port Vila.   
• The first tour we went on was a 2.5 hour buggy tour which went all around the island from the jungle to the beach.  It was a lot of fun and a great way to see more of the island as you get to ride through a lot of the backstreets, farms and local villages.  We did find out that dogs were not fans of the buggies though and would try to chase us down the street! 
• The second tour was called ‘Splash’ and was a 5 hour water tour that included 3 popular swimming areas around Port Vila.  First stop was the Rarru Cascades.  We walked along the river for a few minutes before we arrived at a beautiful waterfall surrounded by dense greenery with multiple swimming areas.  They had inner tubes available if you felt like enjoying a leisurely swim under the falls as well as rope swings and jumping platforms for those a little more adventurous. Next up was the famous Blue Lagoon, and no wonder it is well known, that water was such a bright vibrant blue, I have never seen anything like it!  Vanuatu is home to a number of ‘Blue Holes’, most can be found on the island Santo. The last stop on our tour was Eton Beach for lunch and our last swim for the day.   

Highlights of Vanuatu: 

• The gorgeous water colour, even in the city Port Vila the water colour is absolutely stunning 
• The people– everyone is just so lovely! I am not surprised to hear that Vanuatu was twice voted the happiest place in the world. 
• Did you know that Vanuatu is made up of 83 Islands? 
• My next trip to Vanuatu, I would visit another island as well as Efate.  As lovely as it was relaxing at the resort and exploring Port Vila, it would have been so exciting to experience the freshwater swimming holes and coral reefs on Espiritu Santo or visit Mount Yasur, an active volcano on Tanna Island. 

 Find out more about Vanuatu – Click here