Spontaneously decided to travel from Brisbane to Vanuatu to see the volcano. I think three days and two nights are sufficient since Vanuatu is expensive, and the cost-effectiveness is low. The highlight is the volcano 🌋
Day 1 Port Vila 🏨
Arrived in Port Vila at 3:00 PM, spent an hour in customs. Took a pre-arranged shuttle to Iririki, one of the best hotels in Port Vila. The hotel is on a separate island, opposite the Grand Hotel. The room facilities are average, not justifying the almost $300 per night price. There’s a shuttle boat available at all times. Due to limited time, I wanted to experience snorkeling; the hotel provides free equipment 🤿. Dinner can be solved at the Chinese restaurant opposite. Breakfast is extremely simple, with many flies! Actually, you can stay at the Grand opposite for half the price and take a boat to the island.
Day 2 Half sea 🌊 Half flame 🔥
After breakfast, go snorkeling. Around 11:30, Airtaxi will send a car to pick you up from the hotel. Remember to bring some snacks; otherwise, you won’t eat until around 4:00 PM. Tanna Airport is far from the volcano, almost a 2-hour drive. The shuttle car is modified from a pickup, with three seats added behind. Sitting in the back with an open top is comfortable for the first half but cold and filled with volcanic ash on the way back, especially near the volcano. We arrived at the volcano around 4:50, waiting for the more intense and spectacular volcanic activity after sunset. We were lucky; the wind blew in the opposite direction when the volcano erupted, and we had a clear view without using masks. Left the volcano around 6:30 and stayed at Rockwater. The package does not include dinner and breakfast, costing around 8,000 Vatu 🇻🇺.
Day 3 Return
The hotel is beautiful, but unfortunately, we departed at 7:30 for the airport and arrived in Port Vila at 9:30. There are many half-day tours in Port Vila, usually departing at 9:00. You can contact the hotel or local travel agencies or explore the city center and museums (with sand painting performances). If not in a hurry, you can take a bus to the airport; buses with license plates starting with B are available. Ask the driver if they go to the airport, and I’m not sure about the specific price. I paid 1000 local currency when getting off the bus without asking for change. If the hotel calls a taxi, it costs 40 Australian dollars one way.
PS: About the volcano tour 🌋
- You can search for round-trip tickets to Tanna on Air Vanuatu. The disadvantage is that you need to book well in advance. This way, you can choose to stay at a hotel near the airport or treehouses at the foot of the volcano (said to climb the volcano twice at dawn and sunrise).
- Book the tour four days in advance. There are two companies, airtaxi and unity airline. Airtaxi responds to emails promptly; the latter didn’t even reply to me. The price for one person is 76,500 Vatu. The main feature is efficiency, and there are also other itineraries on the website.