12 Things to do in Vanuatu (Efate)
Vanuatu is a sleepy collection of 83 islands in the Melanesian area of the South Pacific. It retains much of its intrinsic charm and tourists seems to be the more discerning Australians. It is visited by cyclones from time to time and due to Cyclone Ivy in 2025, our cruise ship wasn't able to access the capital, Port Vila. Instead, we just had a little taster in visiting Mystery Island. We were hooked. We had to go back.
Is it worth going to Vanuatu for a week?
What kind of a traveller are you? Do you race round with a check list of everything that Chat GPT tells you to do and have a bunch of lovely photos at the end? Or do you like to poke around windy streets and follow the locals into the slightly seedier little venues? If you are in the second category, you will love this place and enjoy all the fabulous things to do.
Getting Around
Activities in Vanuatu (Efate) basically centre around the seaside and the sea itself. There is a coastal road around the island, with more potholes than Yorkshire's A63. You will need some form of transport to get around. The options are car hire, buses and scooters. We hired a bright yellow scooter from Greg, with the added bonus that he gave us an appallingly bad tourist map and enhanced it with a whole load of great tips for the best things to do. Whatever you opt for, do try out the buses. You flag one down and tell the driver your destination. Expect to pay more than the locals, but the odds are, that you will be dropped right outside your front door at a very reasonable rate. You also get to have a chat with the English speaking locals and travel around the less salubrious back streets.
What Efate is not
The island is not a sophisticated, high end, sunbathing location with trendy wine bars and super fast wifi. It is geared towards a relaxed approach, taking delays and issues in your stride and welcoming contact with the wonderful local people - whether indigenous or long term expats.
What are the Best Things to do?
There are plenty of touristy things to do and places to visit. If you prefer something a little quieter and want to support local business rather than foreign owned tourist attractions, here are my favourite activities and a mini travel guide in Efate (the main island).
1. West coast - Wahoo Seafood and Grill
Our accommodation was on Devil's Point Road (a beach hut by the sea), so the drive was 25 kms up the west coast. Wahoo Seafood and Grill restaurant is a renovated restaurant with a beautiful view over Havannah Bay and the Moso channel area. It is quite sheltered and a lovely place to enjoy a snorkel, hang out with the dugongs, if they are there and enjoy a beer. The jetty takes you out into the sea and there is a shower if needed.
2. Rust in Peace
Drive another 25kms north and look out for a small shack with huge conch shells outside the door. It is a WWII museum run by Mark. His grandfather started it with an eclectic mix of items left by American soldiers when they were stationed in Efate during the war. Artefacts range from grenades, ammunition, helmets, dog tags, old photos and numerous coke bottles. The huge clam shells interestingly, were found up the hill and date from when the island was below sea level.
3. American Pool
The pool is a further 5 minutes drive up towards Port Havannah. It is another vestige from the American wartime presence and sounds quite interesting. It really isn't. It's about 3 metres square and a murky green colour. The local kids love it to practice their diving, so if that doesn't deter you, enjoy your swim.
4. Eton Beach - worth the drive
Now it's time to drive along the south coast and up the east side of the island. As there are so many pot holes, we took the pain and went up to Eton Beach first, then called in at the other spots on the way back. Eton Beach is a shallow blue lagoon with some snorkelling by the entrance of the lagoon. There are toilets, a changing room and a shaded area with seating where you can eat the basic snacks that the local ladies prepare and sell. There is a small fee which goes towards the upkeep of the area.
5. Blue Lagoon
Another beautiful, clear, turquoise, safe swimming area. This one has 'local hung' rope swings, diving and jumping areas and more facilities. If you enter through the third entrance it is slightly cheaper to access 1500 VT (£10).
6. Banana Bay
Why does a cold beer taste better next to an enticing pool of clear blue water? This is Banana Bay Beach Club. We called in on our way back for some light refreshments and found this idyllic resort. It is miles from anywhere and would certainly tempt me back again. There is snorkelling, reef caves and it is so peaceful. Have I mentioned the water is warm?
7. Port Vila Market
Fruit and veg markets are always great places to visit, spotting the weird fruit and the ugly, odd looking fish. In Port Vila there is a multitude of brightly coloured, local dresses, shirts and bags and very friendly islanders. In the middle of the market, is a small kitchen area with local delights listed on a chalk board. We sat down and were soon joined by a policeman and a teacher. Our lesson in Vanuatu history and politics started. The food was tasty, however the best part was understanding a little of the culture and the friendliness of the people. We went back again, on another day and met a tour guide with great stories and chatted to the cooks learning about their traditional fish delicacies.
8. Arts and Crafts Market
Another great thing to do is visit the art market. Here is the best place to buy all those souvenirs and presents for people at home. You can purchase wood carvings, beaded and shell jewellery, woven bags, purses and mats and coconut products galore. There is a good cafe outside and if you haven't done enough snorkelling, you can pop into the water for a quick swim whilst you're there. Don't go on a Sunday, as everything, except the churches are closed. It is also the day that the local women wear their eye catching island dresses.
9. Vanuatu Jungle Zipline
So, you've driven around the island, done some snorkelling and fancy something different. Ring these guys and arrange for them to pick you up. They will take you to the top of the mountain where you will zip along 6 different lines around the tree tops, ending with a spectacular view across Mele Bay, Hideaway Island and Port Vila. The last line is across an old waterfall with a sheer cliff and greenery growing from it. There is a skybridge for those of you wanting even more thrills and a 70 m Giant Canyon Swing. No guesses for what that is. Once your feet are back on the ground, there are some lovely tropical gardens well worth exploring.
10. Lelepa Island trip - best for snorkelling
Now, you want to know where is the best snorkelling in Efate. The indigenous people from Lelepa run the tour themselves, on their own island under their traditional custom authority. The income goes back into supporting their community. You are collected by minibus and taken to the boat transfer and given snorkels and flippers. There are three snorkelling spots. The first is in a private bay on the island. I have never seen such clear water. There are so many fish and only the people who came on the boat with you. The second spot is over a submerged plane. It was apparently sunk 'on purpose' to celebrate the skill of the pilot in 'not' crashing the plane. The third spot is in an ecologically protected reef over giant clam shells dotted on the bottom of the sea. Amazing. There is lunch provided and room for improvement with the organisation of it all, but if you want somewhere organised, Vanuatu is not for you.
11. Fire Show - Mele Beach Bar
The Beach bar is owned by an Aussie expat who has worked with the local community since 2011. It was initially a way for indigenous people involved in a theatre group to earn money. It is now a means of support for many local families. The show is not a rough and ready fire walking performance. It is a truly spectacular, Dubai worthy show with traditional Pacific fire dancing, spinning and acrobatic performances. If that sounds good to you, book a table between 4 and 5 pm on a Friday night and order great food and drink from the bar. You also get to see a lovely sunset. It gets packed with tourists and locals and is absolutely one of the best things to do on the island. If you venture along earlier, there is a nice sandy beach and lovely swimming. Did I mention the warm water?
12. Food and Drink
You don't visit Vanuatu for the food. If you are Australian and live on fried food, you won't be disappointed. However there are certainly a few places worth visiting. Reserve a table at L'Houstalet. Clement Martinez is the 83 year old french man who owns it and still works there. The food is lovely but take your time to look through the menu. I dare you to try wild pigeon or flying fox. Yes, really. Apparently, it's very good but I was a coward.
Lalala is a lovely, small, french style restaurant next to the sea. The menu is good with french dishes and sea food and despite being in the town centre is quite chilled and relaxing.
Island Magic Resort on Devil's Point road is also well worth a visit. Take your swim gear and leap off the jetty into the delightfully warm water and snorkel to your hearts content. Then take a shower and enjoy your dinner at the Birdie's restaurant with a wee glass of pop overlooking the sea. You won't care about the potholes in the road on your way home.
If you fancy a little more sophistication, try the Sports Bar at the Ramada Resort by Wyndham. It's down by the edge of the Erakor lagoon with lovely views over the water, in the city centre but away from the traffic. A lovely little hideaway.
Kava - you have been warned
It would be very remiss of me not to mention the kava bars. They are an integral part of the vanuatu life style and, to my knowledge, quite unique. The root vegetable kava is grown on other islands in Vanuatu. It is harvested and shipped into Port Vila and each kava bar has its own production unit. This consists of peeling and chopping the root and adding water to make a mucky, sludge type liquid. This is put through a sausage mincing type machine, then filtered through ladies' underskirts. (Black ones). The muddy water is then bottled into 100 and 500 ml containers.
You can buy a coconut shells worth of kava at the bar and drink it in situ. It's important to drink it down in one as it's horrible to taste and you follow it with a beer. Initially, your mouth and tongue are numbed but the overall result is relaxing. Apparently, the effect grows on you and the 'upside' is that there is no hangover. We were given a full tour of the process by a couple of lovely locals and purely for cultural understanding, I did check out a small bottle of kava - once.
So, is Vanuatu worth a week?
If you’re after slick resorts, perfect roads and everything running like clockwork, probably not. But if you like places that feel a little rough around the edges, where conversations with locals matter more than ticking off sights, and where the water is warm, clear and never far away, then yes, absolutely. Just go with an open mind… and maybe a vehicle with a decent suspension.
