Our Vanuatu holidays & tours
This island nation has over 80 islands, mountainous, smothered in rainforest – except where a volcanic activity has blasted it away; there’s even a volcano here that you can drive up. Prepare to be blasted away yourself on our Vanuatu holidays, where you can hop between places on a Melanesia cruise, enjoying forest walks, wreck diving, and, of course, countless beaches. But your visit means more than just lounging around. Tourism can help preserve kastom (traditional culture) by paying money to see and interact with cultural experiences and rituals. Some traditions require your participation. Others – like land diving (a precursor to bungee jumping) are best when you’re just observing.
Our top trip
Pacific Islands tour
Nine islands, some of the world's smallest nations
From
£21495 to £24950
27 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2026: 17 Jun, 23 Sep
2027: 14 Jul
2026: 17 Jun, 23 Sep
2027: 14 Jul
Contact Us
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Highlights of our Vanuatu holidays
Anchored firmly in Melanesia, Vanuatu bobs dreamily in the ocean, draped in tropical foliage, surrounded by shimmering lagoons and pepped up with a hint of je ne sais quoi
Want your tropical rainforest, golden beaches and underwater adventures to come with a side order of brie and fine wine? Then Vanuatu will see you right. An Anglo-French colony until 1980, this gem of a country has all the untamed tropical island beauty you can handle, but also has paved roads and solid infrastructure on its main islands – and it even produces its own coffee. Efate, the main island, is home to the nation’s capital Port Vila, which is where you’ll find the country’s resorts, harbours and international restaurants.
To get more of a feel for traditional village life and customs, you’ll have to get away from the tourists and yachties in Port Vila and head for the outer islands, such as Vanua Lava, which is crowned by the volcanically active Mt Séré’ama and Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu’s largest island and location of James Michener's ‘Tales of the South Pacific’.
To get more of a feel for traditional village life and customs, you’ll have to get away from the tourists and yachties in Port Vila and head for the outer islands, such as Vanua Lava, which is crowned by the volcanically active Mt Séré’ama and Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu’s largest island and location of James Michener's ‘Tales of the South Pacific’.
With over 80 inhabited islands and hundreds of spoken languages in a country with a population of only 250,000, Vanuatu is perhaps the most culturally diverse destination in the Pacific. Some languages are spoken in only one village, which is why most people can speak Bislama, an English-based creole that has developed as the common tongue.
As a former French colony, Vanuatu still clings to some elements of French culture. Local supermarkets stock pates, baguettes and French wines and cheeses; while in some Port Vila restaurants you’re welcome to place your order en Français.
As a former French colony, Vanuatu still clings to some elements of French culture. Local supermarkets stock pates, baguettes and French wines and cheeses; while in some Port Vila restaurants you’re welcome to place your order en Français.
Activities in Vanuatu
Cruise control
Our Vanuatu holidays often take the form of adventurous expedition cruises, during which you might experience traditional lifestyles and culture in other regions of the Pacific including the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. These are small ship cruises that bring significant economic benefits to the various island ports that they visit, such as through guided tours and purchasing supplies.Caves & volcanoes
With Mount Yasur just a 45-minutes plane journey from the capital it would be rude not to visit to this active volcano. Most tours begin with a 4x4 journey across Tanna Island, passing local villages and thick native bush, and crossing plains of volcanic ash. Once you near the summit by car (vehicles can get to within 150m of the crater’s edge), it’s then a 10-minute uphill walk to the crater’s edge – if you dare. Also on Tanna island is the Blue Cave – a natural cavern filled with bright turquoise water that has to be accessed via a short underwater swim.
Landscape in Vanuatu
Vanuatu is a collection of over 80 islands. As with many of its South Pacific island neighbours, there are both tropical beaches and dense rainforests here, so you’ll find all the diving, snorkelling and jungle trekking you can handle; bird watchers will be kept happy by the stunning endemic species on offer. The world's most accessible live volcano, Mount Yasur belches away on Tanna Island, a short flight away from Port Vila.
