With This Ring: March 23, 2018

86 With This Ring
Relaxation
is mandatory
amid the
warmth of
a tropical
climate.
VANUATU
on Show
Wing your way to Vanuatu and you will discover an
archipelago embroidered with lush tropical jungle,
extraordinary geographical features, a natural adventure
playground, outstanding resorts and restaurants, unique
customs and ancient cultures and the quirkiest language
you will ever hear! Best of all, this honeymoon destination
is barely three hours flying time from home to hideaway!
At Port Vila on the main island of Efate you will find agreeable
places to stay around the sparkling Erakor Lagoon. Whether you
choose all-inclusive resort amenities and activities, the independence
of a self-catering bungalow or the luxury of a private paradise like the
Havannah on the northern coast, relaxation is mandatory amid the
warmth of a tropical climate.
But for perfect bliss indulge in a unique volcanic spa and massage;
a volcanic ash scrub to exfoliate, a mud wrap to detox, a deep tissue
massage for your muscles and a hedonistic bathe in coconut milk to
de-stress completely.
Vanuatu offers visitors a variety of cuisines and you’ll find
everything from a tempting island-style buffet to international fare.
Vanuatu was under French rule until 1980 and their legacy is alive
and well in food with flavours to savour!
Sightseeing on Efate includes Port Vila’s colourful history, markets
and shops, as well as an insight into traditional village life at the
Ekasup Custom Village or the Botanic Gardens. At the stunning
Cascade Falls, walkers are rewarded with wonderful waterfalls and
rock pools for a cool freshwater swim and nature’s own hydro-slide.
For a delightful day out, take the tour or ferry to the marine reserve
of Hideaway. As well as an excellent restaurant and beach bar, guests
and day trippers can hire snorkelling and diving equipment to make
the most of the spectacular marine life around the island. Get wet on
the Thunder Jet boat, book a Reef Explorer trip or board the wooden
ketch “Coongoola” to discover some of Efate’s finest diving and
snorkelling sites and a turtle farm on the Island of Tranquility.
Among Efate’s newer adventures is the Jungle Zipline, which
comprises a kilometre of six zip lines and suspension bridges high in
the jungle canopy, plus the more recently opened Big Zip Trek – a
seven zip 1.4km zap over a 300m canyon if you dare! Or, combine the
two with a heli tour to the Summit above Mele Bay and then come
down to earth in the soothingly tropical Summit Gardens.
Beyond Port Vila, the many outer islands allow visitors to
appreciate the distinctive geographic and cultural entities that make
up the 83 islands of Vanuatu. Among them Espiritu Santo, Tanna
and Pentecost are the best known and are accessible by Air Vanuatu
services for day trips or longer.
On Tanna, Vanuatu’s “Island of Fire” fascinates visitors, who peer
into Yasur’s molten heart and feel a deep rumble shudder from its
depths. At night, stand riveted by its sound and light show as embers
fall around you like glow-in-the dark confetti. Nearby, Tanna’s
custom villagers shun modern comforts to live traditionally in
simple palm woven huts. Pentecost is famous for its “Land Diving”
ceremonies – forget elastic, this is the original bungy using vines and
a less than scientifically calculated tower to launch from! It’s not
for tourists however, and you only get to watch this cultural rite of
passage into male adulthood.
Espiritu Santo is a diver’s mecca featuring clear waters with
stunning reefs and shipwrecks from WWII, when 100,000 American
troops were based here, including Million Dollar Point and the SS
Coolidge. Hidden in Santo’s tangled interior the Millenium Cave is
open-mouthed in a 15-metre yawn leading to the Vantar River and
provides an Indiana Jones experience you will never forget.
Alternatively you could be super-indulgent and stay at Bokissa
Private Island Resort. Just a 20-minute boat ride from Santo, its
“away-from-it-all” environment makes you feel there’s nothing but
you surrounded by blue.
So, if you want a good holiday you belong in Vanuatu – or in
Bislama, the country’s wonderfully idiomatic language… “yu wantem
sam gud holede, yu blong Vanuatu.”