Adventure Magazine

VANUATU'S OUTER
ISLANDS Top tips...
Vanuatu’s outer islands are rich in culture, landscape
and adventure, but before you book your flights and
hop over to this tropical paradise, it’s important to get
some tips to help you understand the nuance of this
family of islands. Here are eight things you need to
know before booking your Vanuatu escape.
Get used to island time: Make sure you don’t bring
your traditional approach to time and tourism to
Vanuatu. Sure, you may be told your charter flight
will leave the outer island airport at 2pm, or that your
driver will pick you up at 11am, but don’t be mad if
nobody arrives on time. It’s not done out of spite, or
laziness, there’s just no reason to rush. If you always
keep a good book tucked away in your backpack,
or a deck of cards, you’ll be just fine. Have a couple
of buffer days at the end of your trip as well, just in
case!
Tell your friends and family you’ll be back soon,
you’re going off-grid: It’s so easy to romanticise
going off grid – lying back under coconut palms,
floating in crystal clear waters. Being disconnected
from the cyber world can be both anxiety inducing
and incredible freeing. However, going ‘off-grid’ in the
outer islands of Vanuatu
means more than just no internet. It often means no
electricity either.
While the capital city of Port Vila and main tourism
towns have power and modern amenities, this is not
the case everywhere. Unplugging is part of the charm
of the remote islands of Vanuatu, but it does mean
you need to be prepared. Pack some spare batteries
for your camera and let your friends and family know
you may be out of contact for a few days. You can
get a local sim card, but they don’t work everywhere.
Understand that a lack of electricity will affect your
ability to have a hot shower, run a fan in the heat of
the day and flush a toilet. This is a great opportunity
to let it all go, soak up the sun and the culture, and
sink into Vanuatu life.
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