Where is Vanuatu?
The Authentic South Pacific Adventure
- Lautoka, Fiji to Port Vila 3.6 days 522nm
- Bay of Islands, NZ to Port Vila 8 days, 1100 nm
- Bundaberg Port Marina to Port Vila 7 days 1080 nm
- Noumea to Port Vila 2 days 344 nm
 No Matter how long it takes you to sail here, or which way you come, you'll be glad to arrive in the South Pacific's favorite cruising destination.
Vanuatu has over 80 islands and the brand new 2008 version of the electronic Cruising Guide to Vanuatu has razor sharp satellite and aerial photographs of every island in Vanuatu, photo charts, special deals from businesses, and 140 anchorages for you to explore.
Cruising is easy here, the water is deep and clear, there are good anchorages where you can sleep at night and you can day-hop from one end of the country to the other.
You'll see dugongs and eagles, waterfalls and virgin forests, volcanos and blue holes, and set in the midst of this ancient wilderness you'll find a culture rich with dance, art, and magic.
Vanuatu, nearly every cruising yacht agrees, is the highlight of any Pacific cruising adventure. You'll be back again and again, because there is simply too much to see and do for just one cruise.
Vanuatu is an independent democratic republic. The capital of Vanuatu is Port Vila, on the island of Efate. As you can see from the space photograph of Efate, most of the islands are covered with lush green tropical forests. Except for two urban areas, Port Vila and Luganville on Santo, the small population of people lives in rural villages.
What's special about Vanuatu?
Vanuatu is one of the few places on Earth where you can enter into a very ancient culture and contact your deepest roots and connections with the natural world and feel safe and comfortable at the same time.
Security, peace, a sense of wonder at the scenic splendor of nature, garnished with a culture that goes back thousands of years. These are some of the reasons people come from Europe, Asia, the United States, Australia and New Zealand to visit or live in Vanuatu.
 The people of Vanuatu are Melanesians and have a very strong and enduring attachment to their islands and their environment. In the more remote islands the people still follow their ancestral traditions and their artwork, dances, music, and dress will transport you to an era before the concept of time began.
Their sense of community and culture give the ni-Vanuatu people a kind of peace and friendliness that extends to visitors and residents from other lands. They are, in a word, nice.
Most of people (there are about 170,000 people living in the Republic of Vanuatu) live in villages with their extended families. The expatriate community is only a few thousand individuals, many of whom have been here for generations.
The ni-Vanuatu people are multilingual. Everyone speaks their own village language plus the universal Bislama, an English/French pidgin that you will quickly pick up. Most of the people also speak English and French.
The most important thing for you to know before you come is that when you arrive for the first time or when you return you will be welcome. We at Yachting World will welcome you, the Government will be happy you have come, and so will the people who live here in Port Vila and in all the small villages of this delightful country. |
