Vanuatu Islands

Vanuatu, the name of which means "Eternal Land", is one of the most unusual, exotic group of islands located in the south of the Pacific Ocean. It is often known as "Pristine paradise in Oceania" due to its magnificent untouched nature, the mountains of rainforests, volcanoes, snow-white beaches, the incredible luxurious underwater world, excellent tropical weather, crystal clean water and exotic corals.

Vanuatu comprises about 14 big and more than 60 small islands, the most important and popular of which are the islands of Efate, Espiritu Santo, which is the largest island of the country, Tanna and Malekula. Vanuatu's population consists of 114 nationalities and languages. However, this will not hinder your rest, as almost all the natives speak good English and are very hospitable, because of which they often call their country "Islands of Smiles".

The island of Tanna is a real fairy-tale like tropical island with warm waterfalls and hot springs. Tourists will have the chance to climb to the top of Mount Yasur to the creator of an active volcano. For extreme tourism lovers, it is a good opportunity to "leap into the ground", which is one of the oldest and most dangerous traditions of the inhabitants. Each year young enthusiasts make a dizzying fall from the height of about 35-meter, relying only on the firm vines tied to their feet. You can take part in the crazy ritual dances of the inhabitants, witness the black magic and sorcery of local witches, have interesting long conversations with the wise leader of the tribe, and have a cup of kava.

Vanuatu is famous as a real "Mecca" for diving, owning an unprecedented set of conditions and facilities for it. The transparency of the sea water is 30 to 50 meters here depending on the season. The formation of cores defines a unique form of underwater terrain too. Around all the islands series of coral reefs are stretching, around which about 600 fish species and 1270 species of marine invertebrates are inhabited. The turbulent history since the Great Geographical Discoveries left many shipwrecks in the waters of Vanuatu making the diving more colorful and enthusiastic. The world's largest shore wreck dive is situated on the island of Espiritu Santo, called the President Coolidge.

Besides the mentioned underwater attractions, the cave Katidral with beautiful light well in the roof, inhabited by numerous small reef slopes and the caves of Bleksendz, Mele Reef and the vast number of shipwrecks in almost all the islands are really worth seeing in Vanuatu. And the seabed around the northern isles of the island Efate is popular with deep canyons and numerous volcanic formations. The first National Park Vanuatu - Big Bay, is a good attraction for tourists. Here the most massive amounts of relict tropical forests are located, being home of more than 170 species of birds and more than a dozen species of orchids. Sentavud (sandalwood) attracts the attention of Europeans to the island of Eromanga. At the southernmost island of Vanuatu, Aneytyume, the islanders have created a small reserve, which protects numerous sea turtles, whereas on other islands they are destroyed for the sake of much valued tortoise soup.

Around the Banks and Torres during the trade winds excellent conditions for windsurfing, waterskiing, snorkeling and just diving are observed (although we should not forget about the sharks). Almost all the islands have excellent conditions for sea fishing. High-quality facilities for trekking through the rainforests and mountains can be found on Espiritu Santo, Gaoua, Ambrime and Eromanga. In Port Vila, there are four excellent golf courses and a couple of casinos.

On the whole, no tourist can be bored on this happy and bright country - Vanuatu.