There aren't many places left in the world that offer the wild beauty, truly traditional villages and fantastic diving opportunities that Vanuatu does. Plus, no other country speaks Bislama! The sailing is generally good (especially if you're progressing northward), the fishing between islands is excellent, the water is clean & clear. There are so many great dive spots for exploring on your own or shops that can take you there. There are many private, quiet anchorages to explore in scenic surroundings. If you venture into the small villages on many of the islands, you'll be met with a warm welcome. The island foliage supplies most of their building materials and the Ni-Vans grow most of what they eat so the villages & beaches are much freer of the dreaded plastic trash that many other areas have to deal with. There are opportunities to trade with the local people or help them fix important pieces of equipment such as generators or plastic water tanks- simple things that you might have skills in or have small amounts of materials for on your boat. Most often you'll be rewarded with fresh produce and knowing that you helped some or a lot of people by whatever it is you did.
And there are also larger towns such as Port Vila and Luganville where you can re-provision. There are several laid back resorts that welcome sailors which can make for some great times out where someone else does the cooking!
Vanuatu has many special things unique to itself that you won't want to miss. The most notable is the ritual of land diving on Pentecost Island. It is essentially the precursor to bungee jumping. The men construct tall wooden structures and then dive from them with only carefully cut to length lanyards of vines tied to their ankle. The goal is to come close enough to brush a shoulder on the softened dirt below them. This helps insure a good yam harvest. The jumping occurs in April, May & June. Luganville has famous WWII wrecks to dive on such as the President Coolidge and Million Dollar Point. And then there is Tanna Island, with a most active volcano! Espiritu Santo Island has blue holes to explore. And so much more.
Come see for yourself!
