After last year exploring the island of Moso, off the west coast, and Epule on the north of Efate island, for this trip to Vanuatu we decided to keep our itinerary to the main city, the capital of Port Vila.
On our previous visit to Vanuatu, Port Vila was off limits, and many of the nearby hotels, restaurants and attractions were still closed. The islands here depend on tourism, and the natural disaster not only shut down the sector for a while but scared off may tourists once it started up again.
This time around, we wanted to see what the city had to offer. Our visit to the stunning South Pacific country made up of 83 islands was just over a year after a devastating earthquake caused buildings in the town to crumble, and numerous people to have lost their lives. We wanted to go to the now-reopened city and surrounds where the tourism dollars were, and still are, needed the most. Admittedly, it wasn’t the best time of the year to visit Vanuatu, but overall the weather was pretty good and didn’t stop us from doing or seeing anything.
A little bit about Port Vila
Home to only 50,000 people, Port Vila is Vanuatu’s capital and largest city. It’s also where the majority of international flights will arrive — including those serviced by Australian airlines like Virgin, Qantas and Jetstar.
If you’re just in Vanuatu for a short time, Port Vila is a great place to use as a stepping stone to many of the well-known attractions. From here, you can set off to pristine beaches, snorkelling and diving spots, freshwater rivers and refreshing waterfalls. There’s opportunities to get a taste of the local life and nearby villages to see how more remote islanders live.
It’s on the south coast of the island, close to the Pango peninsula where you’ll find the largest concentration of resorts and accommodation in the area.
Of course, if you’re staying a bit longer, you can certainly venture further. Port Vila is a good stepping stone to either other parts of the island and it’s close to the airport where you can catch flights to other islands, including Tanna, Espiritu Santo, Pentecost and Malakula.
With just four days, we decided to just stick to the local area this time… I guess we’ll just have to come back another time to see the rest!
Where to go in and around Port Vila
Aside from going into town, where you’ll find shops, the main market and large supermarkets, there’s plenty to do and see within a short drive from the capital city. Here’s what we had our Port Vila itinerary and can recommend going without spending too much time on the road.
Honeymoon Beach
Where is it? On an unnamed road on Pango Peninsula near Erakor
Entry fee: 500 vatu for non-locals
Facilities: None, but there were locals selling cold drinks
Toward the end of the Pango peninsula and a favourite among locals, too, this pristine beach is the epitome of tropical island coastlines. Shady trees line white sands, and shallow waters give way to colourful coral.
If you’re up for a bit of a swim, head about 50-100 metres off shore and you’ll be treated to one of the best and healthiest coral reefs we’ve seen in a long time. We were fortunate enough to even see a mother and calf dugong swimming here!
Pango Community Beach (free)
Where is it? Pango Road, next to Waves at Surfside
Entry fee: Free
Facilities: None
This unnamed beach was an unexpected treat for us. Just a 15-minute walk from where we were staying and home to the Pango Surf Break, this stretch of sand was quiet and completely free. Aside from us, there were maybe a handful of locals cooling down in the shallows, but no other tourists were around.
It’s just down the coast from two resorts (Breakas and Waves at Surfside), making it very easy to find.
Rentapao Falls
Where is it? 17km east of Port Vila
Entry fee: 1500 vatu
Facilities: Toilets, open-air shower, small shop
A 10-minute walk through the jungle along a peaceful river with multiple mini-cascades took us to a large open pool at the bottom of Rentapao Falls. The water here was cool, refreshing and clean. It’s a popular spot for both tourists and locals and, while others were certainly around, it never felt busy.
If you’re feeling adventurous, there’s a platform you can dive from or a rope swing you can jump into the water from. (We opted not to, but watched plenty others take the plunge).
There’s also a pool at the top of the waterfall. The rocks in the water weren’t at all slippery making it easy to walk across and plop ourselves down in the water right at the edge of the falls.
Eden on the River
Where is it? 17km east of Port Vila, down a rough dirt road
Entry fee: 1500 vatu
Facilities: Toilets, open-air shower, barbecue and lunch facilities, small shop, accommodation
It certainly didn’t take long for us to figure out why this place was called Eden. Just up river from Rentapao, but down a rather dusty dirt track, Eden on the River features half a dozen or more swimming areas separated by small waterfalls, each flowing into the next, and connected by a rainforest track. We were given an inner tube on arrival meaning we could just jump in the cool water and float around for as long as we liked.
We may have just not been there at a busy time, but found if we walked further down the path, we were treated to private pools making the experience extra special.
For those keen for more adventure, there’s also a suspension bridge course you can take over the river.
Banana Bay Beach Club
Where is it? 27km east of Port Vila, down a rough dirt road
Entry fee: Free, as long as you dine or drink at the restaurant
Facilities: Toilets, open-air showers
Sitting on the east coast of the island and surrounded mostly by private residences, Banana Bay Beach Club is a great place to grab lunch and jump in the water for a snorkel. Here, they’re served up Aussie-style burgers (along with other bites) and extra-cold beers. You’ll get a buzzer, so we hopped in the water for a bit while we waited and kept our lemon Tuskers cool in the fridge until our food was ready.
There is a small bay with steps and a ramp making it easy to get in, but it’s best to be careful getting out of the narrow opening out toward the reef as the water can get shallow. We also saw people out further on surf boards, so if you’re keen to paddle out a bit there may be a wave waiting for you here.
Further away from Port Vila…
If you don’t mind a bit of a further drive, are less interested in more physical activities, or have a higher budget than we had, here’s a few more things to add to your Port Vila itinerary.
- Hideaway Island: A small. island home to a resort that’s surrounded by coral reef, it’s a popular diving and snorkelling spot that allows guests to visit for the day. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Port Vila, and then a short ferry ride.
- Top Rock: An incredible snorkelling spot toward the north of the island. We visited here when we stayed in Epule on a previous trip and can highly recommend it. It’s about a 70-minute drive from Port Vila.
Where to eat
As we soon came to learn, Vanuatu locals don’t tend to dine out other than local markets. So, local dishes can be a bit hard to come by here. But, with the help of a local, we did manage to find some… on the last day of our stay. But, we’re glad we did!
These are, actually, ranked in order from our most favourite to least favourite.
Three Pigs
Where is it? Pango Road, next to Nasama Resort
What did we have? Tacos, and can highly recommend the prawn ones!
Serving up a bit of everything that appeals to western travellers, and doing it right, Three Pigs had a menu made up of Mexican food, pizzas and burgers. It was the closest restaurant to where we were staying and had good reviews, and we certainly don’t regret going.
Pad Thai
Where is it? Elluk Road, near the turn off for Warwick Le Lagon
What did we have? Red curry with prawns and a stir-fried beef with mango sticky rice for dessert, of course
While we love Thai food, we were trying to head to a local restaurant that turned out to be closed. Pad Thai was nearby, and recommended by our accommodation, so we decided to give it a try. Honestly, it was better than some of the Thai places we’ve had here in Sydney!
20 Vatu Market
Where is it? Near the airport on an unnamed road
What did we have? Laplap with chicken, one with banana and one with cassava
A dish unique to Vanuatu, laplap is made of a grated root vegetable or banana that’s soaked with coconut milk and cooked with a meat (ours was chicken) wrapped in a banana leaf. It’s usually cooked underground to get a unique flavour. It certainly isn’t the prettiest dish, but it was delicious. We preferred the cassava to the banana, but both were good. And cheap. Each one was 300 vatu, or about 10-15% of what we paid for most other meals on the island.
Banana Bay Beach Club
Where is it? Ring Road, Enam
What did we have? Aussie burgers with lemon Tuskers
We came here to snorkel, but in order to do so you needed to buy something. But, we were totally okay with that once the food arrived. These burgers were juicy and came with a fried egg and beetroot (if desired), just the way Aussies like it. These burgers were much better than expected and the salty chips served with them went down a treat on a hot day in the sun.
Cafe Vila
Where is it? Pango Road, next to Nasama Resort
What did we have? Melanesian ceviche (with coconut milk!), grilled fish with rice and a local beef curry.
Conveniently down the road, Cafe Vila had great reviews so we thought we’d give it a go. While the food was decent, and the ceviche was delicious, we weren’t wowed by the mains. Perhaps we ordered wrong as the couple staying in the bungalow next to ours raved about the place.
Nambawan Cafe
Where is it? Seafront, Port Vila
What did we have? A baguette sandwich and a burger with fries, washed down with an iced Tanna coffee and fresh coconut
If you’re looking for a simple and affordable meal in town, Nambawan Cafe does the trick. It’s got a decent selection of items, with simple baguettes starting at around 800 vatu. But, the star here was the iced Tanna coffee. A bit indulgent, the local brew was blended with ice cream for a creamy, refreshing treat on a hot day.
Banyan Beach Bar
Where is it? Kumul Highway, next to Moorings Resort
What did we have? A pizza and lemon Tuskers
We very much came here for the atmosphere — which was great! — rather than the food. Going into it with that mindset, it was a nice spot to spend the evening. The pizza wasn’t bad, and was certainly edible, it just wasn’t something we’d necessarily order again. However, the ambience here is great. It’s right on the water with tables in the sand, so you can dine or drink while watching the sun set over the Pacific… unless you were there on a cloudy day like we were.
Where to stay
Treetops Lodge
Where is it? Pango Road
Price: From $200 per night for a bungalow. Rooms in the lodge from $50.
Tucked into a hillside, Treetop Lodge looks like another home on the street from the road. But inside, and up a bit of a hill, it’s actually a guesthouse and a set of private bungalows with ocean views. We stayed in the latter and had breakfast daily in the former.
The bungalow had a full kitchen, lounge area, queen-size bed and private bathroom and a loft with a single-bed, too. In front, there was a large balcony with a table and wrap-around bench where you could spend hours sitting and watching the ocean from the hilltop.
Dory, the woman who ran the place, greeted us each morning with a smile, made us a fresh pot of coffee and would offer tips and advice on what to do nearby.
Breakas Resort
Where is it? Pango Road
Price: From $250 per night.
While we didn’t end up staying at Breakas Resort, we did originally have a booking here for our 2024/2025 trip to Vanuatu. Due to the earthquake, it was closed and we ended up staying on Moso Island instead. Having said that, we did try to re-book it for this trip but found it was sold out for our dates.
We did hear from other guests at Treetops who visited for the day or dined at the restaurant that it was a lovely resort and had a great beach. We’re hoping to finally try it out one day!
Getting around
It turned out that getting around was much easier than we expected. Unlike our previous trip to Vanuatu, we didn’t hire a car and instead opted to rely on the local transport system. If you want to call it that.
Local buses
All day long, minivans will drive up and down Vanuatu’s main roads picking up and dropping off passengers where they’d like for a flat fare of 150 vatu.
It’s actually quite a simple system to use. Look for vans that have a “B” at the beginning of its number plate. That means it can operate as a bus. Then, just stand on the road and wave to let them know you want a ride.
On occasion, they will pass on it, if it’s not in the direction they’re already going. But they tend to come every few minutes and we never had to wait long.
Usually the drivers will have a bit of change, but try to have as close to exact change as possible. Just in case.
Private drivers
One day, where we knew we wanted to travel a bit further out, we hired a driver for the day. Dory, who ran our accommodation, had a cousin with a van and for 10,000 vatu took us on a bit of a tour of the area and waited for us at each site.
While convenient for going further afield (we went to Rentapao, Eden on the River and Banana Bay Beach Club with him), if you’re sticking to places closer to the city, using local buses are probably just as effective since they come so frequently.
Four days sounds like a long time for such a small island, but there’s actually loads to do in and around Port Vila. What didn’t we get to that we’re keen to check out next time we’re in Port Vila?
- 83 Islands Distillery
- Kai Vanua
- Lelepa Island
- Pele Island
