Vanuatu Tourist Traps

  Mamu Bar on cruise ship day
by CandS
 
  • Mamu Bar on cruise ship day
      Mamu Bar on cruise ship day
    by CandS
  • Hideaway Island
      Hideaway Island
    by CandS
  • Chief Sandy serving Kava
      Chief Sandy serving Kava
    by CandS
  •   Tourist Traps
    by slaybelle
  • TOURS OFFICE...tours of what????
      TOURS OFFICE...tours of what????
    by K.Knight
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

taxis

by ducky1

the yacht club is great value, fantastic prices, great food and service, kanpai the japanese resturant is a hidden gem. Its hidden in a back street and the price and quality is great (these are in port villa).Food is similar to aus prices because that is their only source of tax for the gov. Most meals are $20-$30 and the servings are huge (im pregnant and couldnt finish anything!)WATCH OUT FOR TAXIS, they rip you off. Buses are like taxis and much cheaper. They pick you up from anywhere you are, basically walk onto any street and you will wait max 30 secs to a min for a bus and it will take you anywhere within 6km for 100vt each ($1.20). Taxis will try and charge you 2000- 3000 vt for the same trip ($25-39). We were staying at Le Lagon and there were 3 taxi drivers hiding in the bushes and yelling out to the buses not to pick us up so we go with them, we walked 5 min up the road and...

Impromptu Kava Bar Tour

by trixee

During our Meridian Charters Sunset Cruise, the resident musician, Ishmael, offered to take us and a few of the other guests to a local kava bar. We thought it sounded good so we went along. After the cruise, we gathered at the dock and proceeded to follow Ishmael as we walked to the bar. There were six of us. Once we got to the bar, before going in Ishmael gathered us in a group and explained the procedure, which was basically to give him 500VT each and then he would buy all the drinks.As tourist traps go, this was OK. For what was in reality a relatively low price, we go to try something we probably otherwise would not have done, so we weren't too badly ripped off. And Ishmael was a rather lovable rogue. Rather than dumping us at the bar, he accompanied us back into town and offered for us to join him at Shooters. Not sure if that was a scam either or not, but it does seem to be the...

Siesta means- nothing's open!

by Peri25

Vanuatu follows the Euopean tradition of the French siesta- even though its' a republic now, this tradition is still in place.From 11 until about 1.30 all the shops are closed..even some cafe's! So don't go shopping at lunchtime, and if you're passing by and see something you like at a shop grab it! chances are you'll be so busy you'll forget about it and you won't find it somewhere else You can have lunch at the markets or sit by the water until shops open again if you've gone out during the siesta time, or catch the free ferry accross to Iririki :) Go shopping in the afternoon- most shops are open until 6 or 7pm so its the best time as there's less people and it's not so hot.

Mystery Island Tours Office.

by K.Knight

Mystery island, an uninhabited sandy islet all surrounded by coral reefs, lies to the very south of the Vanuatuan island chain. It is less than 1 square kilometer in area and is somewhat boomerang shaped and surrounded by coral reefs. These coral reefs make it safe for swimming and snorkelling. It will only take you about thirty seconds to walk across the Island and approx 25 minutes to walk the entire way around the Island.The Island has a Tour Office! Tours of what...I don't know. They charge AUS$10 for a 30 minute tour! My guess....They walk you around the Island and show you the ocean, beaches and coral reefs before allowing you free time to swim or snorkel! Do it yourself!!

Tip Photo
Kava

by CandS

Kava is the local drink made from the root of the kava plant. It can really knock you around so be cafeful when you drink it and don't drink too much too quickly... One of our group learnt the hard way... ;)I actually didn't mind the taste of the kava at all...it wasn't nearly as bad as people made out and the after effect was more funny than anything else. The first time I drank it I had a numb tongue and throat but the second night I had it I didn't get numb at all...yet I could hardly stand up straight...hehe... You have to taste it but don't have too much (eg 5+ kavas in one night) unless you want to be very sick... Nope, no alternative...you've got to give it a go...it's fun! :)

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Cruise Ship Days...

by CandS

On the days that the cruise ships are docked the prices go up...especially at the markets... If you can, find out when the cruise ship will arrive and buy on a different day...Also the Mamu Bar (a pub in town) goes OFF on cruise ship days...the visitors take over and really enjoy themselves... ;)

Tip Photo
Taxis

by sydsider

The taxis are quite fine, though they do cost more, 400 vatu per trip. its safe to catch them, but beware of their pressure. they are very good at convincing you to do extra tours that may be more expensive than you like. just be happy to say no and you'll be fine.oh, and be aware that some of the lil kids selling the newspaper can be deciving. in the hotel a cute kid tried to charge us 200 vatu each for what we thought was thursdays paper. instead we got saturday's and paper's are only worth 100 vatu each. be aware of the price of things and its ok to buy it from kids or at the markets.

Port Vila is the international...

by slaybelle

Port Vila is the international gateway for Vanuatu and is the more developed of the islands. There is a wide range of accommodation from the overwater bungalows at the Meridien, to the convenient Kaiviti Village Motel, to the offshore resorts of Iriki Island, or Hideaway. There are great restaurants, nightlife, shopping and activities such as sailing or snorkeling cruises and even golf.

Tip Photo
Hmmm Tourist Traps, well let...

by DONBURGESS

Hmmm Tourist Traps, well let me think about this for a momment, while I was there i realy carn't remmeber if there where any. Every where we went people where very helpfull and no one tried to rip us off.Well the beer was under rated, its was one of the best beers I have had the plesure to drink.Justgo with the flow and enjoy your self, remmeber its there country not yours.

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When taking a trip to Cascade...

by Amjafi

When taking a trip to Cascade Waterfalls make sure you shop around for prices first. It is cheaper to take a taxi or bus than a tour. I payed a taxi driver 2000VT return trip from Vila to the falls. You must also pay 1000VT per adult to enter the falls. You can choose whether a guide accompanies you up to the falls or not. The guides at the entrance told us it was easy to get to by ourselves but I believe this was so they could avoid work. We got a little lost as their are many tracks around the falls.

Top 3 Hotels in Vanuatu

Erakor Island Resort & Spa  Port-Vila

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Bokissa Eco Island  Espiritu Santo

 1 Review and 0 Opinions  My partner and I planned 2 weeks on Vanuatu from 29 June to 13 July. We had booked 2 resorts, the... 

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Reviews and photos of Vanuatu attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Vanuatu sightseeing.

Experience Vanuatu
 

Questions and Answers

the___gecko profile photo

Q:  was just wondering if any divers know when the flouresent plankton is at its most brightest in vanuatu 

Kakapo2 profile photo

A: According to this study http://www.locean-ipsl.upmc.fr/gepco/yd_swfs.pdf the concentration is higher in the austral winter, with maxima in August. But obviously... 

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