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 | Vanuatu Transportation | Tips 1 - 10 of 28 |  | ||
Popular Transportation | Miscellaneous Transportation Tips | All Tips (28)
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 | Buses |   |  |
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 |  on May 6, 2004 |
Buses are the easiest way to get around in Vanuatu... You find the buses everywhere...just look for a "B" on the number plate. It costs 100 vatu for trips around Port Vila or 200 vatu for trips a little further out. Longer trips need to be negotiated before leaving. |
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| Busses - the only way to travel. | | |
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 |  on September 26, 2005 |
The most common and inexpensive way to see Port Vila, Vanuatu, is by local bus! These mini busses are common place and very convienient. There are no designated bus stops and you simply flag down a bus, tell the driver where you want to go and if he agrees that he is going near there, hop on! Cost.... A rule of thumb, if you are going around town AUS$2.00, if you are going further afield AUS$2.00 per 10 minutes or HIRE THE BUS ALL DAY FOR AUS$50.00 for up to 4 passengers! |
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| Air Vanuatu | | |
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| on May 18, 2004 |
Air Vanuatu fly to and from Australia daily. The flights are cheaper if you get a deal for flights/accommodation. The flights are good and they serve free alcohol and yummy meals on all flights. When we arrived at the airport in Vanuatu they had a local band playing music for us too...what a great welcome to Vanuatu!!! :) |
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| Local water taxis. | | |
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| on September 26, 2005 |
When travelling out to some of the smaller islands you can quite often take a water taxi. The boat ride to the Island is usually free, you simply stand on the beach and the boat comes over to collect you! Although the "Captain" is employed by the island you may wish to tip them a gold coin ($1 or $2) for their service however this is a personal choice. |
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| Cruise | | |
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| on September 27, 2005 |
Although Anne and I have visited Vanuatu on several occasions in the past, our most recent visit was courtesy of P&O and the Pacific Sky cruise ship. This was a most enjoyable and hassle free way to travel around the Pacific Islands......except when we ran aground in New Caledonia and were stranded on a coral Island for 34 hours!!!!! When considering the cost of airfares, arrival and departure taxes, accommodation, transfers, meals etc etc, a cruise proved the most cost effective, hassle free way to experience all that the South Pacific has to offer. |
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| Want a taxi? - just wave down a friendly local!! |  | |
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 |  on August 12, 2004 |
We arrived in Vila via the Pacific Sky and after we had made it through the endless markets we were greeted with cars and vans - of all shapes and sizes! Some a little worse for wear. Each proudly owned by a smiling local. You can barter your price to be taken where ever you like. They will take you sight seeing, drop you off for a spot of shopping and then pick you up to take you back to the ship or where ever you want to go. We even left all our souvineers etc in the car while we went shopping and had no trouble with them being stolen. This mode of transport is not for the faint hearted though. Their driving is quite erratic and fast!!. Oddly enough I felt relatively safe........sort of! |
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| Melodic Air! | | |
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 |  on July 28, 2004 |
Air Vanuatu is the national carrier for the island. We took the flight from Noumea to Port Vila. The main international airport is Bauerfield, which is located just 10 min away from Port Vila. Our arrival into the airport was welcomed by this colorful band of harmonious women singing in their native tongue. They entertained the passengers while we waited to go through customs. Such a delight! |
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| The international port of entry is Bauerfield | | |
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 |  on November 18, 2002 |
International: Air Vanuatu from Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Noumea and Nadi. Air Caledonie from Noumea with connections from Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti. Air Pacific from Nadi with connections from New Zealand, Japan and the U.S.A. Solomon Airlines from Honiara and Port Moresby. Getting around Domestic: Vanair services all major islands in the country. Departure Tax 2500 vatu per person (except children under 12years old), payable in local currency |
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| Taxis and Busses | | |
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 |  on April 27, 2007 |
It seems that tourist transport is Vanuatu's main industry. There is a lot of traffic for a small island that essentially only has 1 main road! Taxis are indentified by a T on the number plate. Busses (or mini vans to be more correct) have a B on their number plates. We found there is essentially no difference between the services provided by busses and taxis - they both take you where you want to go (including picking up and dropping off anywhere - there are no scheduled stops). The only difference is that busses are a fraction of the cost of taxis. Busses cost 100 Vatu (about $1.30 AUS) regardless of how far the trip is. Taxis cost a minimum of about 500 Vatu (about $7 AUS) for a trip into town, or 2000 ($28 AUS) Vatu for any trip that involves the airport. We paid a crazy 5000 Vatu (about $70 AUS) for a taxi ride to The Cascades (waterfall). Although the cost covered the return trip (with the driver waiting for us and taking other fares in between) this would still have to rate as one of the world's most expensive fares on a cost per distance basis. The round trip was about 20km. Apparently we weren't ripped off - this is just the accepted going rate. The other thing is that every taxi driver doubles as a tour guide. They all want you to take their special island tour. You soon get used to politefully declining. So the bottom line is always take a bus over a taxi, if you can. |
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| internal airlines - getting between islands | | |
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 |  on October 8, 2005 |
The government-run Vanair runs more than 150 flights a week between 29 airstrips on 18 of the islands in the archepelago. They operate 4 20-seater planes, although they usually use 3-4 of the seats for baggage which obviously renders them useless for passangers. Airfares are fairly inexpensive, and you can get great views of the islands since you aren't flying that high. They offer a bunch of discounts: If you have an international student card, make sure you bring it with you to the Vanair office when buying your tickets, since they give student discounts. :) They also offer 20% off the domestic airfare if you show an international ticket issued outside of Vanuatu. Finally, if you are planning on traveling to several islands, get a Vanuatu Pass which allows for travel to a number of different islands inside Vanuatu. |
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More Vanuatu Tips
| Overview | General Tips Tips: 29 - Photos: 19 |
| Restaurants Tips: 46 - Photos: 30 | Hotels and Accommodations Tips: 43 - Photos: 31 |
| Things To Do Tips: 96 - Photos: 67 | Nightlife Tips: 11 - Photos: 6 |
| Off the Beaten Path Tips: 24 - Photos: 18 | Tourist Traps Tips: 10 - Photos: 5 |
| Warnings or Dangers Tips: 22 - Photos: 12 | Transportation Tips: 28 - Photos: 18 |
| Local Customs Tips: 25 - Photos: 15 | Packing Lists Tips: 16 - Photos: 6 |
| Shopping Tips: 12 - Photos: 7 | Sports Travel Tips: 4 - Photos: 1 |
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(0 comments, 4:34 PM Apr. 7, 2008)