Havannah Harbour, Efate
Port Resolution, Tanna
Champagne Beach, Espiritu Santo
Aore Island, Espiritu Santo
Hideaway Island, Efate
Hike to the rim of Mount Yasur volcano
Dive the SS President Coolidge wreck
Swim the Blue Holes, Espiritu Santo
Snorkel Million Dollar Point
Watch Naghol land diving, Pentecost Island (April-June)
Efate
Espiritu Santo
Tanna
Pentecost Island
Port Vila
The dry season from April to October brings the most settled trade winds and lower humidity, with June to September the coolest and most comfortable stretch for sailing between islands. Cyclone season runs November to April, with the highest risk concentrated in January to March, so most charters plan around it rather than through it. Mount Yasur’s activity, unlike the weather, runs year-round and isn’t seasonal at all.
Charters typically start in Port Vila, on Efate, served by Bauerfield International Airport (VLI) with direct flights from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia. Espiritu Santo has its own international-capable airport at Luganville for charters based further north, cutting out the need to sail the full length of the archipelago first. Inter-island connections within Vanuatu run mostly on small domestic aircraft rather than regular ferries.
Havannah Harbour on Efate’s northwest coast is sheltered, uncrowded and close enough to Port Vila for a first or last night. Port Resolution on Tanna combines a protected natural harbour with the easiest access to Mount Yasur anywhere on the island. On Espiritu Santo, Aore Island and the channel off Luganville give quick access to both the Coolidge wreck and Champagne Beach without a long transit.
Ten to fourteen days allows a route combining Efate, Tanna and Espiritu Santo, the archipelago’s three most developed and best-provisioned islands, without rushing the overnight passages between them. A week works well if you stay closer to Efate and make a shorter hop to Tanna for the volcano, saving Espiritu Santo’s wreck diving and Pentecost’s land diving for a longer future charter.
Yes, on Pentecost Island, where the Naghol ritual is performed on purpose-built wooden towers most Saturdays from April to June, timed to the yam harvest. Divers leap headfirst with liana vines tied to their ankles, calibrated so their hair just brushes the ground, a practice widely credited as the origin of modern bungee jumping. It’s a genuine ni-Vanuatu ceremony rather than a show staged for visitors, so timing and access should be arranged through a local operator in advance.
