Thinking of Visiting Vanuatu

Dreaming about the possibilities of spending my kid’s inheritance one day makes for an interesting adventure in finding new and out of the way places that are not often heard of, at least by me, I recently stumbled across Vanuatu that is a little known group of islands off the northern coast of Australia in the South Pacific Ocean. There are about 82 islands that make up this little paradise only about 65 of which are inhabited. The islands have many active volcanoes and several underwater volcanoes which are also considered one of the many things that draw tourists to the islands. One of the most accessible of the volcanoes is on the island of Tanna and is called Yasur, it is said that guided tours are often given of Yasur as you will be shown the safest way to approach this volcano which is active year round and has been known to “spit” out hunks of burning lava.

There are many activities to be had on the islands whether you want to enjoy a scenic tour or are interested in more of an adventurous vacation. Vanuatu appears to offer many activities for the active tourist including horseback tours, off-road buggy adventures and even sand boarding down the Yasur volcano. I am not sure why anyone would want to sand board down the side of a volcano, but to each their own. For those of us who are more interested in the culture of the islands there also appears to be many tours orientated to learning the culture of the territory. Of course most people will not want to visit the islands without enjoying one of the many water sports in the area from windsurfing to boating to parasailing to scuba diving as for me, I think lying on a beach with a fruity drink qualifies as a water sport. For those who like to shop, Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, appears to offer duty-free shopping where it is said you can stock up on souvenirs for friends and families or yourself.

Also offered is a variety of accommodations on the islands that will fit any budget, this is important to know as I am spending the kid’s money at this point. You can set up camp on several of the islands for a nominal fee or if you have a bit more to spend you can enjoy one of the more interesting accommodations on the island such as the one I am most interested in called the “tree house” offered by Banyan Castle Bungalow. As you would expect of a beach paradise there are many places to stay from the rugged to the fantastically lavish. I know the kids would prefer I go for the camping, but I can do that at home so I think I would have to try out that tree house.

There also appears to be a good many places to eat, drink and be merry. The island appears to offer a variety of cafes for dining during your day-time adventures and at night the hotels in the area offer fabulous treats for the eyes and the stomachs. The nightlife in Vanuatu can be had at its many pubs and clubs and if you need assistance getting home after having too many of those fruity cocktails the island offers taxi service back to your accommodations. It appears that if Vanuatu is a promising vacation destination you will not be bored, go hungry or lack for entertainment. It would appear that Vanuatu is going on my list of possible vacation destinations, you never know maybe in my retirement years I will say to heck with the kids and use their inheritance to sand board down the side of the volcano, you never know.