HAPPY DAYS IN VANUATU

A paradise for watersports, Vanuatu is a resort destination with a fine infrastructure for conferencing, just a three and a half hour flight from Sydney and two and a half hours from Brisbane.

Rated number one on the recent Global Happiness Index (Australia rated 139th and Zambia last at 178th), despite fears of the future loss of coastal land due to global warming, friendly Vanuatu is clearly a place to make the most of right now. The main island is Efate where the cosmopolitan, duty-free capital of Port Vila reflects the mix of Melanesian, French/European, Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. Think French patisseries!

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Geared to the good life, resorts offer their own takes on watersports, including the excellent local diving with several wreck dives, snorkelling, sailing, jet-skiing, windsurfing and swimming. Golf is also big in Vanuatu. Beautiful beaches, waving palm trees and traditional island culture complete the picture. If Vanuatu seems a curious melting pot, the Cultural Centre will put things back into perspective with its impressive collection of Melanesian and Pacific art. Outside town, the Michoutouchkine and Pilioko Foundation exhibits rare Melanesian artwork.

Take an island tour to see beautiful beaches and harbours such as Havannah Harbour and Samoa Point and Lelepa and Moso Islands, accessed by charter boat. Or visit other major islands including Tanna, a short flight from Port Vila, where attractions include Yasur, the world’s most accessible volcano where the bold may stand quite close to the rim to watch hot rocks shooting into the air!

The island has traditional villages where people live as their ancestors did. Tanna coffee, root crops and fruit are grown organically for distribution throughout the archipelago. The dance of the Toka, the hot springs of Port Resolution and the wild horses of White Grass Plains are more of the attractions.

Other islands to visit include the largest, Espiritu Santo which has excellent diving and Pentecost with its remarkable tradition of death-defying “land diving” the precursor of bungy jumping.