News and culture from Vanuatu and the Pacific Islands
News and culture from Vanuatu and the Pacific Islands
Port Vila is rated level 1 (normal precautions) by Australia, New Zealand and the US. Here is what is actually risky: night-time theft, dengue, limited medical care and quakes like the 24 October tsunami scare, plus what to do about each.
Vanuatu runs on the vatu, a currency with no cents. Here is what VT1,000 is worth in your money, where to get cash, when cards carry a surcharge, what the bus costs and why you don't need to tip.
Non-stop flights reach Port Vila from Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Nadi, Noumea and Honiara, and Santo has a direct link to Brisbane. Here is who flies where in late 2026, what happened to Air Vanuatu, and how to book a better fare.
Port Vila is warm all year, but its seasons are real: a hot, wet cyclone season from November to April and a cooler, drier stretch from May to October. Here is what each month feels like and how to plan around it.
Kastom — the Bislama word for custom — isn't just tradition for show. It shapes land rights, marriage, conflict resolution, and daily life across Vanuatu's 80-plus islands.
Vanuatu's independence story is unusual even by Pacific standards — it involved two colonial powers, a coconut rebellion, and a French-backed separatist movement all at once.