Information, Shops & Services on Tanna

Tanna has a limited shopping and dining scene, with most practical options concentrated around Lenakel. Once you leave town, shops become much less common, so it’s worth picking up groceries, toiletries and other essentials before heading elsewhere on the island.

Supermarkets and Convenience Stores

Lenakel is the main place to buy groceries on Tanna, with several small stores selling everyday food, drinks and toiletries. Useful options include:

• Kiwi Store, Saltwater Road, Lenakel - General groceries and toiletries. Open from around 6 am or 7 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday and around 6 am or 7 am to 12 pm Saturday.
• JB Store, White Sand Road, Lenakel - Groceries and snacks, next to the Digicel shop. Open from 6 am to 8 pm daily.
• Rango Store & Rango Hardware, South Beach Road, Lenakel - Clothes, hardware and some toiletries. Open from 8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday and closed weekends.
• KN Store, White Sand Road, Lenakel - Groceries, toiletries, clothes and fresh bread. Open from 6:30 am to 9 pm Monday to Saturday.
• Convenience Store at Gyka Guest House, South Beach Road, Lenakel - Groceries and fresh-baked bread each morning.

You’ll find basics such as tinned food, noodles, cooking oil, peanut butter, bottled water, toiletries and snacks, although the range is naturally smaller than you’ll find in Port Vila.

For more details on food shopping across the country, see A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in Vanuatu.

Markets and Roadside Stalls

For fresh produce, head to Lenakel Market on Saltwater Road, Lenakel. Open from 5 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday, the market is lined with tables and ground displays piled high with locally grown produce, including cabbages, carrots, broccoli, leafy greens and other seasonal vegetables.

It’s a colourful, down-to-earth place to stock up, with vendors selling produce from simple covered stalls and woven baskets. The selection naturally varies with the season, so it’s worth seeing what’s available when you visit.

Dining at Your Accommodation

Self-catering is possible in Tanna, especially if you stay in motels, guesthouses, villas or bungalows with private or shared kitchen facilities. Lenakel is the most practical base for this, as you’ll be close to supermarkets, the market and convenience stores.

Outside of town, many resorts, lodges and bungalows are more meal-focused, with on-site restaurants or meals arranged through your host. If you’re staying on Mt Yasur area, most bungalows provide/serve meals.

Check out options in Where to Stay in Tanna: 20 Best Accommodations.

Restaurants on Tanna

Dining options on Tanna are mostly concentrated around Lenakel, with additional resort restaurants, beachside dining and meals available at some bungalows elsewhere on the island. Outside of town, food options are more limited, so it pays to plan ahead if you’re heading out for a full-day road trip.

For more ideas on where to eat, see The Food Guide to Espiritu Santo: Places to Eat & Food Tours.

While we always recommend having all the medication you need with you for your stay on Tanna (see What Medication to Pack in Your First Aid Kit for Vanuatu for advice), there are limited options for picking up basic medication and healthcare products once you arrive.

Medication at Supermarkets and Convenience Stores

Light medications such as paracetamol, along with sunscreen, toothpaste, deodorant and other toiletries, are available from some of the stores listed in the “Food and Groceries” section above. Useful options include Kiwi Store and KN Store.

For anything specific, prescription-only or difficult to replace, bring enough from home and keep it in its original packaging.

Pharmacies

There is no pharmacy on Tanna, so don’t rely on being able to replace prescription medication or specialist healthcare products once you arrive. Pharmacies are available in larger urban centres such as Port Vila and Luganville, so sort out anything important before travelling to the island.

Medical Centres and Hospitals

Lenakel Hospital, on the western side of Tanna, is the provincial referral hospital for TAFEA Province. It provides general medical care as well as outpatient, accident and emergency, paediatric, surgical, maternity, laboratory, medical imaging and pharmacy services.

The hospital also supports communities across Tanna and the outer islands of TAFEA Province through medical outreach programmes.

For more health and safety advice while visiting Santo, check out Vanuatu Safety Tips: Is it Safe to Travel to Vanuatu?

Fuel stations on Tanna are limited, so it pays to fill up before setting off on longer drives around the island. The main fuel stop is in Lenakel, where the petrol station is open from 6 am to 6 pm Monday to Saturday and closed Sunday.

Fuel stations in Tanna are fully serviced, meaning an attendant will fill your vehicle for you. Simply tell the attendant how much fuel you want or how much you would like to spend, then pay the attendant. Cash is best.

Fuel stations in Tanna include:

• RBF Fuel Station - Near Mt Yasur
• Fuel Station - South Beach Road
• Pacific Gas Station - Saltwater Road, Lenakel
• Kamul Hardware Gas Station - Northwest Tanna
• Store and Gas Station - Northwest Tanna

There are no reliable fuel stops once you get well outside Lenakel, so don’t leave town with a near-empty tank.

For more tips for driving around Santo, take a look at How to Drive in Vanuatu + 10 Road Rules You Need to Know, as well as Tanna Transport Guide: 10 Ways to Get to (& Around) Tanna.

Staying connected in Tanna is relatively easy, especially around Lenakel. Whether you need a local SIM card, mobile data, postal services or free WiFi, you'll find plenty of options to keep in touch whilst travelling.

Mobile data is generally fast and reliable in the main town of Luganville, but it becomes sparse or drops to slower 3G/E speeds in rural and northern areas.

If you want to stay connected during your trip, your best option is to purchase a local SIM card and data bundle.

Otherwise, a handful of cafés, restaurants and accommodations offer WiFi access for customers and guests.

Phone Networks

Vanuatu's two network providers have branches on Tanna:

• Digicel – Lenakel Market, Lenakel
• Vodafone Vanuatu – Tafea Corp Building, Lenakel.

Coverage and internet speeds can vary around the island, particularly away from the main settlements.

Learn more about coverage, pricing and data packages in The Best SIM Card in Vanuatu for Travellers.

Post Offices

Offering postal and secretarial services, there are several post offices across Tanna. Tanna Post Office is located in Saltwater Road, Lenakel for postal services. Opening hours are typically from 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday, although hours may vary on public holidays.

Whitegrass Ocean Resort also has a Vanuatu Post drop box at reception and sells stamps and volcano postcards.

For something a little more memorable, the Mt Yasur Volcano Post Box sits on the rim of the active volcano. Operated by Vanuatu Post, it is billed as the world’s only post box on the rim of an active volcano. Visitors can buy specialised waterproof postcards, take them up to the crater and post them directly into the box, where collected mail receives a distinctive “Volcano Post” postmark.

Internet and WiFi

WiFi is available at some accommodation on Tanna, although availability and connection quality vary. For this reason, we still recommend purchasing a local SIM card with a data plan as the most convenient way to stay connected.

Otherwise, some options include:

• Tanna Evergreen Resort, White Grass, West Tanna (free WiFi on the reception area for guests, 500 VT/user/day for wider access)
• Tanna Volcano View Tree House, Volcano Entrance, White Sands (available for guests)
• Tanna Lava View Bungalows, Isaka Village, South East Tanna (available for guests)
• Fortunate Lodge, Imelone Sub Division, West Tanna (available for guests)
• Apera Beachfront Bungalow, South Beach Road, Isangel, Lenakel (available for guests)
• Jungle Oasis, Ikquramanu (available for guests)
• Rockwater Resort, Ocean Road, Ipak Bay, North West Tanna (available for guests)
• Whitegrass Ocean Resort, Saltwater Road, Lenakel (free WiFi for guests)
• Gyka Guest House, South Beach Road, Lenakel (available for guests)

There's also Tanna Internet Cafe in Lenakel which is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm and on Saturdays 8 am to 12 pm.

For more tips on staying connected, check out How to Get Internet & WiFi in Vanuatu.

Should you need to exchange currency or withdraw cash, your main options are around Lenakel. We recommend sorting out enough vatu before travelling elsewhere on Tanna, as banking and ATM services are limited around the island.

Cash is still essential for many local shops, markets and taxis, while card payments are mainly available at selected larger resorts. See What is the Best Way to Pay in Vanuatu?

Banks

Limited banking services are available in Lenakel. They offer services such as foreign exchange and international banking services. Note that banking hours can vary, but branches are typically open from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Friday.

• National Bank of Vanuatu (NBV), Lenakel
• National Bank of Vanuatu (NBV), Whitesands
• BSP Tanna Main Branch, Lenakel

Note that the above branches also have ATMs accepting most international cards, with Visa and MasterCard generally being the most widely accepted. Learn more in Can You Use Your Credit or Debit Card in Vanuatu?

ATMs

Other than at the bank branches mentioned above, ATMs are concentrated in and around Lenakel. The easiest ATMs to find include:

• National Bank Isangel, Isangel
• National Bank Lenakel, Lenakel
• National Bank Market House, Lenakel
• BSP Tanna Main Branch, S Beach Road, Lenakel, Tanna

Learn more about paying your way through Santo in What is the Best Way to Pay in Vanuatu?