10 Most Unique Things to Do in Vanuatu

Ever seen a sea cow? Well, it wants to see you (if you keep calm and move slowly through the water).

There are several opportunities to swim with these gentle creatures in Vanuatu, but one of the best we have found is the dugong snorkelling tour with Malog Bungalows.

These gentle marine mammals, often called "sea cows," are best spotted during low tide when they swim closer to the reef and mangrove areas to feed.

The tour operates by boat, allowing your expert local guides to search multiple locations until dugongs are found. You'll be casually guided by one of the Malog Bungalows family members, who will encourage you to take a gentle swimming approach to encourage the dugongs to come to you. With 20 litres (5 gal) of fuel reserved specifically for this purpose, you're virtually guaranteed an encounter with these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.

If you want to snorkel over coral, you could also be taken to some stunning sites with drop-off rock formations and beautiful reefs with thriving coral.

All snorkelling gear is provided, with regularly updated equipment and adjustable fins to accommodate different foot sizes. You can generally swim for as little or as long as you want, as the waters are in protected island areas, making for usually easy swimming conditions. Small refreshments like coconut and banana keep your energy up during snorkelling sessions.

On the island of Pentecost, the Naghol land diving ceremonies are a unique ritual, even within Vanuatu. And they invite you to come and witness the heart-thumping display!

This ancient ritual is the original inspiration for modern bungy jumping, and honestly, it makes our modern version look tame by comparison!

Local men perform this breathtaking ceremony as a rite of passage and blessing for the yam harvest. They plunge from towering wooden structures with nothing but vines tied to their ankles; talk about trusting in tradition.

The spectacle is only available during the April LINK#TT081 to June LINK#TT087 season, and according to locals, you'll need to book well in advance as spots fill up incredibly quickly. These heart-stopping shows typically begin around 10 am and last one to two hours.

It's possible to take tours that depart on Saturdays and include return flights from Port Vila or Luganville to Lonorore Airport, transfers to the ceremony site and often cultural village visits.

Alterntively, you can visit Pentecost independently by taking flights or ferries and staying in one of the island's basic but charming guesthouses or bungalows. Note that transport schedules are limited to Pentecost, so this requires some planning.

Vanuatu doesn’t just have one island where you can peer into the fiery belly of the earth, but two! Active volcano adventures can be found on Tanna and Ambrym, with Mt Yasur on Tanna being one of the most accessible volcano experiences in the world, while Mt Benbow and Mt Marum on Ambrym offer more remote, expedition-style hikes.

The most famous of the bunch is Mt Yasur, where visitors can stand near the crater rim and feel the ground rumble beneath their feet as lava glows, smoke billows and the volcano lets out the occasional dramatic boom (just in case you forgot where you were). It’s especially spectacular around sunset, when the red glow becomes even more vivid against the darkening sky.

For something wilder, Ambrym is known for its volcanic landscapes, ash plains and challenging treks to Mt Benbow and Mt Marum. These are not casual strolls, so you'll join an experienced local guide. Volcanic activity, weather and access can change, but when the stars align, walking across Ambrym’s otherworldly terrain is one of the most unique adventures in Vanuatu.

Learn how to experience Tanna's volcano in the 15 Best Things to Do on Tanna and more hiking ideas in 15 Best Walks & Hikes in Vanuatu.

Location: Mt Yasur, east side of Tanna; Mt Benbow and Mt Marum, centre of Ambrym.

Price Range: $$

An underwater attraction with a crazy story, Million Dollar Point offers a unique snorkelling or scuba diving experience.

In 1945, when French colonial authorities refused to buy surplus American military equipment at six cents on the dollar (thinking they'd get it for free), the Americans responded with remarkable pettiness. For two solid days, they dumped "millions" of dollars' worth of trucks, bulldozers, tractors, jeeps and even Coca-Cola bottles into the sea near Luganville.

Today, Million Dollar Point offers visitors the extraordinary sight of this underwater military graveyard just metres from shore. You can explore through snorkelling from the remains of the concrete wharf (which was blown up with dynamite after offloading the equipment), discovering everything from bulldozers to old wheels scattered across the ocean floor. Scuba diving with local operators reveals even more of the equipment pile beneath the surface.

Located just a five-minute drive from Luganville, the site also offers a pleasant sandy beach with typically calm and clear waters.

Fire walking is one of those Vanuatu experiences that makes you quietly check your own feet and think, “Nope, definitely not for me.” Native to communities in Pentecost and Futuna, this tradition is now shared with visitors through cultural village experiences on Efate and Santo.

On Santo, Santo Fire Walks is a lively show hosted by Chief Bule, combining welcome dances, weaving, bamboo cooking, kava tasting, sand drawing and high-energy performances before the dramatic finale: fire walking and dancing on scorching hot rocks with no foot protection.

On Efate, Pepeyo Cultural & Educational Village and Jiarofa Agritourism Village both showcase Futuna traditions, from farming, fishing and food preservation to dance, music, herbal medicine and fire walking ceremonies.

Needless to say, this is one Vanuatu experience best left to the experts. You just bring the wide eyes.

Location: All over Vanuatu! See the 10 Best Cultural & Kastom Villages in Vanuatu to learn more about the mentioned culture villages.

Price Range: $$

Vanuatu’s blue holes look like someone turned the saturation slider all the way up. These freshwater swimming spots are carved into coral limestone, with water so clear it shifts from emerald green to deep blue the deeper you get into the "hole".

Espiritu Santo is the blue hole capital, home to favourites like Riri Blue Hole, Matevulu Blue Hole, Nanda Blue Hole, Thar Blue Hole and Malo Blue Hole. Some are reached by road, while Riri is especially memorable thanks to its peaceful 20-minute outrigger canoe journey through mangrove-lined waterways before arriving at the swimming spot.

Expect jungle surroundings, deep natural pools, snorkelling opportunities and the occasional rope swing for anyone who prefers entering the water with maximum splash.

For more options, see the 15 Best Blue Holes, Hot Springs & Swimming Spots in Vanuatu.

Location: Espiritu Santo. See the link above for recommendations and their locations.

Price Range: $

That's a lot of superlative claims, but it's not often that you can simply walk then dive onto a ginormous luxury liner that was sunk in World War Two, as you can the SS President Coolidge.

This 200 m (656 ft)-long luxury liner turned warship offers an extraordinary underwater adventure with depths ranging from 18 to 45 m (59-148 ft), making different areas accessible to divers from Open Water to Deep certification levels.

The shipwreck houses remarkable wartime artefacts across its various compartments, including military jeeps, 30-foot cannons, medical supplies like morphine and codeine vials, the famous Lady Statue, and unique finds such as a barber's chair, doctor's equipment, and the ship's post office with original pigeonholes still intact. Advanced divers can explore penetration sites like the engine room with its massive machinery, gauges and levers, or navigate the A-B-C deck swim-through spanning multiple levels.

Marine life thrives throughout the artificial reef, with schools of flashlight fish creating magical displays during night dives as they flash like stars in the darkness. The wreck also hosts reef fish, barracuda, sea turtles, and during night missions, bioluminescent plankton illuminate the water around divers when torches are switched off.

Treehouse stays are not just a childhood fantasy in Vanuatu; they’re a genuine accommodation option, especially around Mt Yasur on Tanna. At Castle Tree House and Bungalow, you can sleep 8 m (26 ft) above the ground with panoramic views of the grumbling volcano from your private balcony. The stay also has bungalows on solid ground, home-cooked meals, local hospitality and tours of the surrounding area.

For an even more “is this real life?” moment, Glowing Mountain View Tree House offers private treehouses surrounded by tropical greenery, with nighttime views of the red eruptions from Yasur Volcano. Fruit bat energy, but with better bedding.

Treehouse stays are also found on Espiritu Santo, including Serenity Treehouse and Beach Bungalows near Port Olry, where two treehouses sit among the foliage by the beach.

See more quirky places to stay in the 15 Unique Stays, Treehouses & Overwater Bungalows in Vanuatu.

Location: Tanna and Santo. See the link above for recommendations and their locations.

Price Range: $$

Ever heard of music made by water? In Vanuatu, it’s not a metaphor, but a cultural performance where women use rhythmic splashing, clapping and movement to turn the water itself into percussion.

One of the best places to experience it is Leweton Culture Village on Santo, where the famous water music of the Banks Islands is shared alongside dancing, kava, fire-making and traditional cooking demonstrations. It’s a wonderfully sensory experience: part performance and part cultural immersion.

This remarkable faux-village has been constructed using only traditional methods; no nails or modern tools in sight, to give you an example of authentic Ni-Vanuatu architecture.

You'll witness captivating traditional dancing, participate in a genuine kava ceremony with the opportunity to taste freshly squeezed kava, and be mesmerised by the famous water music performed by talented ladies from the Banks Islands.

The experience features an authentic fire-making demonstration where your hosts, wearing vibrant traditional costumes, showcase traditional cooking methods over open flames. You'll have the chance to taste fire-cooked foods like roasted banana, bringing you closer to the authentic flavours of island life.

Throughout your visit, you'll be comfortably seated under the shade of traditionally thatched roofs while singing and cultural performances bring the distinct culture of the outer northern islands to Santo.

Booking in advance is essential as the village needs time to prepare for guests, with a minimum of two people required for the experience. You can find them through their Facebook page to arrange your cultural immersion.

Few cultural tours in Vanuatu are as sobering, fascinating and historically layered as visiting the cannibal chief’s graves on Malekula. This is not a gimmicky “spooky story” stop, but a guided journey into a complex part of Malekula’s past, where warfare, justice, status, ceremony and belief systems shaped village life.

The experience is offered through Nawori Sea View Bungalows, with a guided walk taking you from the bungalows into a culturally significant site of central and north Malekula. Along the way, you’ll learn why cannibalism existed in the region, how it could be used as a form of sentencing and how chiefs were honoured through stone ceremonies and burial practices.

This unique historical journey requires just a one-hour walk from the bungalow to reach the culturally significant site, making it easily accessible for most visitors.

The tour explores the historical practice of cannibalism in the region and visits the namaki stones, whose particular formation is unique to central and north Malekula. You'll learn about the cultural context behind cannibalism, including how it was used as a form of sentencing, and discover the significance of the stone ceremonies that required extensive preparation involving pigs and yams over two to three years.

You'll see cooking areas where human bones remain, dug-out forts where warriors would once hide to protect their village, and the tour culminates at the chiefs' burial site, where skulls and conch shells mark the resting place of Malekula's leaders of the past.

This experience can be combined as part of the Wala Island Tours full-day experience or enjoyed as a separate tour that's conveniently accessible from the bungalows. Don't forget to bring mosquito repellent for this outdoor cultural adventure.