eSIM for Vanuatu

Our eSIM in Vanuatu connects to Digicel over 4G/LTE, one of the country's two mobile networks alongside Vodafone. Plan around three recent changes: Port Vila is still recovering from the December 2024 earthquake, Air Vanuatu now flies only domestic routes after its 2024 collapse, and volcano alerts can close islands at short notice.

A three-island week for travellers comfortable with small planes and changing schedules: Port Vila and the Efate coast, two nights on Tanna to see Mount Yasur's crater after dark, then Espiritu Santo's blue holes, Champagne Beach and Second World War relics.

Length

7 days

Bases

3

When to go May to October is the cooler, drier season with the lowest cyclone risk; November to April is hot, wet and cyclone season, and at any time volcano alert levels can close Tanna at short notice.

1. 01

   Day 1 Port Vila

   Port Vila and Hideaway Island

   → Bauerfield International Airport is about 10 minutes by road from central Port Vila.

   Start at the Port Vila market house on the seafront, where ni-Vanuatu women from around Efate sell fruit, root crops and flowers, then walk the harbour promenade. In the afternoon take the short boat to Hideaway Island in Mele Bay to snorkel over its marine reserve and post a waterproof postcard at the underwater post office. Check before you go which parts of the city are still cordoned off after the December 2024 earthquake.

   Signal Digicel 4G is reliable in central Port Vila and at the airport; on Hideaway Island it is usually workable from the beach.

2. 02

   Day 2 Port Vila

   Round Efate: Blue Lagoon and Eton Beach

   → The full Efate ring road is about 120 km; allow a full day with stops.

   Drive the sealed ring road around Efate. Head first to the Mele Cascades, a series of limestone pools and waterfalls just north of the city, checking they are open after the 2024 landslides. Continue up the west coast past Havannah Harbour, where Allied fleets gathered in the Second World War, then round to the east coast for a swim at the Blue Lagoon and on the white sand at Eton Beach before returning to Port Vila.

   Signal Coverage is good near Port Vila and in the larger villages but has weak stretches on the north and east of the island; download an offline map.

3. 03

   Day 3 Tanna

   Fly to Tanna and Mount Yasur at dusk

   → Domestic flight from Port Vila to Tanna's White Grass airport, about 45 minutes to 1 hour; check the current operator and schedule, as domestic services have been disrupted since 2024. Then about 2 hours by 4x4 to the Yasur area.

   Fly to Tanna in the morning and transfer across the island's ash plains to a bungalow near Mount Yasur. In the late afternoon join the guided trip up to the crater rim of this 361-metre volcano, one of the most accessible active volcanoes anywhere, to watch the explosions light up the crater as it gets dark. Follow your guide's instructions closely, as an eruption can happen at any alert level.

   Signal Digicel coverage is weak across much of Tanna; you may get a signal near Lenakel and some bungalows, but rarely on the crater rim. Check the VMGD alert level before you set out.

4. 04

   Day 4 Tanna

   Tanna: kastom village and Port Resolution

   Visit a kastom village such as Yakel, where communities have chosen to keep a traditional way of life, for a guided introduction to dances, gardens and daily routines; follow your guide on photography etiquette. In the afternoon drive to Port Resolution, the bay where Captain Cook anchored in 1774, to walk the coastline and swim at the nearby beach. Return to your base for the evening.

   Signal Expect little or no signal around Yakel and only a weak signal at Port Resolution; arrange pickup times with your driver face to face.

5. 05

   Day 5 Luganville (Espiritu Santo)

   Fly to Espiritu Santo

   → Domestic flights from Tanna to Port Vila, then on to Luganville's Pekoa airport; plan for most of the day, as connections are not always same-day.

   Fly back to Port Vila and on to Luganville, Vanuatu's second town, on Espiritu Santo. In the late afternoon walk along Luganville's waterfront main street, a reminder of the huge American base that was here during the Second World War, and drive out to the Matevulu Blue Hole, a clear, deep freshwater spring in the forest where you can swim from a rope swing.

   Signal Good Digicel 4G in Port Vila and Luganville; weak at Matevulu Blue Hole, a short drive from town.

6. 06

   Day 6 Luganville (Espiritu Santo)

   Champagne Beach and the east coast

   → Luganville to Champagne Beach is around 1 hour by road on the east coast.

   Drive up the sealed east coast road to Champagne Beach near Hog Harbour, a sweep of fine white sand on a sheltered bay, where bubbles from volcanic vents can rise through the shallows at low tide. Stop at the Nanda Blue Hole on the way back for another freshwater swim. Return to Luganville before dark.

   Signal Coverage is patchy along the east coast road and weak at Champagne Beach; signal improves again near Luganville.

7. 07

   Day 7 Port Vila

   Million Dollar Point and back to Port Vila

   → Domestic flight from Luganville to Port Vila, about 1 hour.

   Snorkel at Million Dollar Point, east of Luganville, where the US military dumped vehicles, machinery and supplies into the sea at the end of the Second World War; you can see wreckage just offshore. Divers can also visit the wreck of the SS President Coolidge, one of the world's largest accessible wreck dives. Fly back to Port Vila in the afternoon for your onward international flight.

   Signal Fair coverage at Million Dollar Point; good at Pekoa airport and in Port Vila for checking your international flight.