Mount Yasur, Tanna
Standing on the rim of Mount Yasur as it hurls incandescent boulders skyward is one of the most visceral experiences in the Pacific. The volcano is remarkably accessible — you can drive most of the way up and walk to the crater edge — and it erupts continuously, putting on a show at any hour. Go at dusk if you can. The walk across the ash plain approaching the volcano is surreal in itself.
Naghol land dive, Pentecost Island
Every Saturday from April to June, men and boys on Pentecost Island climb a purpose-built wooden tower and dive headfirst, tied only by vines around their ankles. The vines are measured precisely so the diver's head just brushes the earth. This is the ritual that bungee jumping attempted to replicate, but the original carries a weight of ceremony and risk that the commercial version lacks entirely. It is not a performance — it is kastom.
Wreck diving, Espiritu Santo
The SS President Coolidge, a 208-metre luxury liner converted to a troop transport and sunk in 1942, lies just offshore from Luganville in waters shallow enough to dive without decompression. It is consistently rated among the top ten wreck dives in the world. The sheer scale, the cargo still visible inside, and the ease of access make it exceptional. The surrounding waters of the Big Blue Hole and other Santo dive sites are excellent in their own right.
Blue Holes and Champagne Beach, Espiritu Santo
The inland freshwater blue holes of Santo — particularly the Matevulu Blue Hole and Riri Blue Hole — are a startling electric blue against the jungle. Champagne Beach on the northeast coast is one of the finest beaches in the Pacific: a long crescent of white sand, calm water, and no development beyond a few local vendors.
Kastom villages
Visits to traditional kastom villages — where residents live without electricity or modern technology by choice, maintaining traditional dress, ceremonies, and governance — are available on Tanna (Yakel village), Malakula, and other islands. These are not staged shows. They require permission, a guide, and respectful behaviour. The experience of sitting with a chief and sharing kava while someone explains the meaning of a ceremony in Bislama is not something you get anywhere else.
Kava at a nakamal
Port Vila has a string of nakamals — kava bars — that open at dusk. You sit on a stool or low bench in a dimly lit yard, drink a shell (bowl) of fresh kava in one long pull, spit out the excess, and sit quietly while it takes effect. Conversation slows, the edges soften, and the evening becomes its own thing. Vanuatu kava is prepared from fresh root, which makes it considerably stronger than the dried variety found elsewhere. One shell is an experience. Three shells is a commitment.