7 Days in Vanuatu
Port Vila's Mele Cascades waterfall, Hideaway Island's underwater post office, and the continuously active Mt Yasur volcano on Tanna — where families can stand metres from live lava eruptions at dusk. A 7-night Pacific trip built around the one thing Fiji can't offer: a walk to the crater rim of an active volcano.
Plan to save
Your weekly savings target
VUV 23,445 / week
to save before you go · VUV 633,000 total · 27 weeks until you leave
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Your stop-by-stop itinerary
2 stops across 7 nights. Each one chosen so you experience a different side of Vanuatu.
Stop
01
Port Vila
4 nightsFly direct to Port Vila (VLI) from Sydney (3h 15m, daily on Air Vanuatu/Jetstar/Virgin), Brisbane (3h, Air Vanuatu 3x weekly), or Melbourne via Sydney. Bauerfield Airport is 10 min from most Port Vila resorts — pre-book the resort transfer VUV 4,000 family.
Highlights
- Mele Cascades — 3-tier waterfall with natural swim pools 30 min from Port Vila
- Hideaway Island snorkel day + underwater post office (mail a postcard from 3m below sea level)
- Ekasup Cultural Village — kastom dance, fire making, traditional medicine walk
- Port Vila Markets (Mon-Sat morning) — tropical fruit, island kava, kids' loved bright-coloured laplap
- Blue Lagoon (1 hr drive east of Vila) — swimming hole with rope swing
- Round-the-island Efate day trip: Eton Beach, Nagar Blue Hole, Havannah Harbour sunset
Local tips
- The Vanuatu Vatu is pegged loosely to AUD — expect roughly VUV 85 = AU$1 at current rates. Many tourist businesses accept AUD cash directly at the resort price, no exchange hassle.
- Hire a car for one day (VUV 8,000) to do the round-Efate loop — cheaper and more flexible than a tour bus, Vanuatu drives on the right though so adjust mentally.
- The Port Vila Markets close at 6pm Saturday and reopen Monday morning — plan around this if you're a market-shopping family.
Suggested stayFamily resort near the Port Vila waterfront
Stop
02
Tanna Island
3 nightsFly Port Vila (VLI) → Tanna Whitegrass (TAH) on Air Vanuatu — 45 min direct, VUV 25,000 pp return. Lodge transfer from Whitegrass airport is usually included with the accommodation booking.
Highlights
- Mt Yasur volcano sunset tour — 4WD drive to the crater rim, watch live lava eruptions as darkness falls (the reason you came)
- John Frum cargo cult village visit — Sulphur Bay, the Friday night kastom dance
- Kastom village tour — traditional grass-skirt dance, custom law, fire-making demonstration
- Port Resolution hot springs — volcanic-heated coastal pools 1 hr drive east
- Yakel traditional village — the anthropological-documentary village of 'Tanna' film fame
- Blue Cave — 10 min swim through a sea tunnel into a blue-lit cave chamber
Local tips
- Mt Yasur at sunset is one of the few active-volcano experiences accessible to families worldwide — kids 6+ handle the 20-min walk from the car park. Wear closed shoes, pack a torch, volcanic ash gets everywhere.
- Your lodge arranges the Yasur tour (VUV 20,000 family all-in, often included with multi-night bookings). Don't book through third parties — the lodge driver knows the safety briefing and eruption patterns.
- Tanna is rustic — power is generator-based in most lodges (on 6am–10pm schedules), water is solar-heated, Wi-Fi is spotty. Kids LOVE it. Pack a book, accept the digital detox.
Suggested stayFamily bungalow or treehouse lodge near Mt Yasur
Real cost estimates · calibrated 2026, not glossy estimates
What it costs
All-in for a family of 4.
Here’s what Vanuatu costs across the four components SaveToRoam tracks. Flights are shoulder-season ex-Australia; travel insurance and personal extras vary.
| Component | Family of 4 |
|---|---|
Flights Return economy flights ex-AU (mid-shoulder estimate) VUV 46,250 per person | VUV 185,000 |
Accommodation 2 stops | VUV 242,000 |
Activities & local transport Activities & local transport incl. domestic island flight (estimated) VUV 37,500 per person | VUV 150,000 |
Daily food & local transit 7 nights × family of 4 | VUV 56,000 |
Trip total Insurance & personal extras separate | VUV 633,000 ~A$8,229 |
What it covers
The ~VUV 633,000 estimate is all-in for a family of 4 — accommodation across 2 stops, shoulder-season flights from Australia, activities and local transport, and daily food. Travel insurance and personal extras vary, so we keep them separate.
What you get
When you use this template, SaveToRoam creates your trip with all 2 stops, every cost component pre-loaded, and a personalised savings plan with a weekly target. You choose your dates — we handle the maths.
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