Best Things to Do on Efate Island, Vanuatu: A First-Time Visitor’s Guide

Efate Island was my first introduction to Vanuatu, and I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect it to leave such an impression. I thought it would be a stop centred around Port Vila, before moving on to other islands. What I found instead surprised me.

Once you step beyond Port Vila, Efate opens up into freshwater swimming holes, quiet beaches, island day trips and cultural experiences. 

In this episode, I’m sharing the best things to do on Efate Island, especially if it’s your first time visiting Vanuatu, and you want experiences that actually feel meaningful.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Efate Island is more than just Port Vila
• The best swimming spots, beaches and waterfalls on Efate
• Which island day trips are truly worth your time
• Cultural experiences that add depth to your visit
• Where to find Efate’s best sunsets, bars and local nightlife
• How to get around the island 
• When to visit Efate Island for the best balance of weather and crowds

Helpful Resources & Links

• I’ve written a full blog guide to The Best Things to Do on Efate Island
• If you’re continuing your Vanuatu journey, don’t miss my related episode and guide on Tanna Island and Mount Yasur

Connect & Explore

Find destination guides, travel planning resources and more at touristtotraveller.com, and follow along on Instagram @_touristtotraveller for behind-the-scenes planning and future travel inspiration. 

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Welcome to the Tourist to Traveller Podcast, the show that helps you go beyond the guidebook and turn your bucket list dreams into real adventures. I'm Tahnee a travel blogger, podcaster, and everyday explorer who's been ticking off epic destinations for over 20 years while balancing a 9 to 5. Each week I'll bring you inspiring stories, destination deep dives, and practical tips to help you plan smarter, travel deeper, and capture those unforgettable moments along the way. So, grab your passport, hack your curiosity, and let's get started. If Efate island is your first stop in Vanuatu, you've chosen really well. Ifate was my first taste of Vanuatu too. And I'll be honest, I expected it to be all about Port Vila. But once we started exploring, Efate completely surprised me. Blue swimming holes, island day trips that feel worlds away, deeply rooted culture, and sunsets that make you slow down whether you plan to or not. In this episode, I'm sharing the best things to do on Efate Island in Vanuatu. Especially if this is your first time. Not a rushed checklist, not tourist fluff, just the places and experiences that actually make Efate feel special. If you're time poor, overwhelmed by planning, or wondering how to experience Vanuatu in a way that feels meaningful, this one's for you. Before we get into the fun stuff, let's talk a little bit about Vanuatu. Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific and it's made up of 83 islands. And it's located not far from New Caledonia and Fiji. This is a country that is visited frequently by Australians and New Zealanders, however, much of the world barely knows that it exists. Today I'm going to take you through 16 of the best things to do on Efate Island. Vanuatu might seem like a typical tropical island destination, but there is so much more beneath the surface. This country was awarded the title of the happiest country on the planet twice. And when you are there, you can really see why. The people there are constantly smiling and always do seem happy. It is a place where you can slow down, but it's also a place of adventure. If you're looking at doing things like ziplining or exploring active volcanoes, diving, snorkeling, there is so much that you can do on Vanuatu. It is very much an underrated destination. When planning my trip to Vanuatu, knowing that there were 83 islands, we had to be very specific with choosing the islands we were going to travel to. Domestic travel in Vanuatu is mostly via air and it's quite unreliable and can get quite costly. So rather than spending half of our trip in transit, we decided to stick to two islands. This in itself was really challenging. Now I'd narrowed it down to three. Those were Efate. Now Efate is where you'll find the capital Port Vila, and it's the most popular island to fly into. Many people describe Efate as busier because of the capital and less special, but I really have to disagree. Santo is known for its incredibly beautiful beaches and multiple blue lagoons. And the third island on our list was Tanna Island, known for having one of the most accessible, active volcanoes in the world. Now we were there for eight days, so we could only really fit in two islands. So we had to narrow it down and we went with Efate and Tanna, and we had such an incredible experience. Now, if you are planning on flying to Tanna Island, I recently recorded a podcast episode specifically on my experience in Tanna, so I will link that in the show notes. There are a few things to note about Afate. The first one being that this island is more than just Port Vila. Yes, it's the capital. Yes, this is where the international airport is, but once you get out of the capital, there is actually a lot more to see than you might expect. Port Vila is relatively small, however, the traffic is chaotic. The roads across the whole of Vanuatu are really rough, and I'm talking potholes for days. They're not really well maintained by the government, and the locals jokingly refer to them as massaging roads. The traffic here really is chaotic. So in peak hour, it might take you two to three times longer to get somewhere in Port Vila. So if you're looking at traveling somewhere that should take you 20 minutes, I would allow at least an hour between Monday and Friday around peak times. It's also important to note that Sunday is a religious day across Vanuatu. So make sure that you plan accordingly on a Sunday. Many things you might be looking to do might be closed on a Sunday. The exceptions here are the natural experiences. So typically things like waterfalls or islands will be open on a Sunday. If you're looking for rich culture, waterfalls, blue lagoons, volcanic activity, incredible beautiful beaches and islands, Vanuatu is somewhere that you need to think about putting on your bucket list. So today we're going to go through 16 of the best things to do on Efate Island. Kicking off with one of the most popular attractions in Efate, and that is the Blue Lagoon. Located towards the east of the island, the Blue Lagoon water is, it feels impossibly, blue. There are actually three different entrances to access the lagoon. The first one is the only one, however, that is labeled Blue Lagoon. Now the second one will take you to the other side of the lagoon, literally directly across the water from the first entrance. And the third one, I didn't actually see where that one takes you, but it takes you to another area of the lagoon apparently and is cheaper than the other two entrances. Now you can you can go here for a quick stop, but there's actually a lot to do here. There are places where you can step down into the water using stairs. You can also launch yourself off a platform. There are rope swings, there are cabanas, there are change rooms. You could really easily spend an entire day here. Now, if you're anything like me, I love a bit of adventure and a bit of adrenaline. So when I saw the rope swings and how high they were, uh I had to give them a go. The cool thing about Blue Lagoon is if you're on, if you're going in the main entrance, there are actually locals who are working there to help you on the rope swing. So you don't have to pay anything extra or tip anything in order to access the rope swing. It's just letting them know, hey, I'd like to, I'd like to swing into the water and they'll get up and they'll help you. They'll tell you what to do, when to let go, and make sure it is as safe as possible. There is an entrance fee to access this area, as with most places across Vanuatu, because you are on local land. The water here is a little bit cooler than the ocean, but it's not too cold, just something to think about. I do recommend bringing reef shoes because as you get in and out of the water, it can be sharp and it can be slippery in certain places. So you don't need reef shoes, but it is a really good idea to have them handy. To have the place to yourself, go early in the day just as they open. And it's also important to note that a lot of cruise ships stop around Afate. And being the most popular site to see, they all typically go to the Blue Lagoon. The cruise schedules are typically posted in local Facebook groups and tourism-related Facebook groups in advance. So if you jump into any of these Facebook groups, get the schedule and do your absolute best to attend Blue Lagoon on a day that is not going to be flooded with people from cruise ships. Don't worry, it is easy enough to avoid as long as you know their schedule. And if you can't avoid it, go early in the morning so that you can have the space to yourself. Number two and three are both waterfalls. We have the Rarru Cascades and we also have the Mele Cascades. Mele are the most popular waterfalls that you will see on Efate, and typically this is where the cruise ship passengers are going. Most tourists, to be honest, are going to the Mele Cascades. They're big, they're beautiful. There's definitely a really big wow factor there. The hike to Mele Cascades is a little bit more tricky than heading to Rarru, and reef shoes are definitely recommended because you're typically walking through very shallow water, you're walking on slippery rocks, and they can also be sharp. But they are big and they are beautiful. However, we actually didn't go to these waterfalls because we chose to go to Rarru Cascades. We asked the locals there. We knew we only had time to visit one, and they are in completely opposite directions from Port Vila. So we had to be very selective here and we asked the locals which of the waterfalls is better. Um, before we asked this question, we were going to Mele because they looked from photos that I'd seen online looked really impressive. However, every single one of the locals without fail said to go to Rarru Cascades. They said they were locally run and, in their opinion, were more beautiful. So we decided to go with the local recommendation and went to Rarru Cascades. Now, these are actually not far from the Blue Lagoon. So there are a couple of these sites you can tick off with one day trip. When you get to Rarru Cascades, first of all, after you pay your entrance fee, you need to walk along the Cascades to get to the main waterfall. And the walk, I think, from memory was only about 10 minutes, 15 at the most, and it is stunning. The entire walk is alongside Cascades. You're walking alongside the water, and it is just beautiful. Um, there are locals in there swimming, setting up for a day by the water, essentially. Now, when you reach the actual waterfalls themselves, the experience here is quite similar to the Blue Lagoon where you can just step in and swim, but you can also launch yourself off platforms, off rope swings, or even off the waterfall itself. Um, around the waterfall, there were young children, but there were also older adults, probably around their 50s and 60s. So it really is a spot for all ages. Now we're going to shift into beaches and island escapes. And location number four is Eton Beach, E T O N beach. This one is just a little further around the island than the Blue Lagoon, and it is probably the most popular beach outside of Port Vila for people to visit. And once you arrive, you can see why. The beach is really stunning, and then coming right beside the beach is a creek. Uh I believe it was called Eton Creek, and it is also a really beautiful spot where you don't have any waves whatsoever. This spot is really great for snorkeling or even just spending the day. The water is beautiful, it is many shades of blue, it is quite warm, and everyone's just hanging out and having a really good time. So that is Eton Beach, just up the road from the Blue Lagoon. Number five is Pele Island. This is a really great day trip to do from Port Vila because it is an island just off the top of Efate Island. Now, if you're like me and we're looking at the beaches on Santo Island, and that was really the main reason I wanted to go to Santo because the beaches there just look picture perfect. You can get some of these beautiful beaches off islands around Efate. So once I learned this and I learned that Pele Island was just a day trip from Port Vila, it had very similar, stunning beaches. I kind of felt like I could get the best of both worlds on Efate. So uh we actually had a high car for our journey around Efate Island. However, for our day trip to Pele Island, we decided to get a driver because there were a few more logistics, there were a few places that we wanted to go. And whilst we had a high car, we didn't have a boat. And that was definitely going to be needed to get across to the island. So we went with Arthur Ron's Tours and Transfers. We chose this company because it was probably the most recommended that I'd seen online, and I'd not seen a single bad review. So I felt pretty safe in this decision. We actually did a combo tour with Pele Island and Top Rock, and we'll get to Top Rock shortly. But this was a really great experience. So the island itself, it was about a 30-minute boat trip from Efate across to Pele Island. And from the moment that you arrive, it feels completely different. So on this island, it is very, very simple. There is a basic village there, and the amenities are really simple, but the place is so stunning. Just picture uh stunning clear blue water, coconut trees, white sand, and such a relaxed environment. Once you arrive, there is actually a bit to do there. So there is a little hut where they'll serve you food. Um, you can also purchase extra food and drinks. You can buy beer from this little hut that will take you through a local village tour, and it's only about 10 minutes on foot where they talk to you about their local culture and customs and how they live on the island. Um, also things like electricity and water and where all of that comes from and where it came from in the past. Whilst you're there, of course, you can snorkel, and the best snorkeling that we saw in terms of the um the number of fish and the size of fish were definitely off Pele Island. So you can snorkel, you can swim in the water. There are this kayaking. I I think there might have been stand-up paddleboarding, but don't quote me on that. There are definitely kayaks there throughout the day. Or we can just lay on a deck chair on the beach looking out into the beautiful blue ocean. And our trip to Pele Island was definitely one of my favorite experiences on Efate Island. Next up is Erakor Island. Now, Erakor is way closer to Port Vila. It's actually directly across an about a five-minute ferry ride from Port Vila. It leaves directly beside the Warwick Le Lagoon. Lagoon? Lagoon? I'm terrible terrible at pronouncing this. Um, Warwick Le Lagoon. I could be wrong about that. But across on Erakor Island is the Erakor Island Resort. Now we actually stayed a night on the island, but you can also go over there for a day trip. The ferry runs 24 hours a day. It is also manned and operated on both ends. So once you arrive, you don't need to go, well, you know, how do they know that I'm here and waiting? Because there's a staff member there waiting for you who will call wherever the boat is, send it over, and make sure they can get over to Erakor Island. Now, this is another opportunity to get picture perfect beaches starting clear blue water directly off Port Vila. Whilst on the island, there is a lot to do. I need to give a shout out to the restaurant and the bar that is there. It's right there on the water. There's also tables basically on the beach, and the best food that we ate the entire time we were in Vanuatu was here at this restaurant. The hospitality that you receive here at Erakor is impeccable, and they really do treat you like family. From the moment that we stepped off the ferry, we were hugged, we were greeted by name, and instead of taking us up to check in at uh, you know, in an office or anything, we were whisk whisked away immediately. Our bags were taken off us. We were taken directly to the beach bar uh and given a cocktail. And we were checked in there, basically on the beach, cocktail in hand, um, and given all of our information right then and there. They have a really great happy hour at sunset. They also do a lot of things on the island to entertain their guests that you can join in even if you're not staying there. So, for example, they have a Melanesian feast night where you can try local food. And on that night, they also do fire dancing, which is something that's quite common across Venewa, too. They also do pizza and movie nights where they bring a projector screen onto the beach at sunset and they pass around popcorn and pizza. Um, they have a whole heap of different nights and activities right there on the island. You can also snorkel, stand up paddleboard, kayak, swim in the pool. There is actually a lot to do there. And if you want to stay there overnight, it is really beautiful and highly recommended. Next up we have Top Rock Lookout. Now, this is the this is the place that was included in our combo tour to Pele Island. We did a combo Top Rock and Pele Island tour with Arthur Ron's tours and transfers. Toprock, of course, is at the top of Efate and it's just near where you'll leave to go across to Pele Island. You've got a beautiful lookout there where you can see multiple islands in the distance, as well as beautiful reefs and blue water down below. There is a cafe, or I think it's a cafe or a restaurant at the top there, where you can sit, you can drink, you can look out and just take in the view, or you can walk down and actually get in and swim in the water there and snorkel. The snorkeling when we were there was great, but also you can swim to it's kind of like a beach cave right from there. It was probably about a five-minute swim from where we got into the water to swim to the cave, which is really beautiful as well. So great views, great snorkelling, and a really great stop if you're either doing a loop around the island or if you're heading up to Pele Island. Next, we're going to dive into culture, history, and local life. Starting off with the Ekasup Cultural Village. This is just a short drive from Port Vila and an opportunity to experience the local life and culture and understand the history of the Vanuatu people. There are typically two tour times throughout the day, and it can get really busy if you were traveling at the same time as a tour group. We went there on a day where there were no cruise ships happening, and we booked our time only about 30 minutes in advance. We booked it, we got in the car and we drove straight there, and we were lucky enough to be the only people there and just to have a private tour just for us. We learned so much here, and the local that took us through the village and gave us all the information was so funny, so friendly, and so knowledgeable. Um, honestly, we we learned more in those probably felt like two hours. We learned more in those two hours than I think we did doing anything else the entire time that we were in Vanuatu. You learn about their the family structures there, family dynamics, their customs, food preparation, their history. You also learn how they prepare for cyclones in the traditional villages, including things like hiding in the roots of the banyan trees and also what they do to preserve food during periods of cyclone where a lot of their crops are likely to be wiped out. It was really interesting. So it is definitely highly recommended. And I would encourage you here to ask questions because, yes, we were given a lot of information, but um, the locals just love to educate you on what they do and how they live out there. So ask away, they're really friendly and are ready to answer any questions that you might have. Next up is Tanna Coffee. This is a cafe and roastery that is near Mele on the island of E fate. Now, Tanna Coffee, of course, the beans have been sourced from Tanna Island, and they they're brought over to Efate and they're processed, they're roasted, and they're prepared right there on the island. So when you go, of course, you can go to the cafe, have some great snacks, try the coffee, but also you can be you can go through a little mini tour of the roastery itself. You don't need to pay anything to do that, but it's kind of uh it's kind of the right thing to do after a free tour to, you know, buy a coffee or something whilst you're there, um, which is definitely something that we did. So it was really interesting to go through the process to see how the coffee is roasted, how they create all of the different blends, and to smell all of the different options there before we went in for a coffee. We had tried Tanna Coffee already a couple of times, especially while we were on Tanna Island, but here it was prepared so much better, and our coffee was spot on. As an Australian, we are typically coffee snobs. We have really great quality coffee here in Australia, but I have to say, the Tanna coffee, when prepared well here at this cafe was really amazing. Just be prepared while you're in the cafe. You might have chickens running around your feet, um, one of the local dogs laying across your feet while you were sitting there. Just embrace it. It's all part of the experience. Next up is 83 Islands Distillery. This is something that was on our list, but we didn't quite get to it because the only day that we had enough time was a Sunday, and of course, they closed on a Sunday. And we really wished that we could have gone. So that is 83 Islands Distillery. Now, while we're at it, I've talked about coffee, I've talked about the distillery, there are breweries there, there are multiple chocolate factories there. And something that really surprised me about Vanuatu in general was their produce. I didn't actually realize how much good quality local produce we would have available to us. Next, we're gonna dig into adventure and nature experiences. Starting off with the Vanuatu zipline. Now, I went and did this on my 40th birthday because hey, you only you only turned 40 once, and I felt the need to do something epic and memorable. So, of course, I decided to throw myself off a bridge at the Vanuatu zipline. Um, this is just a little bit past the village of Mele, so it is towards the west of Port Vila. Most of the drive there, you have typical Vanuatu roads, bumpy, full of potholes. But as you get closer, you end up going on a dirt road, and it is significantly worse. Uh, we were driving so slow, just so that our two-wheel drive vehicle didn't bottom out as we were driving. Now, you head up to a place called the Summit, and on your way up, there is a sign that will let you know that there are only four-wheel drives that can go past that particular point. When you reach that point, you actually call the provider and they will send a four-wheel drive down to collect you if you are going in a two-wheel drive. So, this is exactly what we did. Oh, and the drive up there was incredibly steep and incredibly bumpy. So, if you are in a four-wheel drive and you're driving it yourself, just be prepared. Uh, we decided to leave that to the locals. So, there is a few things that you can do here at the summit. There are gardens and an airwalk, which is kind of like a suspension bridge with epic views. So, even if adrenaline is not for you, you can go up, check out the gardens, and check out the epic views from the suspension bridge. But if you are looking for some fun activities, there are two really cool experiences. The first one being the zipline. Uh, this is where you'll you'll jump into a harness, you'll put on a hard hat, and you'll be thrown across um six different zip lines. Now they get increasingly longer, and the views, I think, continue to get better throughout the course. The last one is the longest and the most epic view where you are really high up and you're looking out over greenery, you've got a waterfall in the background, and then you've got the ocean out in front of you. It's really stunning and a whole lot of fun. The locals have a lot of fun with it, and I found the experience there with the zipline just felt really, really safe. So we were not concerned at all. After the zipline, there is another experience that you can do, and of course, I had to give this a go. Um, this is called a jungle swing. Now it's kind of like a bungee, right? So you're in your harness and you step off a platform, you're incredibly high up, and it works like a bungee. However, usually with the bungee jump, the rope that you're attached to is anchored above you. So you go directly down and you bounce up and down a few times. The difference with the swing is the anchor point where the rope is attached is a long way out in front of you. So you have the initial drop directly down, just like a bungee. But then when that cord gets fully extended down the bottom, instead of bouncing straight up, you swing and you swing straight forward and then back and then forward and back and have your jungle swing experience. So that first couple of seconds, it is exactly like a bungee, then it is a swing instead. And instead of having a cord attached around your feet like a bungee, you're more in a in a harness. So you're upright. Uh now, I wouldn't necessarily say that that is better. As someone who is also bungee jumped, um, I think the the harness was more uncomfortable and more painful, um, especially if you're female, if you get what I mean. And it's probably, look, let's face it, probably uncomfortable for males as well. So just be prepared. Um, and if you do the jungle swing, there is a hell of a hike to get all the way back up to the top. So just keep that in mind. What goes down must come back up again. But this was a really cool experience. You were literally swinging through the jungle with incredible ocean views in front of you. What a way to turn 40, right? Okay, the next experience is called Eden on the River. Now, this is between the Blue Lagoon and the Raru Falls. It's actually directly across the water from the Rarru Cascades and Waterfall. Eden on the River has a whole range of different experiences available. Um, we drove all the way in here and then realized we didn't have the time to actually do any of the experiences. So we've done the drive-in, we saw what was available, and then we left um and had to go on to our next activity. But there are, you can access the waterfalls from here. You can also do, it's kind of like a rope course around the waterfalls. You can um you can swim, you can kayak, and there's also a heap of tours there. They cover a range of different things, such as they have a carver tour. And had we had more time, we definitely would have done that one. Now let's shift to sunset bars, beach clubs, and the nightlife around Efate. We went on a floating bar called HaaBar. Now I feel the need to uh to spell this one out for you. It's H A A B A R. So that is how they spell HaaBar. It's a floating bar that is stationary for most of the day. They do go out for a couple of snorkeling trips occasionally, but a couple of times a week they do a sunset cruise around the lagoon. And that's what we decided to do. So we jump on a bar, it's a floating bar, it operates like a bar, you can buy your drinks and just sit there and just just cruise around the lagoon, which was stunning at sunset. So we had uh we had great reggae music playing on this little boat. Uh, we got up and close to some of the locals and interacted with some of the locals. Uh, we ran around Iririki Island. Uh, there was a cruise ship in the harbor at the time, still waving to them as they were heading off. And we just we just floated around, drank, enjoyed the sunset. It was a really cruising, very relaxed afternoon, and it was very inexpensive. I think from memory, we were paid around 30 or 35 Australian dollars to go um on the bar. And then, of course, you've got to pay for your drinks on top of that. Goes for about two to two and a half hours at sunset. It was really simple, but it was really beautiful. Next is The Beach Bar, and that is the name of the venue, The Beach Bar. The Beach Bar is near Mele, so similar location to where the Zipline was and the Mele Cascades were. Uh, around there, this beach bar is in a beautiful location. Obviously, it's on the beach, but they have a lot of different shows throughout the week. Their most popular show is their fire show. And it is the biggest show, the biggest fire show apparently in Vanuatu. And you can see why. Um, other shows that they do uh they have movie nights, they have a circus show as well. But Friday night is the fire show. We booked this well in advance because we didn't want to miss out, and it did book out, and the week we were there, they actually decided to put on a second show because it booked out so quickly. Now, here you don't need to pay for the show, but you do need a dinner reservation to see the show. So uh typically the dinner reservations are from about 5:30 p.m. Um they it's a restaurant, but also they have uh, I think it's Woodfired Pizza. They had a really huge pizza menu, cocktails, drinks, anything that you want there, really. Um, once all of the food has gone out to the tables, that is when the fire show starts. So there's no designated time. It will start when everyone has had their food. Most people are sat down on the beach and they're ready for the show. The show went for longer than expected, and it really surprised me. Uh, it was mostly fire twirling, there was a little bit of dancing and acrobatics, and there was also some aerials, which was really exciting for me because I'm an aerialist. That's actually my hobby, is aerials. So it was really cool to see that as part of the fire show, they had silks that were suspended from a frame, and it was part of their finale. So I would definitely recommend the fire show at the beach bar. If you hang around afterwards, you can meet the performers, and you might even get to try some fire twirling of your own. Next is just down the road from the beach bar, and this is Mali Beach Club. So, this is a beach club that is open during the day. It's right on the beach. There are deck chairs and cabanas and cocktails. Uh, they do a lot of live music throughout the week as well, where you can just chill and look out into look out over the ocean. If you're looking for something closer to Port Vila, you can try the Banyan Beach Bar in Port Vila. And we're now at the final thing on our list of the top things to do around Efate Island. And this one is a must do around Vanuatu in general, really, regardless of which island that you are on. But these are the kava bars. It is an absolute cultural must. If you're not familiar with kava, it is a drink that is made from the root of the kava plant. Traditionally, it was used in celebrations and ceremonies, and now in Vanuatu, they do still use it for those purposes. But also, locals drink kava in the same way that Australians drink beer. You get home from work and you crack a beer. You're chilling with mates on the weekend and you crack a beer. And the Vanuatu locals do the same with kava. At the end of their day, often they're on the kava. On the weekend, they're on the kava, and we will point it out or educate it how to pick if someone has had too much kava. Now, I tried kava previously in Fiji, and the cava the the kava here hits differently. They will tell you it is significantly stronger in Vanuatu, and now that I've tried it, I can confirm. So I want to mentally prepare you for kava if you've never had this before. Now, this drink made from the root of the kava plant, it tastes like muddy water. Um, it looks like muddy water, it's got the consistency of muddy water, it's gritty, it's earthy, and let's just say it's an acquired taste. But it's all part of the experience, right? Which is why you drink kava. The other thing carva does is it it leaves uh it's kind of like a numbing tingling sensation around your mouth, your lips, your tongue. And the more you drink, the more that tingling sensation starts to spread. So if you've had a lot of kava, you'll also start to feel the tingling and the numbness in your extremities. But if you're sticking to just one bowl, it's mostly around if you're sticking with just one bowl, it's mostly gonna be around your mouth and your lips. It also has a bit of a calming effect as well. So it's a great chance just to chill out. The carver bars are everywhere, they're usually very rustic. And I want you to just get out of your mind what you think a bar would be because the carver bar that we chose to stop at in Vanuatu was basically a few walls that were put up with corrugated iron iron. It was like an open-air shed, essentially. Very, very basic. Kava bars typically open around sunset, and you know that they're open once the light on the bar goes on. So there's a light that goes on when the kava starts, and the moment kava runs out, they turn the light off. It's really simple. Um, but this is really your best chance at getting to know the locals, chatting with the locals, and learning more about their culture. It's just go to a local kava bar, drink a bowl or two of kava, and just take it all in. Now, here it is really important to go with respect, you know, dress modestly, respect their customs and their traditions, watch the locals and follow their lead. Before we wrap up, let's talk through some of the logistics when you're traveling to Vanuatu, specifically to Efate Island, starting off with when to visit. There are two main seasons here: there is wet season and dry season. Now, it makes sense with most island destinations that you will go in dry season. Dry season here is between May and October. So here you are definitely going to get the best weather, it but it's also the busiest period. Now, busy in Vanuatu is not the same as busy elsewhere. Um, I'm talking when I say busy in Vanuatu, it is still very quiet, very manageable, except for when the cruise ships arrive. Wet season from November to April. It is hot, there are fewer crowds, but the really big thing to think about here is it's also cyclone season. So not only is it wetter, but it can also be more dangerous. So make sure you plan accordingly. Getting around Efate is quite simple. Yes, you can go on tours and you can get tour guides and drivers. Drivers are really easy to organise on the island, and almost every taxi driver there will offer to become a driver for you for a day or a couple of days if that's something that you're looking to do. We chose to hire a car, which is really, really simple. Now, I don't know if we got lucky or if the system broke because it felt too good to be true for us. We were hiring a car for our time on Efate. I think we spent about five nights on Afarte, and for our five days of car hire, uh, to hire a larger car or a four-wheel drive, you're looking at, I think they started around $900 to $1,000 Australian and went up from there. Now I found this car for just over $200 Australian dollars for five days, and I was thinking, it's too good to be true. Does the car even exist? Does it even have doors? Does it even have wheels? Why is it so cheap? Um, we got there and we got the car, and it was legitimate. So it was a small two-wheel drive, but it had five seats, five doors. It worked totally fine and it got us around really, really cheaply. It was actually really good on fuel as well. I think we only had to top up when we returned the car right at the end, and it cost us not much at all. I don't even think that we'd used half a tank over the five days of driving all the way around. So drivers are great. Taxis are really easy to access over there. They do have local buses, they are more like shuttle buses. And you can tell the difference between a taxi and a shuttle bus because a taxi will have a T on the number plate, a bus will have a B, high cars will they will have a H. And how long you spend here is really up to you. I would recommend at least three days on a fate, but you can easily spend, I would say, up to eight days, even ten if you're looking to spend some more time just chilling out and relaxing. Um, and if you want to spend some really good quality time at your hotel or resort. So I really hope that some of these places have inspired you to look further into Vanuatu and maybe even consider booking a trip. Efate Island surprised me in the best possible way. It's relaxed without being boring, it's cultural without feeling staged, and adventurous without being exhausting. If Efate is your first stop in Vanuatu, you couldn't choose a better introduction. Especially if you're craving meaningful experiences without overplanning every second. If you want more information and a visual guide to everything we talked about today, I've written a full blog post on the best things to do on Efate Island, which I'll link in the show notes. Thank you for joining me on this adventure, and I'll see you in the next episode. Thanks for tuning in to the Tourist to Traveller podcast. I hope today's episode has inspired you to travel more authentically and plan your next adventure with confidence. Don't forget to head to touristtotraveller.com for today's show notes, resources, and free guides to help you plan like a pro. And if you love this episode, please hit subscribe and leave a review. It helps more travelers like you discover the show. Until our next adventure.