While neighboring South Pacific nations have long captured travelers' attention, Vanuatu offers something different: fiery volcanic landscapes, aquamarine blue holes, pristine dive sites alongside WWII-era shipwrecks, and a raw authenticity that larger destinations have traded away. The archipelago remains refreshingly unhurried, with accommodations that range from eco-conscious dive lodges to barefoot-luxury retreats. Here is where to base yourself on each island.
Santo Island
Vanuatu's largest island draws divers and adventurers to its legendary WWII wrecks, vibrant coral reefs, and those impossibly blue freshwater swimming holes. Santo feels wonderfully remote—deer wander along mangrove-fringed shores, and the pace of life moves to a distinctly slower rhythm than the capital.
Turtle Bay Lodge
This PADI dive resort has become the gateway to Santo's underwater treasures. The lodge connects guests to the island's many blue holes—those naturally occurring freshwater swimming spots where volcanic mountain rainwater seeps underground and resurfaces through limestone as crystal-clear springs. From here, dive sites like Million Dollar Point and the SS President Coolidge are easily accessible, where WWII relics rest as stunning artificial reefs teeming with marine life. The untouched reefs surrounding the property offer endless discoveries for those who prefer their coral gardens without the history lesson.
Beyond diving, the lodge has connections to cultural experiences at nearby blue holes, including Nanda's Blue Hole, where ancestral landowners Marie Melteck and her mother Suzie Wells have developed programming that weaves traditional food, kava ceremonies, and performances by the renowned Vanuatu Water Dancers into visits.
Doubles from US$135; turtlebaylodge.vu
Tanna Island
Tanna's calling card is Mount Yasur, one of the world's most accessible active volcanoes, where visitors can stand at the crater's edge and watch lava explode into the night sky. But the island offers more than pyrotechnics—vibrant cultural traditions, intricate underwater caves, and coral gardens flourishing in the volcano's shadow make this a destination for travelers seeking something beyond the ordinary.
White Grass Ocean Resort
Home to Volcano Island Divers—the first PADI Eco Center in all of Melanesia—White Grass has positioned itself at the intersection of adventure and environmental stewardship. Achieving that designation requires strict adherence to responsible-diver protocols, staff environmental training, and effective waste management. The center also participates in PADI's Adopt the Blue program, connecting to the world's largest global network of underwater sites dedicated to marine protection.
The diving reveals coral gardens in the shadow of fiery Mount Yasur and intricate underwater caves holding secrets as ancient as the land above. On the cultural side, the resort offers exclusive access to Eric Yalulu's Black Magic Tour, which involves village youth and their sacred banyan tree. Eric, the first university graduate from his village, created the tour to celebrate local customs while funding the school he founded—a school that has already celebrated its first student to graduate university and return to Tanna as a high school teacher.
Doubles from US$175; whitegrass.com.vu
The Green Scene: White Grass Ocean Resort hosts Melanesia's first PADI Eco Center through Volcano Island Divers, meeting rigorous Green Fins standards for low-impact operations, staff training, and reef stewardship via the Adopt the Blue program. The resort's "Taste of Tanna" program sources organic, local produce while cultural experiences like the Black Magic Tour directly fund village education, with the school's first graduate now teaching the next generation.
Image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dkhc0t7gVpY6BWFGuYtUJMfo1HuWPbQS/view?usp=drive_link A cultural tour near Mount Yasur. Credit: Jonny Bierman
Efate Island (Port Vila)
The capital island serves as Vanuatu's hub, where most international flights land and where the country's most polished accommodations cluster. Port Vila itself offers a surprising amount of character, but the real draws are the dive operators, day-trip options, and easy access to offshore islands where low-impact luxury awaits.
South pacific Memories
A solid base for diving adventures out of Port Vila, South Pacific Memories puts guests within easy reach of Big Blue Divers, where Cathy Savei—one of only two Ni-Vanuatu female PADI professional instructors in the country's history—leads dives and hopes to inspire young girls to take the plunge. The property works well for travelers who want proximity to the capital's restaurants and amenities while still accessing quality underwater experiences, including sea slug censuses led by Dr. Christina Shaw that contribute to global marine conservation efforts.
Doubles from US$190; southpacificmemories.com
The Green Scene: South Pacific Memories integrates sustainability through small-scale, low-density construction using repurposed materials (Pandanus-leaf cupboard doors, offcut furniture) and operates its dive center within a designated Marine Protected Area, encouraging reef-safe guest practices and participating in national conservation efforts like sea slug censuses.
The beachfront dining area and the pool at the resort. Credit: South Pacific Memories
The Moso
Just a short boat ride from Port Vila, The Moso delivers the kind of low-impact luxury that feels like an extension of the cultural immersion defining a Vanuatu journey. Plunge pool villas offer peaceful escapes, while the resort's dedication to honoring the environment and supporting local communities runs through everything they do. This is where the archipelago reveals its gentler side—crystalline waters, unhurried rhythms, and sunsets that invite reflection on the connections made across the islands.
The Moso works particularly well as a final stop after more adventurous days on Santo or Tanna, offering a chance to decompress before the journey home.
Doubles from US$227; themosovanuatu.com
The Green Scene: The Moso operates as one of Vanuatu's only resorts running entirely on solar power, with 160 panels powering an off-grid property that uses chemical-free pools, heat pump water systems, and line-dried linens instead of gas and air conditioning. The resort practices deep community integration, with over half of its 32 staff drawn from the two neighboring villages, while supporting local economies through boat transfers, construction materials sourcing, school projects, and hospitality internships for island youth. Circular practices extend to construction itself, including crafting cedar louvres from timber salvaged after Cyclone Pam and crushing glass bottles for building materials, while sourcing 75% of bistro ingredients locally and seasonally.
Planning Your Stay
I flew Solomon Airlines direct from Brisbane to Santo, and then Air Vanuatu in between islands before flying Virgin Australia back to Brisbane from Port Vila. Most travelers fly into Port Vila on Efate before connecting to Santo or Tanna via domestic flights, but if you want to hit up all of the islands in this story, it’s possible to start on Santo and end in Port Vila. If you’re coming from somewhere other than Australia, Fiji Airways might be your easiest and most cost-efficient way to get to Vanuatu. At the time of writing, flights needed to be booked on the phone, but Air Vanuatu was working on an online booking system. Island-hopping is straightforward once you've sorted the flight schedules, and many visitors combine two or three islands into a single trip. Book accommodations well in advance during the dry season (May through October), when conditions are ideal for diving and the humidity drops to more comfortable levels.
What sets Vanuatu apart isn't just the volcanic landscapes or pristine reefs—it's the Ni-Vanuatu people themselves. Since gaining independence 45 years ago, they've embraced a future centered on their past, weaving sustainability and tradition into all aspects of life. Visitors here feel like guests, not outsiders, invited into a raw and rugged way of life untouched by time. The warmth of the people, their stories and heritage, create connections that endure long after the journey ends.
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