Garden party
Located 17 kilometres from Port Vila on the island of Efate you will find Eden on the River, an educational eco- experience built to educate on sustainability: stroll around a lush native tropical garden and over suspension bridges, swim in the calm river and fly through the canopy on a zipline.
More eco-adventures can be found on Tanna Island. Head along jungle trails past local villages and be immersed in tropical forest in search of the Giant Banyan. This enormous tree is as big as a soccer field and well worth the trek – try and see how many family members holding hands it takes to encircle it.
Something different
Club Hippique Adventure Park offers a different way to see the sights of Port Vila: by horseback. Ride through rainforests, along white-sand beaches and past a waterfall for a unique sightseeing tour. There are other activities at the adventure park, if horses aren’t your thing, including tube rides, water-skiing and mountain biking.
Conveniently located down the beach from Club Hippique is Vanuatu Beachfront Apartments. The warm friendly smiles of the kids’ club crew will keep your little pikinini entertained for hours. The family apartments are fitted with fully equipped kitchens, air conditioners and washing and drying facilities. When visiting, the kids will want to meet ‘Max and Millie’, the inhouse pet iguanas.
Volcanic discovery
For families that seek a sky-high view, Vanuatu has an extraordinary number of mountains to climb as well its fair share of live volcanoes. Mt Yasur on Tanna Island is perfect for the adrenaline-seeking family and you can take a guided tour right up to the crater rim to watch as it spurts out glowing lava. But keep a tight rein on the kids as there is no safety railing. It is well worth the excitement and one of those once-in-a-lifetime bucket-list experiences. For something gentler try a day trip to Ambrym, an out- of-this-world island. Like stepping onto the surface of Mars, you can explore its ancient moss- covered lava flows and, if you’re game, attempt to climb its volcano.