Need to know

When to go

New Caledonia has a subtropical climate. The drier seasons are between April and May, and September and November. The January/february period is very rainy and muggy. Avoid Australian schoolholiday periods, as Australians are increasingly flocking to New Caledonia due to the short distance (two to three hours’ flight) from Brisbane and Sydney.

Currency & visa

Currency: CFP franc (XPF), currently around XPF140 to the UK£. Visa: Not required by UK nationals for stays of up to 90 days.

Getting there & around

There are no direct flights to New Caledonia from the UK. Your route will typically involve one or two stops. The quickest is via Singapore or Tokyo and then onwards with New Caledonia’s flag carrier, Aircalin (aircalin.com). Qantas (qantas.com) and Air New Zealand (airnewzealand.co.uk) both operate frequent flights from Australia and New Zealand respectively. Flights from the UK start from around £1,350 return and can take 25 hours or more.

La Tontouta International Airport lies 46km north of Nouméa. Air Calédonie (air-caledonie.nc) and Air Loyauté (air-loyaute.nc) provide internal flights, though these are on the pricey side. Betico 2 Ferry (betico.nc) offers connections between Nouméa, the Isle of Pines and the Loyalty Islands. You will need to hire a car on the islands, as public transport is minimal outside of Nouméa.

Carbon offset

A return flight from London to Nouméa via Singapore produces 1,669kg of carbon per passenger. Wanderlust encourages you to offset your travel footprint through a reputable provider. For advice on how to find one, visit wanderlust.co.uk/ sustainable-travel.

Where to stay

A limited number of hotels are complemented by campsites, hostels and homestays. Some of the best choices in Nouméa include the beachside Le Méridien (lemeridien.com; from £180pn) and Hilton Nouméa La Promenade Residences (hilton. com; from £105pn). The Le Méridien (lemeridien.com; from £250pn) on the Isle of Pines is outstanding. On Lifou, look out for the friendly Drehu Village Hotel (hoteldrehuvillage.nc; from £100pn) and new Intercontinental (ihg.com; from £585pn).

Further reading

Newcaledonia.travel – The official tourism board website has heaps of info and inspirational videos.