CULTURE CLUB IN VANUATU
The main island of Efate is abuzz with things to do.
The main island of Efate is abuzz with things to do.
I’m following a man in a grass skirt who is blowing into a conch shell. Suddenly a posse of fierce tattooed warriors leap out of the jungle brandishing spears and clubs. In an instant, all trappings of the modern day evaporate and I’m immersed in the traditional life of Ekasup Cultural Village on the island of Efate in Vanuatu.
Over the next hour, I learn how to catch garfish using the web of a golden orb spider stretched across a y-shaped stick, how to trap wild pigs and chickens, preserve bananas, how to get iron supplements from coleus plants and, perhaps most interesting of all, what the feathers signify in the men’s stunning headdresses. Each feather represents the size and colour of the pigs they own. My guide Sifo has five long curving feathers of brown, black and cream. He’s a wealthy man, and also a fabulous storyteller and fine musician in the string band.
“I hope this experience helps you touch the heart of Vanuatu,” he smiles broadly. It certainly does.
What to do in Efate
Spending just a few days in Efate, I manage to squeeze in a kaleidoscope of cultural, aquatic, culinary and other adventures on Vanuatu’s main island.
Many Aussies only know of Vanuatu as a quick stop on a cruise ship itinerary in the South Pacific but it is well worth coming to visit in its own right. With white sandy beaches, world-class diving and fishing, exquisite blue lagoons, dramatic waterfalls, active volcanos and an ancient culture, there is so much to enjoy.
Located about 1,750 kilometres northeast of Queensland, this 80-plus volcanic island archipelago is renowned as one of the happiest places on Earth. Its 250,000 Melanesian residents speak both English and French (before independence in 1980, it was jointly administrated by the French and the English), as well as the colourful Bislama Pidgin English and several tribal languages.
While the remote island of Tanna is renowned for its Mount Yasur volcano (the world’s most accessible active volcano) and the island of Espiritu Santo for its dive sites (the Calvin Coolidge is the world’s most accessible wreck dive), blue lagoons and deserted beaches, the more developed island of Efate also has a terrific diversity of holiday offerings.