Day 70 – Vanuatu

Vanuatu is a country in the south Pacific Ocean consisting of approximately 83 islands spread over some 1300 km. Most of the islands are not close together and weather and sea conditions can make travel between them very difficult. This creates challenges for those members of the population who do not live on the island of Efate, the most developed of the islands.

Vanuatu‘s total land mass is 4706 sq miles and it has a total population of approximately 335,000. The capital (and most developed town) Port Vila is located on the island of Efate, although the island of Espiritu Santo (Santo), which Queen Anne berthed at today, is the largest. The biggest town on Santo is Luganville. With a population of only 18,000, it has no bars, very few shops and only four basic restaurants.

Outside of Luganville the road is rough and many sections are without tarmac, although World Bank has invested $143 million into the Vanuatu Climate Resilient Transport project which is in the process of sealing greater stretches of the 65 km road with tarmac by the end of 2026. This will provide a lifeline for isolated rural communities which up until now have been entirely cut off whenever there is heavy rain.

Vanuatu is a poor country and many people rely on subsistence farming for their survival. Taros and yams are the main staples of the local diet and many villages have vegetable plots and keep pigs and chickens. Rural homes are basic and are usually constructed from wood, branches, leaves and grass. These are easily destroyed in bad weather, such as cyclone Pam in 2019, which destroyed 90% of Vanuatu’s buildings (source: Borgenproject.org). Agriculture is Vanuatu‘s biggest industry with 75% of its people relying on it for a living. Tourism is also important with Australia being Vanuatu’s biggest tourist market. Education is not mandatory and only 60% of children go to secondary school. The literacy rate of the overall population is around 64%. Healthcare provision is also haphazard, suffering from a lack of facilities and qualified staff. Only 59% of the population has access to clean, running water (source: standardoflivingindex.org). The government is very corrupt and there have been numerous scandals regarding mismanagement of public finances.

Overall the future looks sadly bleak for Vanuatu, with most climate experts forecasting that the whole archipelago will be under the sea by 2100.

Our Day

As our visit to Santo Island was announced with only one day’s notice (due to the pier on the scheduled port of call, Port Vila, having collapsed), we hastily made our own excursion arrangements independently. This saw us meet with affable Frenchman, Julien, straight from the ship. Once assembled we were herded into the most battered old van you have ever seen(!) for the 45 minute drive to the embarkation point for our small vessel transfer to Dany Island Marine reserve, a 10 minute boat ride away. Dany Island is a tiny privately owned islet spanning just 250m x 150m. It has outstanding coral reefs and is a protected nesting site for giant sea turtles. It also hosts a diverse population of rather splendid and endearing hermit crabs. Once ashore we found ourselves a spot on the beach and sat down to enjoy the peace and tranquility and, of course, our countless new friends the hermit crabs! Bridget was nervous about snorkelling, having not done so since the Maldives, but one of the team happily went out with her and it made for a lovely experience. Unlike the coral reef at Kuda Bandos in the Maldives, which was 80% bleached, the coral of Dany Island was vibrant with colour and appeared in robust good health. We then had a barbecue lunch on the beach before setting off back to the ship. We really enjoyed our unscheduled stop in the unspoilt island of Santo and we especially appreciated the remote and protected idyll of Dany Island.