Vanuatu adventure, YOLO styles
What’s the first place that pops into your head when you think of an island getaway? Fiji, Bali? How about Vanuatu?
Some of the most amazing memories I have were jam packed into 10 days in this tropical paradise. I went full YOLO on my trip to Vanuatu and here’s what I got up to:
Buggy Jungle Safari
We kick off our trip with a Buggy jungle safari, racing across the island (on the right hand side of the road!), switching between driving on bush tracks and sand until we reach Turtle Bay, where I get the chance to swim with reef sharks and three gigantic turtles, all of which are way bigger than I am!
Swimming with turtles
Before we get into the rock pool, the tour guide warns us that the turtles will try and bite your bottom if you don’t push them away because we apparently look like one big pawpaw to them (their favorite snack). And sure enough, one of the turtles sneaks up on me and manages to undo my bikini top with one swift yank. I am now scrambling to tie my top back together while being stalked by more turtles with no available hands to push them away. Ninja turtle – 1, Tayla – 0.
Tana Island
Another must do, is fly across to Tana island on an overnight trip to see an active volcano in action, (there’ll be more to come on that later!) I also get to post myself a postcard from the world’s only underwater post office on Hideaway Island (I never actually received it so I can only assume it floated away… note to self, underwater post is not reliable).
Mele Cascades Waterfalls
Top tip when hiking to a waterfall: wear sensible shoes. DON’T wear pretty sandals with bows on as I did, you will more than likely end up looking less than graceful in your pretty shoes as you navigate your way along slippery rocks and trudge through the rushing water. I wouldn’t recommend thongs either, Mother Nature has no sympathy for fools who wear impractical shoes and you WILL end up chasing one of them down the falls as it floats away quicker than you’d expect, along with a small portion of your dignity, while those with sensible shoes on get a good giggle out of watching you.
Eating
More highlights include getting lost while trying to track down L’Houstalet (a lovely French restaurant), and of course SO MUCH EATING, but there’s no such thing as over indulging on food while on a holiday. Calories don’t count and so naturally, we can and will roll with that moto 😉
Lelepa Island
I did a full day tour to Lelepa Island where I experience the most amazing snorkeling as well as a guided tour. I also get to ride an underwater scooter, yes you read that right, an UNDERWATER SCOOTER! On our tour around the island, we stop at the Blue Lagoon where I completely fail on my first rope swing attempt – Let’s just say I realise that day how weak my arms really are. Our final stops were at Eton village and a quick swim at Eton beach. Absolute bliss!
Ziplining
We wrap up our spectacular holiday with the ultimate adrenaline rush. What do you do when you have some time to kill before your flight home? You give the Jungle Zipline a go of course! We end up being the first group to try out their brand new (and longest) zipline.
The first attempt didn’t really go to plan, they had to catch me at the end of the line because I was coming in too quickly and didn’t slow myself down despite the desperate calls to “use your gloves!” from the guides. I panic, accept my fate, close my eyes and brace for a tree trunk faceplant landing. I still hold a clean record of zero broken bones in my life so far, thanks to the guy who caught me.
By far the highlight was the longest line over the biggest gorge I’ve ever seen, my fear was gone and I even asked the guide to give me an extra push as I jumped so I could get maximum speed to make it to the other side.
I took away so many unforgettable memories from this trip and left feeling like I was saying goodbye to friends. I’ll be back Vanuatu!
Have you ever been to Vanuatu? Share your highlights with us in the comments!
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Amazarama!