Espiritu Santo Island Travel Tips

Espiritu Santo Island

An hours flight by light aircraft north, this largest island of Vanuatu (4,010 km2) was named by De Quiros in the 17th Century when he made a navigational error of some thousands of miles in a vain attempt to find Australia.

Despite the passing of three centuries, Santo's majestic beauty is little changed. World War II had the first profound impact. It is perhaps best known as the inspiration for James A. Michener's classic "Tales of the South Pacific".During the course of the war, over 100,000 allied troops and support staff were stationed here. Amid the thick jungle there are remnants of crashed B17 bombers, deserted Dakotas and Quonset huts. Many of the buildings in the only town, Luganville, are old Quonset huts,with fences of upright Marsden matting rusting away under a deluge of decorative vines.Beneath the waves at Million Dollar Point, divers can view the legacy of military evacuation, where the U.S. forces dumped thousands of tons of war surplus prior to returning home.For SCUBA divers, Espiritu Santo is the Mecca of the South Pacific. It is the final resting place of the 22,000 ton liner turned troopship SS "President Coolidge" and the destroyer USS "Tucker", both victims of US placed mines. Fresh water cave diving is also becoming popular, with the recent discovery of connecting sinkholes and caverns.For travellers, the beauty of Santo is unmatched. Stunning jewel-like islands lay just a few hundred metres from coconut fringed beaches lined with powdery white sand. Amazing blue water swimming holes are connected by underground caverns and majestic mountains stretching from one end of the island to the other. Awesome ravines shrouded in magnificent tropical rainforest are home to jungle birds and beautiful orchids.Inyeug is periodically visited by several hundred tourists arriving on cruise ships, for it is the famous "Mystery Island" , reached by launch from cruise ships anchoring inside the magnificent turquoise waters between Inyeug and the mainland.Huge Kauri trees still grow in the southwest mountain forests. In the north, Big Bay conservation area, Vanuatu's first National Park is the first step to ensure this beautiful island will remain pristine.

VanuatuTravel Tips