Considering a family holiday to Vanuatu? There are plenty of things to do in Vanuatu with kids that make it a great option for a Pacific Island holiday.
Ni-Vanuatu are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality, and especially for their love of children. Smiling faces, a laid-back atmosphere and a touch of Melanesian and French culture gives the perfect mixture for a unique tropical holiday.
It’s all smiles on the tarmac as the plane door opens and you are blasted with warm tropical air and the welcoming scent of outdoor kitchen fires smoking in the villages.
Welcome to Vanuatu!
Read on for our tips about travel to Vanuatu and five things to do in Vanuatu with kids that we recommend for any age child-travellers.
About visiting Vanuatu with kids
Vanuatu is a great South Pacific destination for family travel or a holiday with kids. It is a very family oriented culture and a safe choice for travel with young children.
Most visitor accommodation is based in Port Vila. It is a great island destination that is unique and a little less mainstream than some of the other islands.
Plus navigating Vanuatu with kids is pretty easy, and families are well respected and looked out for.
On our most recent trip to Vanuatu with kids we spent a week on Efate, the main island of Vanuatu.
Though visiting Vanuatu with kids is not new to us as a family. Vanuatu is special to us – my Mum lived there post-university as a volunteer for VSA and met my Dad when he sailed in on a yacht.
As a child, my family lived in Vanuatu where I went to a tiny village school right on the beach. I remember each break time we had to run down to the beach to scrub our blackboards with sand and wash them in the sea!
Plus, more recently, we have had one more big life-event in Vanuatu. But you will have to scroll on to find out what that was…
About Vanuatu, quickly
- Capital: Port Vila
- Population: 292,680 (2018)
- Official language(s): Bislama, English, French
- Currency: Vatu
- Landmass: 12,189km²
- Religion: 83% Christian, 17% other
Things to do in Vanuatu with kids
If you are staying on Efate for your visit and wanting to get out and amongst some of the landscape and culture then we can recommend these highlights from our stay.
Here are our five of our favourite things to do in Vanuatu with kids.
1. Hideaway Island – Things to do in Vanuatu with kids
For an easy day trip from Port Vila, take a boat over to Hideaway Island and the Marine Sanctuary.
The boat ride is only ten minutes across to the island but Hideaway does feel a secluded world away.
It has beautiful snorkelling with plenty of friendly fish life and colourful coral, and a restaurant and shaded beach that make it easy to spend a day away.
We visited the markets first and stocked up with food for a picnic and got the local ‘bus’ (minivan) to catch the ferry over to Hideaway Island. It was hard to leave the picnic spot as Harry was enjoying the attention of a big group of children interested to meet him!
- Tip: If you are visiting Vanuatu with kids it’s a great day out to take a picnic with you to Hideaway Island.
2. Port Vila Central Markets – Vanuatu with kids
We reckon visiting the Central Market is one of the best things to do in Vanuatu with kids. We always love the markets of the Pacific!
It kind of depends on the age of your child as to how your visit will differ. But Ni-Vanuatu love children!
Visiting the market gives you a feel instantly for the culture. There are rows of women with smiling faces and endless stalls of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables.
You will see plenty of other Pikinini (children) sleeping and playing underneath the tables set up with handicrafts and traditional foods wrapped in leaves.
It is a unique experience in Vanuatu.
- Location: Waterfront – Port Vila
- Opening Hours: Monday through to Friday and half day Saturday
- Cost: There is no entry fee
Food in Vanatu traditional consists of a combination of fish, root vegetables (taro, yams, sweet potatoes), and a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Tip: Don’t leave Vanuatu without trying the national dish, ‘Laplap’. This is a root vegetable cake, steamed and wrapped in leaves which can be found at the central markets.
3. Mele Cascades
The waterfalls near Mele Village are one of the islands most popular natural attractions.
Mele Village is about a twenty minute drive from Port Vila, and its easy to get a local bus to Mele.
Then from the carpark, the walk to the top of the cascades is only about 15 minutes, with some stairs along the way.
There are bathroom facilities available (basic), a sitting area, and small cafe on site for purchase of food and drinks.
It costs 2000VT per adult for entry. Which does seem expensive when compared to some of the other local activities. But this area is local owned and run by locals.
The revenue generated helps pay wages for local employees, maintenance and upkeep of the area, plus community development for the surrounding village.
The pool is refreshing to swim in and you can stand under the waterfalls, making all the steps to get there well worth while!
4. Erakor Island – Vanuatu with kids
Erakor Island is a small island on the outskirts of Port-Vila. The island is entirely privately owned with just one resort on and is surrounded by crystal clear blue and shallow lagoon.
To reach the island you need to take a small ferry across the lagoon to the beach jetty on Erakor.
It is an ideal day trip and a great thing to do in Vanuatu with kids!
- Location: Erakor Lagoon
- Opening Hours: 24 Hours
- Price: 2000 vatu per adult and 1000 vatu per child.
The ferry ticket cost is 50% redeemable towards food and drinks at the Overwater Aqua Restaurant on the island.
We also had a cool local experience on the island. (Albeit we did visit on multiple days!).
One of the staff took us for an outing to visit her village on the neighbouring side of the lagoon and invited us for a Kava ceremony.
Kava is the national drink of Vanuatu – reputed to be the most potent in the Pacific.
It’s not exactly known for being a delicious drink taste-wise (though we did try it again in Fiji!). But it is a big part of Ni-Vanuatu culture and definitely worth trying if you get the chance.
5. Mele Beach Bar Fire ShowÂ
Despite the bar-sounding name of this restaurant, the fire show is an awesome experience in Vanuatu with kids!
The Beach Bar is located at Mele Beach right next to the Hideaway Island jetty. It is about 15 minutes from town.
The bar is actually a restaurant with a bistro menu including wood fire pizzas.
Every Friday night the Beach Bar puts on their famous Friday Night Fire Show.
If you are timing your trip to Vanuatu over a weekend, I highly recommend the Friday Fire Show!
Other things to do in Vanuatu with kids
Obviously the above is only a small selection! Vanuatu is a great destination for a family trip.
If you have more time and according to the age of your children, there are some cool other things to do in Vanuatu with kids.Â
- Ekasup Cultural Village
- Lelepa Island
- Iririki Island
- 18-Hole Tropical Mini Golf
- Eden On The River
- Hideaway Island Marine Reserve
- Club Hippique Adventure Park
- Okeanos Vanuatu
- Iririki Kids ClubÂ
- Pepeyo Cultural Village
- Vanuatu Jungle LineÂ
- Rarru Cascades
Family-friendly restaurants, cafes and places to eat in Port Vila
We recommend trying some of the fresh hot food at the Central Market – and of course a coconut to drink!
But other than that, there are lots of small cafes and restaurants as well as resort restaurants that will suit a meal out with kids.
- Jill’s Café: Serving fast-food style meals (at a kid-fast pace) with a playground right outside.Â
- Erakor Island Restaurant: A beautiful restaurant right on the beach with a full kid’s menu and plenty for parents too.Â
- Café Vila Restaurant: Another good option in town on Pango Road offering a kid’s menu with choices for dessert.Â
- Mele Beach Bar: Forget the ‘bar’ name – this place has great wood fired pizzas and a Friday night fire show!
Accommodation and where to stay in Vanuatu
In Port Vila, we stayed on Erakor Island as well as in a hotel on the mainland not far from town.
When the grandparents visited us they stayed at Vanuatu Holiday Hotel which we can also recommend.
- Erakor Island – Mid-Luxury: Erakor Island Resort
An amazing resort on a private island just a short ferry ride across the lagoon.
- Port Vila – Mid-Luxury: Fatumaru Lodge
A Melanesian style hotel with outdoor and beachfront access. We went paddle boarding just outside our room!
- Port Vila – Budget-Mid: Vanuatu Holiday Hotel
For a more budget option we can also recommend Vanuatu Holiday Hotel, where some of our family stayed while in Port Vila with us.
Staff at each of these places are unbelievably friendly and will make sure your trip is everything you want it to be.
We booked our stay at Fatumaru as part of a package deal and got a good price.
Our style of travel has certainly changed over the years and we don’t often frequent luxury accommodation like this. Though this was a rather special trip to Vanuatu (read on to find out why).
We would likely choose a more budget option next time when travelling to Vanuatu with kids!
Getting around in Vanuatu
Its easy to get a taxi if you are staying at a resort. Taxi’s are everywhere and will often wait outside your hotel or resort.
A more exciting and much cheaper way to travel around the island is to catch the local buses.
These are not technically buses in the Western traditional sense; but usually 10-12 seater vans, that follow a specific route between villages and the centre of Port Vila.
Ask a local or check with your accommodation for the direction you are wanting to head. And enjoy the open windows and island reggae while riding local style! (It’s do-able with kids, grandparents and even a pram if you’re keen!).
If you are arriving into Vanuatu with kids it is easy to arrange a pick-up ahead of time with your accommodation.
- Tip: Vanuatu’s main airport is Bauerfield International Airport (VLI), only 10 mins from Port Vila.
The verdict? Do we recommend visiting Vanuatu with kids?
A holiday in Vanuatu with kids is a great choice of Pacific Island destination. We may be a bit bias but it is a friendly culture that really suits family travel and there are plenty of things to do in Vanuatu with kids.
Enjoy your trip!
And PS. That one extra special life event mentioned earlier comes with so much more love for Vanuatu. Did I mention we got married on Erakor Island while we were there?! 🙂
Read more about travel in the South Pacific
- 15 Things To Do In Samoa: Upolu and Savai’i.
- A Different Side Of Fiji: Holidaying In Fiji Without Resorts.
- Vanuatu: A Kid-Friendly Week In Vanuatu.
- Rarotonga: A Family Christmas In Tropical Paradise.
- 10 Things To Do In Tonga.
- Rarotonga With Kids: Travel Guide.
- 10 Things To Do In Niue.
More about travel to Vanuatu and planning for the Pacific and beyond
These are the companies we use and can recommend for planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation. It is easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- 12GoAsia – Book trains anywhere online.
- Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world. Everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). Make sure you have insurance before embarking on all the things to do in Vanuatu with kids!
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