That’s right, I’m back again with tips and tricks on squeezing in some pretty remote Pacific islands into a short trip. This time Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. Because it wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t travelling outrageously fast. I did this trip at record pace because I was running out of time to see my last two Oceania countries before I moved from Asia. Also because the flight schedules mean you can either do one day or one week, and nothing in between. I wasn’t about to spend a week anywhere, so here we are.
As a disclaimer, having now been to Vanuatu, I would encourage anyone to spend several days here. Particularly if you’re a diver. There’s a lot to see on and around the main island of Efate alone, but there are also many other islands you can visit if you’re willing to be flexible with your schedule. Domestic flights are infrequent and change very last minute. But Espiritu Santo (home of the infamous Blue Hole) and Tanna Island (home of Mount Yasur), are said to be breathtaking.
A day or two in Solomon was definitely enough for me though. Honiara has little to do and getting out of the city/to nearby islands is insanely expensive and pretty unfeasible as a solo traveller. You can travel to other provinces, Gizo being the most famous for diving and rustic water bungalows, but again flexibility for unreliable flights is needed. I didn’t feel I missed much by not going.
So. Now that we’ve covered what I didn’t do. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting these Pacific legends, and things to do along the way.
Vanuatu
Arguably the easiest Pacific island to visit if you’re coming from Australia. There are several flights per day from Brisbane and Sydney, and they’re fairly reasonable in price. For a long weekend, you can take a Friday morning flight and arrive in time for enjoying the afternoon in Port Vila. This gives you Saturday to see the wider island, and you can fly out (to Solomon, or back to Australia) on the Sunday.
Vanuatu is much more set up for tourists than some of its Pacific neighbours (with the exception of Fiji, of course). Card machines work, taxis aren’t complicated and don’t hassle you, ATMs everywhere, good internet access, many food/drink options, accessible tourist attractions, etc etc. On taxis – you can easily get one on arrival at the airport, I paid around 2000VT ($16) into Port Vila. I also got my driver’s WhatsApp number and arranged my return airport trip later on.
Internet connectivity in Port Vila was excellent. SIMs at the airport with 5GBs + for $10 and LTE connectivity in the city. Service got more patchy while driving around the island, but that’s to be expected. I got an Airalo eSIM in advance just in case. It worked ok but 4G the whole time, not as good as the local physical sim. WiFi in hotels generally worked well.
Accommodation in Port Vila can be a little… rustic. Especially if you’re looking at mid range prices. Higher end you’ll find nicer resort types but don’t expect Fiji-style. There’s a Ramada if you’re looking for a reliable chain, and it also has a beachfront.
Many of the downtown area restaurants, cafes, and shops have temporarily closed down following the earthquake in December 2024. There is still quite a bit of damage to buildings in this area and you’re restricted in where you can walk. This area is still accessible and you can get coffee and walk along the sea front.
Getting around the island is pretty impossible without a car. I looked into tours with GetYourGuide, which is usually my go-to, but couldn’t find any I liked. Largely because I had already picked out several sights I wanted to see, and the organised tours only did one or two. I also didn’t want to be tied by timing in case any of my flights got moved. I also wasn’t interested in cultural villages, which many of the tours had. But if you’re just looking to do the Blue Lagoon and Eden on the River, and don’t want hassle, give these tours a go. I found that many taxi drivers can be hired for an island tour for a few hours, expect to negotiate a price of around $120 for this.
I decided to rent a car. Stupidly I didn’t reserve a car in advance, figuring I could do it on arrival. And I could, there was Hertz and Europcar in the airport. But I was horrified to discover that most car rental places want to take a $1500 USD hold on your credit card for car rental. Even in the downtown branches this was the norm. This really felt excessive – whilst I hadn’t rented a car anywhere else before, I had gotten quotes in other countries, and a $200-300 hold was more what I had in mind. Fortunately, I asked around, and World Car Rentals were much more reasonable. They only took a $330 hold on my card, and the car itself was $95 for 24 hours. They even dropped it off at my hotel and offered to collect it the next day too. Would recommend.
Driving around the island can be done in 3ish hours (without stops), and is the best way to see the main sights. It’s around 120km all in. Beware of potholes, they are everywhere and creep up on you. You’ll often go stretches of slow speed while several drivers criss-cross the roads to protect their tyres. Theres also no street lighting so beware of driving at night. Generally though, pretty chill and safe.
So, best sites to hit while you’re doing your island lap, in counter clockwise order from leaving Port Vila:
Eden on the River – Scenic river area in the forest and tourist highlight. This isn’t just a river spot but also home to various activities. People go here to swim – though the river was flowing far too fast for that while I was there. There is also high ropes activities where you can walk through the forest and across a rope bridge route. The site has a cafe and other cultural/culinary activities too – see here. The guy running this place was really friendly and helpful. I opted to just go and see the river and wander a little, which was also lovely. Small entry fee for visiting of 500VT ($4); other activities have other fees.
Side note: On google maps there is a turtle sanctuary near here, maybe 10 mins before. This sanctuary is not open. Do not waste 30 mins driving off-road to discover some deserted huts and confused locals telling you it’s closed.
Blue Lagoon – The main event. The place from the postcards. This place is really worth the hype. The water is a magical blue, and the surrounding greenery is serene. The water is actually quite cold which is welcome in the middle of the hot day. There are rope swings and jetties you can jump off. There are also seating areas and sun loungers, though they’re a little worse for wear. The site has bathrooms, changing rooms, and picnic areas too. Entry fee 1500VT ($12).
Eton Beach – Beautiful white sands and tropical beach vibes on the east side of the island. There was nobody else there when I arrived, so got the whole place to myself. Small fee payable to access – 500VT ($4).
Nasinu Hot Springs – Mud pools, hot water pools, and cold water dips, all dug into the ground. This place is fairly rustic and bare bones, and was quite deserted when I showed up. I decided not to go in, on account of being on my own. But I was intrigued and would likely give it a go in a group, if only for novelty value. The locals raved about how good it is for your skin. Fee of 2500VT ($20).
Top Rock – Beautiful viewpoint at the top of the island. You have to drive off road for 5 mins and through a muddy field/carpark to get to the entrance, and then pay 1500 VT ($12) to enter. But it’s totally worth it. They views are breathtaking, and there’s even a restaurant at the top that you can book in advance (ask your hotel) and comes highly recommended. You can snorkel here too, and they rent out masks, snorkels, wet suits etc.
Evergreen Cascades – Scenic waterfall. I gave this one a miss because it required 30+ mins of walking/hiking to get to the actual falls and I just wasn’t about to do that in the rain. Or at all. But it comes highly recommended if you like hiking and waterfalls.
Hideaway Island – White sandy beaches just off the coast of Port Vila, a 5 min boat ride away. Home to a resort where you can stay over if you want, or just visit for the day. Also home to the infamous underwater post office. You can drive to the jetty and take a small boat over to the island. Locals told me it leaves every 15 minutes, though I got there as a storm was approaching and there wasn’t a boat driver to be seen… I didn’t make it to Hideaway Island, largely because I ran out of time after setting off on my island drive too late. The weather was getting bad by mid-afternoon too, and I had forgotten my snorkel mask and underwater camera. Next time…
You can absolutely do all of the above in a day. You should start early though. I set off at 10:30am after hire car pickup and coffee, and had finished the island loop, with multiple stops, by 4pm. This included wasting 30+ mins on the closed turtle sanctuary, and spending a decent amount of time at most of the above (except Hot Springs and Hideaway). I didn’t stop for lunch to save time. If you set off at 9am, you should be able to squeeze in a trip to Hideaway and back as well as seeing the other island highlights.
My only big regret is not diving while in Vanuatu. There is super interesting WWII wreck diving to be found here, as well as exceptional biodiversity. If I hadn’t been so pressed with my PTO allowance/current life admin, I would’ve added an extra day or two in advance to dive. While researching, I reached out to Big Blue Vanuatu in Port Vila – they were super responsive and had a range of dive options. Can’t attest to how they actually are to dive with, but was impressed with their comms and offering.
Solomon Islands
On the Sunday I took an early morning flight to Honiara from Port Vila. This was a pitstop on an Air Niugini hopper heading to Port Moresby. Air Niugini can be unreliable and prone to delays, but this flight was fine and only an hour late. It was the only one that worked with my long weekend dates. Generally speaking Solomon is not very well connected. There are flights every day (ish) to Australia, and a couple of times a week to Vanuatu/Papua New Guinea. But they’re all also very unpredictable and susceptible to last minute changes or delays. Include frequently being moved a whole day earlier.
Arrival in Honiara is straightforward, but you can instantly see it is much less developed than Vanuatu. Facilities inside the airport are limited, though there is a currency exchange. There are taxis waiting outside the airport. A trip into town should cost around 150 SBD ($18).
Internet connectivity was a struggle in Solomon. There was nowhere to get a SIM card in the airport. The local convenience stores had all sold out (I tried 8…). Our Telekom, the main data provider, is closed on Sundays, and when I visited again on the Monday there were insane queues and an hours-long wait. Wasn’t worth it. Mid and higher end hotels had WiFi, though some require you to buy access for 1-day, 3-day or 7-day periods. A 1-day pass cost around $5. Connection speed was average, but didn’t work in areas of high volume eg the lobby, only in the room.
Speaking of hotels, there aren’t loads to choose from in Honiara. For mid-range, King Solomon Hotel (where I stayed) is decent, has a pool, restaurant, bar etc. and is close to the town centre. Rooms are basic but there’s AC, though it isn’t super effective. It also has a hilarious funicular train car to take you up to the rooms as they’re built on a hillside. It’s fine for a couple of nights, but wouldn’t do long term here. Solomon Kitano is a similar vibe, with better views as its beach front. It’s also close to nice restaurants and cafes (see below). For higher end, Heritage Park and Coral Sea Resort are great options – more modern, better facilities, sea front bars, huge pools etc. They are pricey for what you get, though that’s standard for Solomon. Most other hotels in Honiara are pretty basic, and only slightly more budget friendly.
There isn’t a huge amount to do in Honiara. Most of the sights are WWII memorials, churches, or markets. You should absolutely go and see those, notably the Guadalcanal Memorial and the Solomon Scouts and Coastwatchers Monument. Solomon has a really interesting history as the Pacific’s major battleground between Japan and the allied forces. The role Solomons played in this is also compelling. I knew so little about this before going, so I found it really fascinating. Unity Square by the port is also worth a visit – it celebrates the unity of the 9 Solomon provinces. The National Museum is worth a visit too, to see the history of the Solomon people and their culture, WWII history, various settlers to the island, archaeology etc. It was closed on Sunday though…
I booked a city tour with Hapi Isles Tours and Transfers. They were fine, and ultimately the best (and only?) way to see the main sites, as I couldn’t find any reliable info on car rental. However, it was 2 hours in a car with limited AC and hopping out at 5 or 6 sites. It certainly didn’t last a half day. The guide was pretty knowledgeable though and I learned a lot. I had contacted them directly via email and they quoted me $130 but I later discovered they’re charging $82 for the same thing if you book on Trip Advisor. They also wanted to charge me $30 extra for including an airport transfer even though one of the sites on the tour is literally at the airport… I did not pay that in the end. Anyway, definitely book them through Trip Advisor, or negotiate better than I did…
Honiara was unbearably hot. Way hotter than in Port Vila. The above was more than enough for one afternoon so I spent the rest of the day relaxing at the hotel. Solomon has some decent local beers so definitely give those a go. King Solomon hotel does a traditional British roast dinner on a Sunday too which was honestly so exciting for me, I haven’t had one of those in so long. They have really decent pizzas too if that’s not your thing.
For the final half day in Honiara, I chose to wander around the city. As I’d already seen the main sights, I explored the town centre and found some really decent cafes and restaurants. Breakwater Cafe was a delightful sea-front spot with iced coffees and sandwiches. Tenkai Sushi Cafe was also pretty legit with so many Japanese dishes on the menu. Palm Sugar is a classic greasy spoon type cafe, not sure I’d suggest eating there, but it is surrounded by local art stores where you can get paintings, souvenirs, etc. You can also visit Coral Sea Resort during the day as a non-guest and hang out at their pool or bar, chill in their garden bean bags etc. It also has a casino. Win.
After that, it was time to say farewell and head back to the airport. There’s 1-2 international flights per day from Honiara, so don’t expect much while you wait for your flight. There’s a cafe though with beers and slushies, and decent AC, so it was fine. You’ll land back in Brisbane at around 18:30, concluding your long weekend of pacific island hopping in time for an early night!
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