The Thrilling "Vanuatu Journey" — An Adrenaline-Packed Adventure to Tanna Island

Text & Photos /Shao Sheng

In the dead of night, as the boat set anchor and sailed out to sea, the pitch-black darkness hung overhead. Navigating through extremely rough seas, we felt as though we were heading into an unknown fog. The boat rocked violently, the swaying so intense it felt like a shipwreck was imminent. At the time, I wasn’t sure if we’d make it through the night unscathed. Even now, recalling that terrifying experience feels like it happened just yesterday.

During this trip to Vanuatu, due to time constraints and limited funds, I only planned to visit two islands: the main island and Tanna Island in the south of Vanuatu. The primary goal was to explore the legendary active volcano. However, this article isn’t about the volcano but rather the most thrilling journey on Tanna Island and its largest village—Lenakel.

The van in the photo, a 9-seater minibus, looks like a tank, but don’t underestimate it—it’s the only bus on Tanna Island, running just a few times a day. This bus only operates between Tanna Airport and Lenakel, with each trip costing 300 VT (almost 100 TWD). Though the bus is extremely old, it’s a vital mode of transport for locals. You’ll never see such rundown vehicles in New Caledonia. Despite the two countries being geographically close, their ways of life are worlds apart. As for reaching the active volcano in East Tanna, there’s no bus service available, so you have to rely on resort shuttles, which are considerably more expensive. Otherwise, you’d have to walk—a backpacker I heard of actually did, covering around 20 kilometers to reach the destination.

Lenakel is the largest village on Tanna Island in southern Vanuatu. The entire island only has electricity supply along the road from the airport to Lenakel. Additionally, Tanna Island’s infrastructure is extremely underdeveloped. Only parts of the mountain road leading to the volcano are paved with concrete; the rest are dirt roads made of yellow soil and volcanic ash, all extremely rugged. I initially thought about cycling there, but after seeing those dirt paths, I had to back out. Moreover, the island’s largest village and its only port are located in Lenakel. Every morning, villagers bring their homegrown vegetables, fruits, and meats to the market to sell. From what I remember, locals mentioned that Fridays and Saturdays host larger markets, with many islanders setting up stalls to do business. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to witness the bustling scene since I didn’t stay long enough.

Due to the extremely inconvenient transportation on Tanna Island, the cost of living is surprisingly high. Coupled with the fact that many areas are remote and only accessible via resorts, restaurant prices are also exorbitant. However, if you head to the market to pick up locally grown fruits and vegetables, the prices are quite reasonable. There are also some small shops nearby selling snacks to supplement meals, which can help you skip several meals. These fruits are sold by bunches, but the prices are genuinely affordable—some big bunches can be bought for just 100–200 VT. The downside is that the market mostly sells produce, with almost no food stalls. Compared to restaurants, I prefer local snacks, but they’re incredibly hard to find on Tanna Island.

Kava, this expensive and peculiar plant, is called Kava. Locals chop it up and boil it, resulting in a brew that looks like muddy water. They drink it extremely strong, and they once offered me a sip. The taste is truly unforgettable—Kava is intensely pungent, and it leaves your mouth numb, with the sensation lingering for a long time. After one try, I couldn’t stand the taste, but the indigenous people love it. They drink a cup before dinner every night for a boost of energy. However, the price of Kava is incredibly steep, especially for locals. Later, I learned that Kava used to be cheap, but after it was discovered to be an excellent ingredient for anesthetics, demand skyrocketed—especially among tourists from wealthy countries—driving the price up ever since.

The only butcher shop I found near the market. When I visited the Tanna Island market, I barely saw any meat vendors—this was the only one. The butcher uses an ancient balance scale to weigh fresh meat. But... the locals are so bold—pork (or beef) is sold by the whole leg. Though they seem used to it, as an outsider, it was a bit unsettling for me, XD.

Lenakel is also the only place on Tanna Island with internet and a bank. That day, I originally wanted to book a flight online, but I eventually decided to take a boat back to the capital, Port Vila, and dropped the idea. As I strolled around the area, I spotted free-roaming goats, but they ran off as soon as I approached.

The beaches along the northern and southern coasts of Lenakel Village. The northern coast is rocky, making it unsuitable for swimming. The southern side has a small sandy beach, which is a paradise for villagers and children. Seeing their joyful smiles, you can’t help but feel they truly enjoy such a primitive and peaceful life. This is the essence of the Tanna Islanders. Upcoming articles will delve into their admirable way of life.

Whenever I arrive somewhere, I always think about how to experience the lives of the locals. Tanna Island was no exception. So, a sudden thought popped into my mind—I wanted to try taking a boat from Port Vila to Tanna Island. I’d had this idea even before arriving in Vanuatu. But when I was in Port Vila, I went to the dock to ask the local boatmen how often boats depart for Tanna. Strangely, no one seemed to know. Eventually, someone told me there are only two boats a month to Tanna—since boats leave weekly, if one goes from Port Vila to Tanna one week, the return trip is the next week. By the time I inquired, the boat had just left Port Vila the day before. So, I had no choice but to take a flight to Tanna Island.

However, when I arrived at the Tanna Island dock that morning, I unexpectedly saw a boat docked there. Excited, I immediately asked the boatmen when it would depart for Port Vila. They said it would leave at 3 PM that afternoon (I think it was around that time), and advised me to decide quickly if I wanted to board. As I stood by the boat, pondering, I briefly considered giving up on the boat ride and buying a flight back to Port Vila instead. The weather was clear and sunny that day, and the ocean waves weren’t particularly rough. But the boat was swaying violently from side to side, feeling extremely dangerous. When I asked the crew, they said the boat ride from Tanna to Port Vila takes 12 hours. That instantly made me want to back out. After an internal struggle, I decided to go ahead and experience the boat ride. After all, I’d already taken a flight. Little did I know... it would become the worst nightmare of my trip.

This little boat was actually just a regular small fishing cargo vessel. It had no cabin—only a simple deck at the back and a crane at the front for loading goods. Many islanders had prepared various goods and vegetables to sell in Port Vila to earn money, which made me realize just how tough life on Tanna Island really is.

Interestingly, four burly men were carrying a single item. Curious about why it wasn’t being lifted by the crane, I stepped closer and realized it was a massive wild boar. My first thought was: won’t this pig get seasick after being on the boat for so long in such harsh conditions? XD

The friendly crew members on the boat. I think the man in the upper right corner is the captain. I was the only tourist on the boat, so they were quite curious about me. The fare for the boat ride from Tanna to Port Vila was 4000 VT (about 1250 TWD), while the flight, at the time, cost 150 AUD (around 4200 TWD, as Air Vanuatu prices are in AUD and fluctuate with the exchange rate—but it’s roughly 14000 VT). Taking the boat could save you about two-thirds of the cost. But trust me, once you’ve taken the boat, you’ll never want to do it again—at least, that’s how I felt. And I only wanted to experience how locals travel by boat, not because I couldn’t afford the trip, XD.

However, the boat, which was supposed to depart at 3 PM, didn’t leave when I arrived. The crew suddenly announced the departure time had been changed to 7 PM. So, I headed back to Kiel to hang out with the kids (Kiel is briefly mentioned in the overview). After saying goodbye to the family as dusk fell, I went to the dock to wait for the boat. When I bid them farewell, I saw the mother and her four children waving at me vigorously, even while walking away. Watching their figures grow smaller and eventually disappear tugged at my heartstrings. I was deeply moved. In fact, I had planned to stay a few more days on Tanna Island to spend more time with them before deciding at the last minute to take the boat back. But little did I know, that marked the beginning of the most thrilling journey of the trip.

The entire boat had only a very basic deck at the back where passengers could stand. The small deck was crammed with around 25–40 passengers (it was too shaky to count accurately, but I’d guess at least 25). I was the only foreigner. The moment I boarded, I felt terrified—the deck was filthy. Though I was one of the first to board, I managed to find a small spot to lie down. But I didn’t dare touch the ground, wrapping myself tightly in a sleeping bag. The filth on the deck was so bad even a seasoned backpacker like me couldn’t stand it. After returning to Port Vila, I had to wash my sleeping bag and backpack multiple times to get them clean.

Now, let’s talk about the journey itself. As I’d feared, it was just as bad as I imagined—but the nightmare came sooner than expected. Shortly after leaving the harbor, the small boat started shaking violently. The terrifying ride lasted nearly the entire journey until we were close to Port Vila. Throughout the trip, the boat would tilt beyond 45 degrees before the captain managed to stabilize it. It rocked in every direction—front, back, up, down, left, and right—leaving me wondering if I’d ever make it back to Port Vila.

But the violent shaking was so intense that whenever large waves hit, seawater would splash directly onto us on the deck, drenching everyone and making things even messier. The worst part? The sailor had initially said the trip would take 12 hours, but it ended up lasting 17.5 hours. We spent nearly a full day on the boat, rocking for over 16 hours before finally reaching Port Vila. All I could think about was escaping that turbulent nightmare, yet we ended up sailing an extra 5.5 hours.

Also, although I was the only foreigner and the rest were locals, I assumed they were used to such boats and could handle the rough seas. Surprisingly, even the Tanna Islanders couldn’t withstand the intensity—it was stronger than a roller coaster—and they were vomiting everywhere. The already filthy deck became even worse with the addition of vomit, XD. But here’s the funny part: with the dirty deck, vomit everywhere (and locals spitting carelessly on the deck, XD), the combined smell must’ve been awful. However, after enduring such violent shaking, it numbed all my senses to the point where I could only focus on reaching the destination. My sense of smell was completely gone—I couldn’t even detect the disgusting odor.

The only silver lining of this terrifying boat ride was that, despite not bringing motion sickness pills and mentally preparing for the worst, I survived the 17.5-hour ordeal without getting seasick or vomiting—even though many locals did. I later realized I have a pretty strong resistance to motion sickness. But I didn’t need this nightmare to prove it. However, I ended up catching a cold and fever that night back in Port Vila because I hadn’t rested properly and had been online for too long. The experience was bizarre—I felt like the entire room was spinning. Thankfully, after taking fever-reducing medicine the next day, I recovered immediately. My resilience is truly impressive.

After me, two fearless backpackers last year also dared to take the boat to Tanna Island, so they asked for my advice. Though I strongly advised against it, they still wanted to experience the boat ride. They took the boat to Tanna and ended up vomiting everywhere, so they flew back to Port Vila on the return trip~ haha. Unlike me, they gathered reliable information in Port Vila, so I’m sharing it with you all. But why couldn’t I find any of that info?!

Actually, there are three boats that rotate between Port Vila and Tanna Island. The boat they took (pictured above) was the largest one (wow, it was truly luxurious—much bigger than mine, XD). Even on the big boat, they still got seasick badly. There are three boats that run southbound, so there’s almost a boat to Tanna Island every day or every other day—not just two a month as previously mentioned. Additionally, besides Air Vanuatu flights between Port Vila and Tanna, there’s also a smaller Airtaxi option, priced at just 10000 VT (Air Vanuatu is about 14000 VT). However, the Airtaxi is mainly for tour groups. In the end, they didn’t get a seat on the plane, so I’m just sharing this for reference.

Taking the boat between Port Vila and Tanna Island is truly a terrifying experience. Later backpackers told me there had been a recent boat accident, so this route does carry risks. Anyone considering it should think carefully before deciding. However, since flight tickets are so expensive, the boat remains the only option for lower-income locals. That’s why I wanted to experience it—in resource-scarce Vanuatu, even having a decent boat service is a luxury. Though the locals live happily, they also endure hardships in their own way. Naively, I thought I could chat with them about their boat experiences, but I was too preoccupied with surviving myself. Looking back, this voyage remains the most thrilling and unforgettable memory of my trip. Even though it’s been a year and a half, it still feels vivid. But if you ask me if I’d do it again, I’d say I’d rather pay for a flight to Tanna Island, XD. On the other hand, without that terrifying experience, my journey wouldn’t have been as rich or as full of compelling stories.

Transportation from Port Vila (Capital) to Tanna Island
● Boat: One to two departures daily (info provided by backpackers)
Fare: 4000–5000 VT (I paid 4000 VT for a basic boat in June 2013; they paid 5000 VT for the largest boat in September 2014)
● Flight: Air Vanuatu operates about 1–2 flights per day.
Fare: Approximately 14,000 VT (Air Vanuatu prices in Australian dollars, which converts to around 14,000 local currency).
● Airtaxi flights: Primarily for tour groups, so availability depends on luck.
Fare: Approximately 10,000 VT
 

Xiaosheng’s Wandering Journey
Every journey, every trip is a quest. Though I’m not entirely sure what I’m searching for, what I end up gaining often exceeds my expectations—so my wandering journey will continue endlessly.