Making the most of Luganville
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Luganville's cruise terminal is conveniently close to the town centre, generally less than a kilometre away.
The town stands approximately one kilometre from the ship and overlooks attractive Segond Channel. Luganville has local bars, restaurants and general stores, together with the Women's Market, which sells handicrafts from across Espirito Santo. The 0.5km walk into town passes craft stalls and surviving building remnants from the American presence during WWII.
Take the printable map ashore.
Formerly called the New Hebrides Islands, Vanuatu is an archipelago nation of 83 islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean, north of New Zealand and east of Australia.
Luganville is Espiritu Santo's largest, and rather poor, town. It contains numerous Chinese stores and a small number of restaurants.
Vanuatu's pristine beaches and crystal-clear seas have a worldwide reputation, as does its scuba diving. Just offshore is the world's largest intact shipwreck accessible to divers. During World War II, the 30,000-ton ocean liner "President Coolidge" struck a "friendly" mine and sank in Santo harbour, where it remains virtually undisturbed at depths of between 60 and 180 feet. A remarkable variety of colourful marine life surrounds the wreck, making a dive here a genuine once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Getting around
Million Dollar Point is an attractive snorkelling location. At the end of World War 11, the Americans pushed into the ocean anything they did not want to take back to America.
Food and shopping
The open-air market operates 24 hours a day apart from Sunday nights. People from villages around Santo bring fresh fruit, vegetables and assorted other goods grown in their gardens. The produce is entirely organic, exceptionally inexpensive and difficult to beat for quality.
Money
The Vatu (VT) is the local currency and is worth approximately 1 US cent or 0,7 Euro cents.
Many businesses accept debit and credit cards on the principal networks, including Cirrus and Maestro. ATMs can be found in Port Vila.
Tipping, haggling and bargaining are not expected in Vanuatu.
Staying connected
Vanuatu has three official languages: English, French and Bislama.
Some cafés provide customers with free WiFi, while wireless hotspots are also available in central Port Vila.