Activities

As little or as much as you like...
At Worawia we understand that everyone’s different. Some people want to relax, some want to explore, and some want to fill their days with every activity available. Here are some activities you can enjoy while in Vanuatu, both at Worawia resort and in and around Port Vila.

No matter to which group you belong, if any at all, we’ll have something for you. Be it lazing around our pool, going to the nearby beach for leisurely walks, hitting the white ball on the 18-hole golf course next door, exploring some or all of the popular nearby attractions, going to Port Vila for sightseeing, shopping or restaurants, or even exploring many of Efate Island’s attractions – just tell us what would you like and we’ll do all we can to make your stay at Worawia and Vanuatu memorable. We’ll even help you arrange visits to other Vanuatu islands, if you decide to do a bit of “island hoping” whilst here.

Swimming pool, swim-up pool bar, and barbecue

Resort pool + bungalows

If a relaxing or a laid back resort-centred holiday is what you’re looking for, there are quite a few activities which you can do in and around the resort, without going out of your way. We have sunbeds located around our custom-designed swimming pool, ideal for enjoying a good book or just taking advantage of some ‘quiet-time’ for yourself. There’s also a swim-up pool bar serving food and drinks, so you don’t have to go far for essential refreshment between your hard relaxing work. But when hunger pangs strike and you feel like something different, you’ll find our barbecue very handy, whether you choose to grill it yourself, or let our staff do it for you. You can have your meal by the pool, in our barbecue hut, or have it served to you in your holiday bungalow.

‘Alice’s Eatery’ small restaurant

Food serving

Or for something more formal and with more choice, ask your host Alice to prepare one of her specialties, such as Alice’s Island Curry. You can have your meals served to your bungalow, or at our small, casual restaurant ‘Alice’s Eatery’. The restaurant menu mixes other Melanesian and international flavours and is licensed. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but do ask beforehand if you would like your meal prepared by Alice, as this is a casual restaurant.

Melanesian Feast Night

Guests at Feast Night

For an authentic tropical island experience, make sure you attend our Melanesian Feast Night – also known as Solo’s Feast ‘n’ Fun Night. It’s held once a week, usually on Thursday nights. A fun-filled evening includes kava tasting, ‘earth-oven’ cooked buffet-style feast, a brief introduction to local history and customs, local colourful dancers, and musical string band. Be sure to attend the Feast Night at least once and you’ll see why guests from other Port Vila resorts come to Worawia every Thursday especially for the Melanesian Feast Night.

Ocean front beach

Volcanic sand beach

And when it comes to working those calories off, there’s nothing as relaxing as a leisurely beach walk. Just a few minutes stroll down our beach road and you’ll find yourself on a grey volcanic sand beach, curving along the golf course next door on one side and down to Hideaway Cove on the other side, lined by tropical palms and Banyan trees. Being usually uncrowded, you will find the beach peaceful and reflective – with a real island feel.

Mele Village

Mele 'shopping centre'

For something really different, if you want to acquaint yourself with the local culture and village life, you can ask one of our staff, usually Manuel, to take you along on a short Mele village tour, for a modest fee. The village is a short stroll away from Worawia, where you can see traditional island life of Vanuatu. The tour will take an hour or two, but please respect the village locals as you would respect anyone’s else’s home.

Botanical Gardens

Mele village from the air

Or to truly experience Vanuatu, visit the nearby Mele Botanical Gardens & Cultural Centre. It’s only a short walk down the road from Worawia, where you can learn about Vanuatu islands’ customs and culture and see the local birdlife and wildlife, its flora and fauna. It’s a very informative guided tour, where you can learn more about the real Vanuatu than anywhere else.

Port Vila Golf and Country Club

Port Vila Golf Club

For those more sport-minded, we can arrange a guest pass at the golf club next door – just tell us when you feel like having a white ball spoil your walk and we’ll make the arrangements for you. The 18-hole golf course is the same one where the Vanuatu Open Tournament is held every year in early August, as part of the Pacific Professional Tour. The course is measured in metres, has a driving range and Australian general rules of golf apply. Located seaside, it has ocean views, with Hideaway Island seen across and Worawia resort right next door. There’s also two-storey clubhouse, with drinks and meals available. The Tusker Vanuatu Golf Open 2006 will be held at the club in July.

Cascades Waterfall

Cascades waterfall

One of the most popular tours is going to this tropical setting, about 5-minute drive from Worawia. With a series of cascaded rockpools, some of which you can swim in, adjoined to each other by small waterfalls, leading all the way to the top where the main waterfall is, Cascades are the best place for a whole family’s day outing. It’s well worth the visit and the gentle climb to the top, where the water splashes out over the rainforest trees, is a spectacular sight! TIP:- go in the morning. On a nice day, the sun shines directly onto the main waterfall, making it perfect for taking photos. As you need to cross the shallow river several times to get to the main waterfall, it’s best to wear sandals or thongs and short pants. However, if you choose to do bushwalking on the sides of the waterfall to climb to the top, you might find walking shoes more convenient, as long as you don’t mind them getting wet while crossing the shallow river.

The town of Port Vila

Road to Worawia beach

Located about 10kms away from Worawia, Port Vila offers a whole variety of sightseeing and other activities. Apart from the expected tour and souvenir and gift shops, you will find many duty free stores, some of which also double as currency exchange shops. Small boutique and handcraft shops dot the streets, as do cafes and galleries. Several grocery supermarkets are available, stocking the items usually found in Australia and New Zealand, as well as some particularly French items. At least several ATM’s are available around the town, serviced by ANZ and Westpac banks, as well as the local National Bank of Vanuatu. The main post office is in the town’s centre near the banks, on the opposite side of the street. And you must not miss out on visiting the colourful Port Vila market, also centrally located. It’s the opportunity to meet the locals with their fruit, vegetables, flowers, shells, and artifacts and souvenirs. The market operates every day except Sunday. Public mini buses run past Worawia resort regularly, which will take you into the town and bring you back.

Port Vila Restaurants

Port Vila handcraft market

Port Vila is becoming known as the gourmet capital of the South Pacific. With its lively mix of different expatriate cultures, from French, Italian, Aussie and “Kiwi”, to Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Melanesian and Thai, as well as Mexican and Mediterranean, it offers a variety of restaurant choices. There are over 40 cafes and restaurants in Port Vila, whether you want to sip cappuccino, grab an Aussie meat pie, or American hotdog, or perhaps enjoy a full sumptuous menu meals in one of the many restaurants scattered around the town. And if night entertainment is your likeness, with live shows, you will find a number of waterfront bars, to keep you going into the small hours.

Vanuatu Tours

Erakor island boat ramp

Port Vila offers a whole variety of tour shops, ranging from half-day to full-day tours and cruises. Some of the popular tours include Lelepa Island and Erakor Island tours, Port Vila sightseeing, birdwatching and nature walks, Cascades Waterfall tours and various local village experience tours. If you have time on your hands, choose one of the Round the Island tours, which will take you around the Efate Island. It takes 6-8 hours to circle the island, giving you the opportunity to enjoy some of the best sightseeing anywhere. You will meet some of the local villagers during your stopovers, see some of the most pristine, untouched while sand beaches and coral reefs, and perhaps even visit WWII Relics Matanawora Museum on north part of Efate Island.

Vanuatu Cruises

Port Vila harbour park

As with tours, there are plenty of different cruises available, from half-an-hour underwater marine tour, to day and evening Lagoon and Sunset Wine and Chese cruises. But one of the most popular cruises with Worawia guests is South Seas Adventure Cruise, organized by Coongoola Day Cruises. It’s done on 23 meter timber sailing ketch with twin diesel back up power, covered aft deck, comfortable change cabins, spacious saloon, dinghy’s and snorkelling gear. The cruiser was previously mother ship to the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, can carry 50 day passengers and is now called “Vanuatu’s Lady of the Sea”.

Vanuatu Diving

Iririki island in Port Vila

Many of the cruises include scuba diving, snorkelling, canoeing and kayaking. But you can also find the shops which specialise in diving and snorkelling only, including wreck dives. One of the most experienced dive shops is Nautilus Scuba, who offer scuba instruction, equipment hire and airfills and dive charter and repairs. With 18 years of diving experience in and around Port Vila, they provide a variety of reef and wreck dives.

Some of the wreck dives include:

• “Konanda”, 45-metre island trader who sank in 1987; 
• “Star of Russia”, built in 1900’s by Harlan and Wolff of Belfast (famous for constructing the Titanic);
• “Tasman”, the Qantas record breaker (the first plane to fly from Auckland to Sydney in less than 8 hours);
• and “Semle Federsen”, trading vessel which went down during Cyclone Uma in 1987.
 
There are some excellent Reef Sites around Port Vila and Efate island, including underwater caves for those exploration dives.

Fishing in Vanuatu

Fishing before nightfall

Many fishing charters are available in Vanuatu, from light tackle and game fishing, to heavy tackle and sport fishing. The charters will usually provide free pick up and include light refreshments on half-day trips. There are plenty of good fishing spots around Efate Island, including further afield charters. Light tackle enthusiasts will find Giant Trevally, Bluespot Trevally, Green Job Fish and Coral Trout at Havannah Harbour. While the Lopevi Volcano and Maskeleyne Islands hide Dogtooth Tuna and Sailfish schools. [return to top of page]

Car rentals

For those of you who would like to explore the island more and venture further away, there are several car rental companies available: Budget, Avis, Hertz, Discount Rentals and Laho Rent a Car. Which one you choose will depend on what you require and what you’re prepared to spend, as well as what’s available. Our reception staff will be happy to assist you with recommending the company which might best suit your budget.

The Outer Vanuatu Islands

Small island at north Efate

To get the real taste of Vanuatu as one of the last remaining paradises, you must visit some of the many outer islands offering a truly unique experience. Perhaps the best known is Espiritu Santo island, or just Santo, the largest island in Vanuatu archipelago of 83 islands. It’s particularly popular with divers who like to wreck-dive. One of the best known wrecks is the U.S. “President Coolidge” troopship from WWII, left by Americans after it became victim of one of their own mines.

Visit Tanna island to be awed by the majesty of the world’s most accessible active volcano, Mt Yasur. It’s only an hour flight from Port Vila and one of the most popular islands with visitors. Likewise, Ambrym island is the home to the twin volcanoes, Mt Benbow and Mt Marum, featuring lava landscapes and unique local customs. Only half an hour flight from Port Vila and you will reach Erromango island, known as “Martyr’s Isle”. This is where many a missionary met his doom and where sandalwood traders made their fortune and blackbirders (slave traders) their infamous mark in history.

The second largest island is Malekula, where local traditions have been preserved more successfully than on any other Vanuatu island. You will witness their traditional and colourful custom dances, passed on and kept from their forefathers. And of course one of the better known Vanuatu islands is Pentecost, where the ceremony of land diving is held annually in April and May.

Land dive

Land dive mural

It’s quite an experience…believe it. Visit us in April or May and we’ll send you to south Pentecost island, where they do “bungy jumping” – the traditional way. In fact, apparently this is where all the modern bungy craze comes from…!?

Anyway, it’s called land dive and the local Pentecost islanders have been doing it for eons. But it’s nothing to do with ‘adrenaline buzz’, although I’m sure the land divers get it – it’s to do with centuries old tale of a woman who ran away from her husband who was beating her. She hid in a tall Banyan tree from husband, but he found her and tried to talk her down – if she came down of her own he won’t beat her… well, not much. If on the other hand he had to climb to get her, she’ll be really sorry, so he said. But she didn’t budge and he climbed up the tree. When he was about to grab her, she jumped off the tree. Feeling either sorry for her apparent death, or maybe sorry that he didn’t get her, he too jumped after her. What he didn’t realize is that while he was climbing up the tree, the woman tied Lianas vines to her ankles before jumping when he was about to reach her. She lived, he didn’t. At least that’s how the ancient tale goes.

Hence the ‘land dive’ tradition or ‘kastom’, known locally as Naghol or N’ghol. The land dive celebrates this ancient legend, but is also a fertility ritual, to ensure the following year’s good yam harvest. As well as men-jumpers proving their manhood before their women, who are not allowed to participate in the land dive preparations – only watch the men jump. And it’s all done ‘au naturel’ – no bungy cords there or safety checks – just the green jungle vines, which each jumper prepares himself. It’s a sobering, memorable, once in lifetime experience – not to be missed. But you must book a few months in advance – the number of visitors to Pentecost is strictly limited.