Top Things to Do in Efate, Vanuatu - Efate Attractions
Things to Do in Efate
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Top Attractions in Efate
Bodies of Water • Nature & Wildlife Areas
Admission tickets from A$14.79
Bodies of Water • Nature & Wildlife Areas
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Tours, activities and experiences bookable on Tripadvisor, ranked using exclusive Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, popularity, user preferences, price, and bookings made through Tripadvisor.
What travellers are saying
- Rimbwe T2 contributionsTruly a genuinely shocking and stunning area. Very little more I can say about this as it is stunning Definitely justified even despite the visit"
Totally wonderful and an incredible swimming spot! A stunning stroll along the stream to get to the agony opening close to the top. No image really does it equity.Written 14 February 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - CHEBOT2020Australia8 contributionsGreat bargains to be had at the market especially with papaya, pineapples and coconut with shell removed enabling you to drink the coconut water- yummy!Written 5 March 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Untung TManila, Philippines149 contributionsWe took the bus to the blue lagoon which costs us 20usd and spend the whole afternoon there. The water is just amazing and we saw that they have facilities to BBQ as well. Nice tables under huts and enough space, even when it got crowded that no one disturbed. The whole atmosphere was beautiful.
Just a tip, hire a car or hire a bus or taxi to bring you there and back. We didn't organized transportation back and had to wait at the side of the road. Unfortunately no bus passed by. Eventually we were so fortunate and hitchhiked. And the guy who drove us was so kind driving us to the turtle bay. Amazing and memorable day!
Must visit when in Vanuatu!Written 16 November 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - KKAdventuresSouth Africa81 contributionsWe were here when it was quiet so found it to be very peaceful and relaxing. Personally we were impressed with the snorkeling and really enjoyed our day here.Written 19 April 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- IzymooAuckland Central, New Zealand7 contributionsWe came here to see the turtles. We were lucky to be the only group there at the time so we had a lady show us around and tell us about all the enclosures. We sat in the pools with the baby turtles which was cool and we saw a few bigger turtles. We also got to hold Iguanas and see some bats. It's not a flash place but it was interesting and not very expensive. 1700 Vatu for adults and 1000 vatu for children.Written 29 March 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- SebastianSunshine Coast, Australia4 contributionsBeautiful cascades accompanied with beautiful floraand fauna and welcomingstaff. Would recommend to all people visiting Vanuatu.Written 14 June 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Joanne2 contributionsThe guide was very knowledgeable of he history and culture. I would recommend this as a good place to visit. Child friendly.Written 19 March 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- gosnmMallacoota, Australia87 contributionsWe loved Eden on the River as it was our kind of really relaxing afternoon.
The gardens are well designed and maintained, and have little signs that tell you about the plants. The owner, Carolyn (Appologies if mis-spelt) also showed us around her veggie / fruit garden which we were really interested in. This was much more informative than the garden tour with the guide was.
Many of the home grown fruit and veggies end up on the menu in the cafe - including the white Kumala which they use for hot chips. I’m not a usual kumara / sweet potato fan, but these were AMAZING chips, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and more potato flavoured than the orange varieties. The cafe also serves Tanna coffee in a plunger for 2 - lovely :)
The river is stunning and has beautiful big clear pools. We borrowed 2 of the tire tubes and had loads of fun just floating around in the pools and sliding down the little cascades.
It’s shady so nice and cool, and very relaxing... I reckon we spent over an hour just swimming.
We actually went to Eden on the River with the intention to play mini-golf but ended up doing the ‘bridge walk and garden walk’ instead as it looked interesting on the brochure.
I can appreciate that for children, and people who haven’t done much in the way of adventure activities the bridge would be exciting. But for us we took less than 20 minutes to do the walk and cross the bridge - if we’d seen it first we would have stuck with the self-tour and mini-golf idea.
The fruit platter after the tour was nice touch.
If we went again we’d just pay the 1000vt entrance fee each and enjoy the gardens / river without the tours... and then pay to play the mini-golf.
In saying that though, the value for our money was in the owners who, when we told them how much we’d paid to get a bus out (1000vt for 2) they told us it was too much. So at the end of the work day they drove us back to the road with some of the staff and got one of the young staff members to help us get a bus for - costing us only 200vt each back to Vila.
Overall a really relaxing day, but would suggest people do the river walk for themselves first (included in the entrance fee) and have a look and decide if the bridges will excite you.Written 6 March 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - Stacey WSutherland Shire, Australia10 contributionsJust so beautiful, one of the highlights of the holiday. Came across the beach by accident-very protected in a cove-water so clear and calm. So safe. 300 Vatu each but well worth it. About 30 min outside Vila. Shade provided-great for kids and families. A piece of heaven!Written 13 March 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Aussie TravelGeelong, Australia91 contributionsNot in great condition and took two dives holding my breath but I managed to deliver a postcard. Nearby snorkeling is goodWritten 11 March 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- kristy wClare, Australia7 contributionsWe stayed at Iririki Island Resort of 7 nights in Jan this year and it was fantastic. Myself, husband and 7 year old son stayed in an ocean view apartment and the view was spectacular.
PROs
-We love to snorkel and we were not disappointed! Snorkelers Cove was near our room and we went snorkelling every day. YEs some reviews say the coral is still not recovered from the cyclone, but that is not the resorts fault and the fish were just beautiful and in an abundance.
-The included breakfast buffet was just THE BEST. There are negative reviews on here about the breakfast and I simply cannot understand why. We did not have to wait very long for special orders, the food on the buffet was great and there was so much of it we really only need one other meal a day plus some snacks.
-The staff... nothing bad to say here, friendly, helpful and I think my son was best friends with everyone on the island by the time we left.
-They have these little golf carts that cruise around the island, you can jump on them if they go by or if you need to get to reception you can order one and wait. But really you can walk everywhere.
-We had room service one night and it was so fast and yum.
-All food was great.
-Cocktails were great, I will say they are made better at Infinity Bar than at Sunset bar
-The people on the mainland are really friendly and say hi when you walk by them, which was really comforting when away from home.
-Nights of entertainment were great, fire show with dinner, local dancers, all fun and fantastic
We really didn't leave the island except for a day at Hideaway Island which oh is an absolute must visit! (If you like to snorkel)
Cons (only reasons for 4 instead of 5)
-Sunset pool is a bit dated and needs some work. My husband cut himself getting out of the pool first day. Not badly just a few sharp tiles.
-Sunset Bar and Grill closes at 5pm! That is not sunset lol So the only place you can then drink and eat is the Infinity Bar but the pool there is Adults only. We let our son swim there anyway which I am sure upset some people but we wanted to eat and drink a cocktail so that was our only option.
-The pool bar did not open once while we were there, that was disappointing. But they do walk around and take orders so I'm being a bit harsh there, It did not reduce the enjoyment of our stay!
Only other note is if you have specific tours you want to go on maybe try book early as we were not able to go on the ones we wanted. As there are only 3 of us all the specific tours we wanted were either a min of 4 people and no others had booked or on other days there were cruise ships in port so all the tours were booked out. The resort itself does offer some tours or you can hire a taxi driver for the day.
DO NOT BUY YOUR VATU IN AUSTRALIA I bought some before I left and got an exchange rate of 57 vatu to the dollar. In Vanuatu, even the amount put to my credit card and converted by my bank was at 78 vatu to the dollar, sometimes 80!
And no it is not a cheap holiday if that is what you are looking for. Everything cost pretty much the same as in Aus, so take advantage of buffet breakfast, happy hours and specials. And purchase the island card before you go cos that was an awesome deal and saved us a lot of money!
What a beautiful lush green country!
Just loved it :)Written 5 February 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - FamilydaysJgpcAdelaide, Australia25 contributionsOwner and staff took good care of us. Water slide is very fast. Not everything was available on the day. My sone really enjoyed zorbing. Entire family enjoyed our visitWritten 16 February 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- JohnCartUnsworth Heights, New Zealand26 contributionsNot a taxing walk and beautiful bush and river. Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly and the entry price included an fruit platter at the end of the walk.Written 5 March 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Claude7 contributionsThe locals are super amazing with their friendly smiles and colourful, stylish handicrafts that enlighten the souls of whoever walks by with affordable prices.
A great spot in Port-Vila city.Written 26 March 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - RagdadRaglan, New Zealand222 contributionsI have visited the museum a few times and the sand drawing artist has always been away. He was also away on this trip but a trainee created some excellent drawings for us.
A few people have commented on the lighting level. Low lighting levels are needed in museums displaying textiles. Vanuatu museum has tried to solve this by lowering light levels and installing UV film on the cabinet glass. This combination has made the signs in the cabinets unreadable. The museum needs to seek assistance from museum experts in other Pacific countries on how to work out better displays.
The Lapita pottery is a treasure. No worry with lights on it so illumination on these exhibits please.Written 16 October 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Frequently Asked Questions about Efate
- The top attractions to visit in Efate are:
- Mele Cascades
- Port Vila Markets
- Blue Lagoon
- Hideaway Island Marine Reserve
- The Reef Vanuatu Zoological
- The best outdoor activities in Efate according to Tripadvisor travellers are:
- Blue Lagoon
- The Reef Vanuatu Zoological
- Mele Cascades
- Hideaway Island Marine Reserve
- Eden on the River
- The best day trips from Efate according to Tripadvisor travellers are:
- Port Vila Full Day Tour - Experience the Real Vanuatu
- Back to Eden Tour
- Oceanwalker Underwater Discovery Tour with Yumi Tours
- Discover Cascades and Swim with Turtles in Vanuatu
- Vanuatu Buggy Adventure Tour with Yumi Tours
- The most popular things to do in Efate with children according to Tripadvisor travellers are:See all kid friendly things to do in Efate on Tripadvisor