Six provinces · about 65 inhabited
The Islands of Vanuatu: The Twelve a Visitor Reaches, North to South
Vanuatu runs roughly 1,300 kilometres north to south. The country counts around 83 islands and about 65 of them are inhabited, grouped into six provinces whose names are built from the islands they contain — Torba, Sanma, Penama, Malampa, Shefa and Tafea.
In geographic order
Moving between them
There is no bridge between any two islands in Vanuatu. Domestic flights run from Port Vila on Efate to airstrips across the country, and inter-island shipping carries most of the freight and a good deal of the passenger traffic. Schedules move with the weather and with demand, and a published timetable is better read as an intention than a guarantee.
Practical detail on flights and arrival sits in getting there; the seasons that govern whether any of it runs smoothly are in when to visit.
Six provinces
The provincial names are acronyms of the islands they contain: Torba from Torres and Banks, Sanma from Santo and Malo, Penama from Pentecost, Ambae and Maewo, Malampa from Malakula, Ambrym and Paama, Shefa from Shepherds and Efate, Tafea from Tanna, Aniwa, Futuna, Erromango and Aneityum. The scheme dates from independence and makes the map unusually easy to hold in the head.
Which islands people actually visit
Efate takes almost every arrival because the international airport is there. Tanna and Espiritu Santo take most of the onward traffic, for the volcano and the wreck respectively. Everything else receives a small fraction of that, which is the reason to go.
What an outer island is like
Village guesthouses and bungalows. Generator power for part of the evening, or none. Food from the garden and the sea. No ATM, no card terminal, and often no signal. Arrangements made in advance by phone where there is one and by relayed message where there is not. This is not hardship tourism; it is simply how most of the country lives.
Land is owned
Every beach, reef and stretch of bush in Vanuatu belongs to someone under customary title — see kastom. Walking across it, camping on it or swimming off it is done by permission, which is usually given readily and is not optional.
Common questions
How many islands can you realistically visit?
Two or three on a two-week trip. Nearly all domestic routes run through Port Vila, so island-hopping means returning to the capital between legs.
Which island is best for a first visit?
Efate for arrival and logistics, then Tanna for the volcano or Santo for the wreck and blue holes, depending on what the trip is for.
Are the outer islands difficult?
Not difficult so much as unserviced — village accommodation, limited power, no banking and a flight schedule that moves. Time and flexibility matter more than fitness.
Can you island-hop by boat?
Between neighbouring islands, yes, by arranged open boat. Inter-island shipping covers longer routes on schedules that are not reliably published.
Provinces and what they contain
Torba: the Banks and Torres groups. Sanma: Espiritu Santo and Malo. Penama: Pentecost, Ambae and Maewo. Malampa: Malakula, Ambrym and Paama. Shefa: the Shepherd Islands and Efate. Tafea: Tanna, Aniwa, Futuna, Erromango and Aneityum. Provincial capitals are Sola, Luganville, Saratamata, Lakatoro, Port Vila and Isangel respectively.
Choosing where to go
Volcano: Tanna or Ambrym. Diving: Espiritu Santo. Ceremony: Pentecost in season, or Malakula. Quiet: Epi, Maewo, Aneityum. Remote: the Banks and Torres group.
Staying on an outer island
Accommodation outside Efate and Santo means village guesthouses and bungalows, booked in advance by phone or relayed message. Expect generator power for part of the evening, food from the garden and the sea, shared washing facilities and no card terminal. It is not rough so much as unserviced, and it is how the large majority of the country lives.
How the chain is shaped
Seen on a map the archipelago forms a rough Y, which is why the national flag carries one. The northern arms run from the Torres and Banks groups down through Santo and the Penama islands; the stem runs south through Malampa and Shefa to the Tafea islands. The shape follows the subduction boundary that built the islands in the first place — see geography.
Distance in practice
Port Vila to Sola in the Banks group is about 700 kilometres, roughly London to Edinburgh, but with one small aircraft a few times a week instead of a rail line. Planning across the chain means thinking in flight availability.
Which are inhabited
Of about 83 islands, roughly 65 carry population. Several that were inhabited are not: Lopevi was evacuated permanently after repeated eruptions, and Mystery Island is uninhabited because custom keeps it so.