Espiritu Santo Island

Espiritu Santo is the largest of Vanuatu’s islands (4,010 km2) and with some of the most beautiful white sand beaches, amazing blue holes, caves, world renowned diving and snorkeling. It is a little known paradise waiting to be uncovered.

A recently completed modern airport (Pekoa) has made access to the island much easier. Infrastructure to support the expected increase in tourism has resulted in improved accommodations, shops and restaurants. The island’s populace live mainly on the northern and eastern coastal strips. The inland villages are quite isolated making the native populace totally self-sufficient. Here locals use clothes woven from jungle leaves just as their ancestors have generations before.

Santo also has Vanuatu’s tallest mountain range capped by Mt. Tabwemasana at 1,879m (6,200ft.). Luganville, with a population of over 12,000 is the principal city and is also referred to as “Vanuatu’s Northern Capital.” There are scuba diving and snorkeling trips, trekking (to Millennium Cave) and horseback riding or cattle round-ups. You can also trek through the Vatthe Conservation Area or birdwatch Vanuatu’s extensive indigenous collection.

While Santo is a mecca for dive enthusiasts it also offers breathtaking sightseeing for non-divers. Days can be spent lazing on vacant white sand beaches, snorkelling and kayaking in the crystal clear blue water, trekking through untouched rainforest or discovering an ancient and relatively unchanged culture.

During World War II 100,000 allied troops and support staff were stationed in Santo. Remnants of this time, including the SS President Coolidge, a 22,000 ton luxury liner turned troopship which sunk just of shore, have become world renowned dive sites. Some amazing photos can be seen on National Geographic

Divers and snorkellers can explore ship wrecks and sites like Million Dollar Point where thousands of tons of war surplus were dumped in the ocean by the US, as well as amazing coral reefs and blue holes joined by underground caverns.