Things to do in Tanna
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Tanna
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season, the reliable window for roads, sea trips and clear volcano nights, with July and August the peak.
Wet and cyclone season, with the highest risk roughly January to March and roads and flights often disrupted.
Shoulder month, with the cyclone season sometimes running to May, so still expect unsettled weather.
What's on
- John Frum Day 15 February
Annual celebration at Sulphur Bay with flag raising, marching and speeches, in the wettest part of the year.
Best things to do in Tanna
Mount Yasur
An erupting crater you reach by 4WD and a short rim walk, best at dusk, but only when the alert level and wind allow it.
Yakel Village
A kastom village that has kept its traditional way of life, visited only as an arranged guided tour with dances.
Sulphur Bay
Centre of the John Frum movement, where Friday night gatherings and the 15 February celebration are held by the villages.
Giant Banyan Tree
A single banyan canopy the size of a village, visited with a local guide on custom land, often on a village day.
Port Resolution
A sheltered bay with white sand beaches and villages, and the practical east coast base for Mount Yasur.
Tanna Coffee Factory
Where Tanna coffee beans are hulled and processed near Lenakel, a small stop best paired with a market morning.
Where to stay in Tanna
West coast, Lenakel and White Grass
arrival ease, restaurants and the practical base
The airport, Lenakel town and market, and the island resorts are here, with the long cross island drive to Yasur.
East coast, Port Resolution and White Sands
the volcano, village life and quiet
Simple bungalows 20 to 45 minutes from Yasur among the villages, trading facilities and power for position.
Best restaurants in Tanna
White Grass Ocean Resort & Spa
The island top table, seafood and international cooking built on local produce in the White Grass dining room.
Tanna Evergreen Resort Restaurant
International cooking in one of the few standalone resort restaurants on the Lenakel side of the island.
Rockwater Resort
A daily changing, locally sourced seafood and healthy menu at Ipak Bay, best paired with a Blue Cave day.
Lenakel Fresh Produce Market
Market stalls in Lenakel on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the cheapest and most local meal on the island.
Port Resolution Yacht Club
A simple bungalow restaurant and bar above the bay, where east coast dinner is whatever the kitchen cooked.
Outdoor things to do in Tanna
Blue Cave
A sea cave you swim into, where light through the roof turns the water an intense blue on a calm day.
Blue Hole Number Two
A deep, calm coral pool in the west coast reef flat with strong snorkelling a short walk from the road.
Sulphur Bay Hot Springs
Hot springs beside Sulphur Bay village where warm pools meet the sea, visited with a local host or guide.
Lenuanatuaiu Waterfall
A jungle waterfall with a swimming pool, reached by rough road and a steep guided walk on custom land.
Shark Bay
An east coast bay where reef sharks are seen in the shallows, a host arranged viewing stop rather than a dive.
Best hotels in Tanna
Rockwater Resort
Ten rooms at Ipak Bay with a private beach, the most polished small resort base on Tanna in recent listings.
White Grass Ocean Resort & Spa
Island style bures in gardens by a coral reef, with a restaurant, spa and full tour desk on the west coast.
Tanna Evergreen Resort & Tours
A mid range west coast resort near the airport with sea views, a restaurant and its own tour operation.
Friendly Beach
A tiny remote beachfront stay on the east coast with large terraces, the quiet volcano side base for couples.
Rocky Ridge Bungalows
Simple bungalows on the coral cliffs directly above Blue Hole Number Two, made for tide led snorkelling stays.
Alofa Beach Bungalows
Budget beach bungalows with balconies, a restaurant and bar near Lenakel, a practical base for self organised tours.
Port Resolution Yacht Club
Basic clifftop bungalows above Port Resolution Bay run with the village, about 20 to 30 minutes from Yasur.
Tanna Lava View Bungalows
Very cheap village bungalows on the east side, the budget volcano base with meals and trips arranged by hosts.
Is Tanna expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | VUV 12,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | VUV 28,000 a person |
| Splurge | VUV 60,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Mount Yasur: a few days ahead
- Yakel Village: a few days ahead
- Sulphur Bay: a few days ahead
- Giant Banyan Tree: a few days ahead
- Blue Cave: a few days ahead
- Lenuanatuaiu Waterfall: a few days ahead
- Shark Bay: a few days ahead
- Rockwater Resort: weeks ahead
- Book domestic flights and rooms together in the July and August peak, when both sell out.
- Book the Yasur trip through your accommodation and keep a spare evening for a rim closure.
- Book resort dinners as a non guest, because kitchens cook to numbers.
Is Tanna safe?
- At the Yasur rim, stay in the marked areas, follow the site guides and take the protective gear offered.
- Serious medical cases are evacuated from Lenakel hospital to Port Vila, so evacuation insurance is essential.
- Use reef shoes at the blue holes and cave, never stand on live coral, and expect sharp coral on entry and exit.
Tanna travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Treating Mount Yasur as guaranteed open, when the alert level, wind or ash can close the rim on the day.
- Arriving on the east coast with no cash, when fees, meals, trucks and bungalows are all cash in small notes.
- Wandering onto village land, gardens or beaches without permission, when all land here is custom owned.
Getting around Tanna: public transport and more
- Fly Port Vila to Whitegrass Airport in about 40 to 45 minutes and reconfirm domestic flights close to travel.
- Your accommodation truck is the transport system, so agree every fare in vatu in advance.
- Lenakel to Port Resolution is about 2 to 2.5 hours by 4WD on rough roads, and a shared truck runs some weekdays.
Who Tanna suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Tanna your trip
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