This is one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had, ever! Tanna is such a rich island, in terms of culture, activities and nature, it really is a place not to be missed on your Vanuatu itinerary.
One of the biggest draws of Tanna island is Mount Yasur, an active volcano on the East of the Island that you can walk right up to the rim of the volcano to get a glimpse of sputtering lava! It is an incredible experience that puts you face to face with the power of Mother Nature.
If you’re an adventurer wanting to experience the spectacular rumble of a volcano, you can do this no matter where you stay. I’ve stayed in both a more adventurous local treehouse bungalow next to the volcano and also a stunning resort with more comforts on the other side of the island.
1. Local Living: Thomas’ Yasur View Lodge
If you’re looking for even more of an adventure, you can stay at the foot of the volcano in local guesthouses that allow you to see the fiery volcano from your door! These bungalows are directly opposite the entrance to the Volcano so it gives the opportunity do a couple of trips up there, at sunset as well as sun rise, I’ve done both and both are spectacular options. The sunrise one, though an incredibly early start at 3.30am, is a much more private experience and you get to watch the sunrise from the top of an active volcano! That’s not to say that it was busy at sunset, just busier!
This lodge is directly opposite the entrance to the road up to the volcano, so you cannot get much closer.
Accommodation: Treehouses with volcano views
I stayed in Yasur View Lodge, which is owned by Thomas, the chief of the village in this area. Thomas was able to pick us up from the airport and stopped by a roadside market and got some corn for us to try (if you get the opportunity, try their corn! it is wonderfully smokey) and was an all round great, amenable host. We were welcomed with fresh open coconuts to drink and salu salu (a floral necklace).
There are a few bungalows on the ground as well as a few treehouse style bungalows built in a banyan tree in their grounds. I stayed for 1 night in the treehouse bungalow as I it made my inner child happy and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to sit on my tree balcony and see the smoking volcano. If you do want a treehouse, make sure you confirm this when booking as there are also some regular bungalows too.
The treehouse had quite steep steps and obviously the toilet is on the ground so we went up and down a few times so be mindful if you have any difficulty with stairs. If not, the experience was totally worth it. All the accommodation options by the foot of the volcano are quite basic and reflective of local/island houses. For example, few if any have an en-suite toilet, instead there are 1 or 2 shared toilets/showers in outbuildings. When I visited, due to the dry season and lack of money (cyclones and Air Vanuatu liquidation to blame), there was no flowing water (you had to use a bucket to flush) and also one toilet was out of use. Normally though, there are more toilets and flowing water.
The bungalows on the ground had no lights, but the treehouses had solar powered lights. Either way, a head torch is a great item to bring with you for toilet trips. All beds had mosquito nets and water from the kitchen was drinkable.
The scenes are endless here, I honestly felt like I was in jurassic park on the drive to it from the airport, not only can you see a volcano no matter where you are, but also there is an abundance of green life. Thomas’ garden was so picturesque, chickens and chicks ran around and there was a plethora of trees and fruits, even passion fruits were growing!
Food: The wonderous Tanna Stew
As like most other local bungalow stays in Vanuatu, your hosts cook your meals for you.
When we were all welcomed upon arrival, Thomas actually said to everyone to let him know if they don’t eat things like beef or fish or whatever so he could plan dinner. I thought this was great as it opened the door to speak about things I couldn’t eat. I said the usual culprits of gluten in food in Vanuatu: no bread, soy sauce, maggi, flour.
Thomas was kind to arrange a kava tasting for guests on the night I went with some wasemout (snacky type foods to wash your mouth out of the taste of kava) which consisted of mango, cucumber and roasted chicken. Nothing was added to these so was gluten free.
For dinner, Thomas’ family had prepared fried (plain) tuna slices with plain rice, salad with mayonnaise (which he kindly checked I could eat) and vegetables in coconut milk. There was also a Tanna stew, which is beef cooked with potatoes and vegetables.
For breakfast, it was banana, papaya and bread, which is a typical bungalow breakfast in Vanuatu. That morning I stuck to fruits, but I would have felt comfortable to ask for an egg or two. Otherwise, I recommend bringing something like rice or corn cakes and your own spread, like chocolate spread or jam, for breakfast if you want something more filling. There’s always hot water, so instant rice noodle packets work too!
I forgot to take pictures of literally all the food I ate here, sorry! Though I did take a snap of the Christmas mug we were handed as I thought it was very fitting as it had just become November.
All in all, I really recommend you going to stay in local bungalows for at least one night in any trip you make to Vanuatu, it gives you an insight into local life, you can have such insightful talks and learn from your hosts, and you give your money directly to helping local communities… win, win, win!
If you would also like to stay at Thomas’ Yasur View Lodge, you can find his details on their website, or look at some others bungalows near the volcano on Vanuatu Tourism Office.
2. Luxury Living: Whitegrass Ocean Resort
There are a few more stunning upscale resorts all within a 20 minute drive from the airport which will give you a comfortable and more luxurious stay in Tanna. These are closer to the airport but further away from the volcano, at around a 1.5-2 hour drive. Tours from here to the volcano leave at around 2pm daily, so you will likely just have one trip to the volcano or go at the same time (sunset) on another day if you do it more than once.
Accommodation:
The Whitegrass Resort is also absolutely stunning. I have stayed here twice and have had good experiences each time! We were welcomed with fresh mango juice and then led to our room. The bungalows ooze modern comfort, and come with walk-in showers with locally produced soaps which is a great touch. There are no mosquito nets for the beds, but all windows have mosquito nets and they do provide mosquito coils too, just incase. Its a comfortable stay and I slept very well.
The sunsets are amazing from here and the whole resort just makes you want to melt away in a chair and relax. This is the where I realised you could see Venus (yes, the planet!) so clearly with just your eyes. Every night I stayed here, there was an incredibly bright star that would show up in the sky just before the sun set – how amazed was I to find out I had been staring at Venus.
Though if relaxing isn’t your thing, they also have a small pool, bikes for cycling, a beach volleyball court (on quite a coral-filled part of beach), croque, pétanque, a 3-hole golf course on-site and some board games. As well as diving facilities and snorkel gear as there are a couple of blue holes a short walk away.
Of course, most people who come here spend their time doing a multitude of the tours that are available to experience Tanna, so the resort is generally quite quiet.
Food: No restrictions here!
There is one restaurant/bar here where you come for all your meals. Breakfast is a cold buffet, including cereals and baked goods, with hot options available at extra cost. Lunch and dinner menus are written on blackboards each day and generally consist of a fish, meat and vegetarian option.
My first meal here was lunch, so when the waitress came over I explained that I can’t eat gluten, which they understood, but I still went the extra step to ask about cross contamination, for example, if the chips were cooked in the same oil as battered fish. They were, but she offered to cook my chips in a separate oil so I could still have them. Top tip for chips, the kumala/sweet potato chips will most likely be freshly cut whereas the white potato chips will most likely be pre-prepared/frozen. So do check the ingredients of these if you want white potato chips! I had the grilled fish and chips and it was fantastic, it even came with a lovely tartar sauce. I will never turn down fried foods if I can eat them.
They were able to make adjustments to most meals, after a couple back and forths with the chef to ask, so at dinner time I had a fish chowder with corn flour as well as a beef stroganoff with rice. I forgot to take a picture of this as I was so excited when it came, it smelt so good and I was not disappointed. The food here is superb.
The breakfast buffet is not great as a coeliac, as it mostly consists of cereal, bread, cakes and fruit. If you need extra nourishment, there are options on the hot breakfast menu that you could pay extra for such as an omelette or some eggs and bacon. This was my plan, however, as I had already said I couldn’t eat gluten, I was happily surprised when the waitress brought me out some manioc banana pancakes without me even asking! Manioc is a root vegetable that is widely eaten throughout Vanuatu (also known as cassava) and so is naturally gluten free. If you visit, I would ask to see if they have any so you can also eat this! They didn’t charge me extra for it either… bonus points from me!
3. Magic Mixes: Why not stay in both?
If you want to stay in both types of accommodation, you can do this too! I stayed in Thomas’ Yasur View Bungalow for 1 night and then he dropped us off at Whitegrass Resort the next day. Your trip is what you make it, and whatever you do, I’m sure it will be a trip for the books. Going to Tanna is a once in a lifetime experience. And, though it requires some conversation, you can also experience it in a coeliac safe way.
If you’ve read all the way down here I hope this helps you to book a trip and go out of your comfort zone, it can be scary, but local food in Vanuatu is mostly safe for coeliacs and once you know what to ask for (or what to ask to avoid!) I believe you’ll have a fabulous trip.
If you do go to one of these places then I’d love to see you enjoying them, share your experiences in my facebook page, tag me on Instagram or TikTok!
