The largest World War II naval and military facility in the Pacific behind Pearl Harbour, the clear waters of Santo hold a treasure trove of sunken ships and aircraft, making it one of the best wreck diving hubs in the South Pacific. 

During World War II, the sleepy island of Santo was transformed by the United States Armed Forces into the largest Allied military base in the South Pacific behind Hawaii’s Pearl Harbour. Codenamed Base Button, Santo hosted over 500,000 servicepeople throughout the war years – nearly 10 times more people than the entire population of Vanuatu at the time. The legacy of this era can be explored at many places above and below the water in Santo today.

With World War II wrecks to dive, dreamy blue holes to paddle to, rivers you can float long and natural wonders to explore in the island’s tropical rainforest, Santo was made for adventure.

Traditions run deep on the remote island of Tanna, where ancient kastom (custom) thrives beneath a rumbling volcano. Here’s where to experience it.

Vanuatu’s 83 islands are home to more than 100 distinct Ni-Vanuatu ethnolinguistic and cultural groups. With more than 15% of the nation’s 300,000-strong population living in the capital Port Vila on Efate, it’s a true melting pot of Ni-Vanuatu traditions. Here are three unmissable cultural experiences. 

There are few places in the world where you can start your day scuba diving through seemingly never-ending underwater caverns, and end it overlooking a rumbling active volcano - Tanna’s one of them.