Ambrym, the black island
Ambrym is sometimes called the black island after the expansive ash plain covering the interior. With two active volcanos and strong kastom, Ambrym is certainly a good destination for adventure travel in the South Pacific.

Trekking to the Benbow and Marum active volcanos draws most tourists to Ambrym. You can also walk right around the island.

Mid-year you are bound to encounter Roms. The costume consists of a tall, brightly painted conical mask and a cloak of dry banana leaves. Roms represent spirits and Ambrym islanders are terrified of them. Ambrym islanders are also said to be skilled in magic and sorcery.

Carvings are a requirement for grade-taking on Ambrym. In the kastom natsaros you can see tall, multi-faced tam-tams and tree fern sculptures. Some good carvings are produced commercially for the tourist trade and export too. Another important cultural tradition on Ambrym is sand drawing (artistic designs which illustrate local legends or leave messages).

North Ambrym has an annual cultural festival featuring Rom dancing, grade-taking and sand drawing around mid-July every year. The interior villages of West Ambrym also welcome visitors to see their annual Rom dances. Tourists pay to witness a Rom dance (around 3000 Vatu per person) or visit a kastom natsaro (around 2000 Vatu per person), the fees asked will vary.

Most of Ambrym's population lives along the southwest and northern coastlines. The villagers generate a meagre income from copra, fishing and wood carvings. Living on west Ambrym can be hard as it's a dry, rain shadow area and acid rain from the volcanos damages gardens.

Ambrym is not far from Santo or Port Vila and relatively cheap to get to. A good travelling strategy is island hopping via Ambrym by plane and/or ship between Vila and Santo.

On a budget, there are some cheap and good places to stay on west Ambrym. Mobile phones are all around Ambrym now and this development makes it so much easier to contact people.

Bungalows
Today there's more interest in tourism as the islanders see a small, steady flow of tourists attracted to the volcanos. The main tourist season is during the cooler months from April to September. We feature the following places to visit:

Wakon Sunset Bungalow and Lake Fanteng Conservation Area, Dip Point
Craig Cove Commercial Guesthouse
Sam's Guesthouse, Craig Cove
Bulevak Guesthouse, Baiap
Polibetakevar Guesthouse
Bae Luk Guesthouse, Meltungon
Black Beach Bungalows, Lonmei
Island Experience, Port Vato
John Melkrem Guesthouse, Lalinda
Lalinda PWMU Guesthouse
Savuli Community Bungalow, Toak
Vetmet Bungalows, Ranvetlam
Willie Salong Guesthouse, Ranvetlam
Bangwere Bungalows, Ranvetlam
Solomon Douglas Bungalows, Ranon

There are more places to stay in Ambrym. In the west we've heard about bungalows at Sesivi, Sanesup and a cheaper guesthouse at Meltungon (1500 Vatu per night). In the southeast there are PWMU Guesthouses in Etas, Fenafo, Toak, Ulei and one under construction at Endu. Nali Guest House (link to VTO site) is at Sameo.

Do something for the travelling community, share your knowledge and send us in a report if you find a place that should be on this website.

Air Transport
Ambrym has two airfields, one in the west at Craig Cove and one in the east at Ulei. There more landings and bigger planes at Craig Cove and more flights from Vila than from Santo. Air Vanuatu still has a weekly 'milk run' service Santo-Norsup (Malekula)-Craig Cove-Ulei-Paama-Vila. Check the Air Vanuatu domestic website for the latest schedule and fares. Tourists with a return Air Vanuatu international ticket are entitled to a 20% discount on domestic flights. Exchange Rates.

Sea Transport
Many ships between Efate and Santo sail via Ambrym. Some of the more frequent ships are L/C Brisk and L/C Tina-1, L/C Sarafenua, M/V Halice-1 (formerly Belama) and M/V Saratoka (southeast Ambrym).

Brisk and Tina-1 provide a regular weekly service between Vila and Santo in both directions stopping at Epi (Lamen Bay), Ambrym (Craig Cove, Ranon, sometimes Olal), Pentecost (many passages along the west) and Ambae (Lolowai). Santo-Ambrym is 4200 Vatu (20 hours), Ambrym-Epi is 1000 Vatu. Brisk passes Ambrym towards Santo on Tuesday and Tina-1 on Wednesday towards Vila. Island hopping by ship from Ambrym to Pentecost or Epi is a good idea.

Saratoka is a small timber boat with regular services from Port Vila to Epi, Paama and southeast Ambrym (Taveak), departing on Monday nights. You can find her at the wharf near the Port Vila market.

North Ambrym has no airport. Speedboats run down to Craig Cove to meet Air Vanuatu flights. From Craig Cove a boat costs 12000 Vatu to Ranvetlam, 13000 Vatu to Ranon or about 2000 Vatu per person on a shared trip. You have a fair chance of sharing a ride on Air Vanuatu flight days. The journey two to three hours. An alternative to to wait for a passing ship. Exchange Rates.

Land Transport
West Ambrym has public transport trucks at Meltungon, Baiap, Port Vato and Lalinda. Services are not regular. The best days for trucks are when the Craig Cove bank is open (Tuesday, Friday) or there's a Air Vanuatu flight (Tuesday, Saturday).

Southeast Ambrym has a couple of trucks with irregular services. Drivers may try to overcharge tourists, check the fares listed below. You may end up paying a full charter. Exchange Rates.

An effective and free way to get around west Ambrym is to walk, it's not that hard.

Last updated: April 2009 by Stephen.