Malekula, island of diversity
Malekula has more bungalows and conservation areas than neighbouring Santo and is Vanuatu's most culturally diverse island with some of the best kastom dancing.

The interior of Malekula is mountainous, rugged and forest-covered with good walking and bird watching. We are yet to visit the southwest which is expected to be excellent for bush walking. There are old cannibal sites hidden in the bush on north Malekula but at most the human remains have been removed or buried

News Apr-2008: A Peace Corps volunteer on south Malekula is discovering trails and developing trekking routes on South Malekula.

The Maskelynes and the small offshore islands along the east coast of Malekula have sand beaches and coral reefs with good snorkelling and diving.

Malekula's economy is largely based on agriculture with extensive copra and cacao plantations on the eastern coastal plains around Norsup and Lakatoro.

Norsup's past glory has faded and Lakatoro has taken over as the most important town in Malekula. Lakatoro has more stores, a market house, a National Bank of Vanuatu branch, an Air Vanuatu office, the main wharf and it's the administrative centre for MALAMPA province. Norsup has the provincial hospital. Both Norsup and Lakatoro have telephones and 24 hour electricity.

Lamap is another faded town but important in south Malekula with a post office, medical clinic and a National Bank of Vanuatu branch. If you have to overnight at Lamap there's at least one guesthouse at Levis store, Port Sandwich (phone 48594). It's 1200 Vatu per person, per night, self catering. You can buy food at Levis store.

With two airstrips, roads and regular transport, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to tour east and north Malekula. With an 'open-jaw' air ticket you can start at Lamap and finish at Lakatoro or vice versa. Starting from the south, you can visit the Maskelynes then travel north to Lakatoro. From Lakatoro you can visit Uri and Uripiv islands or continue north along the east coast to Sanwir and Vao. If you like walking it's easy to go all the way around the 'dog's head' via Wiawi. Also note that many Air Vanuatu flights between Port Vila and Santo pass via Malekula so it's easy to include Malekula with a trip to Santo.

Bungalows
In the Maskelynes we feature three bungalows and three marine conservation areas.

At Uri and Uripiv Islands there are two bungalows and a few marine conservation areas.

Elsewhere on Malekula we feature the following bungalows and conservation areas:
Abetaruvar Bungalow, Tenmaru
Banam Bay Bungalows, Vetgot
Ronevie Village Guesthouse, Libansese Conservation Area, Black Sands
Rose Bay Bungalows, Nial Botanical CA, Sanwir
Tam-Tam Bungalows, Vao mainland
Wiawi Guesthouse, Nabi Protected Area, Wiawi

Update, Sep-2005: There are two new bungalows open near the Norsup airport, along the road . The first one, Nabelchel Bungalow, is about 5 minutes walk along the road towards Norsup. It has two self-contained rooms (one single plus one double). A little further is a sign for Deco Stop, another bungalow. The bungalows at Aop beach, across the road from the airport, never opened (?) but there's a restaurant/store.

Air Transport
There are airports on Malekula at Norsup, Lamap and Southwest Bay. Norsup has a tarmac surface. Air Vanuatu flies to Malekula on every day of the week. Schedules (March 2007) and fares (May 2006) are summarised below. Check the the latest Air Vanuatu domestic timetable to plan routes and connections. Tourists holding a return Air Vanuatu international ticket are entitled to a 20% discount on these fares. Exchange Rates.

Sea Transport
A comfortable passenger-only boat servicing Malekula (Lislits, near Lakatoro) weekly is the Island Gateway. Another company that ships cargo and passengers between Vila and Luganville via Malekula is Compagnie Transport Maritime Ltd. Their big MV Havannah is undoubtedly the best ship around but its infrequently in Vanuatu (once a month?).

There are many other ships and boats that visit several other ports around Malekula. Some come from Port Vila and loop through the Maskelynes. Others come from Santo and go right around the island. It's only about 1500 Vatu and a short journey by ship from Luganville to Malekula with departures almost everyday. Enquire directly at the Melcoffee (best bet) or Simonsen wharves in Luganville. Exchange Rates.

Road Transport
Lakatoro is Malekula's road transport hub. The best place to find trucks is at the Lakatoro Trading Centre (especially for the north) where you'll find many people waiting for transport on weekdays. As usual on the islands, trucks come to town in the mornings and return to the villages in the afternoons. There are many trucks along the northeast coast as far as Vao with departures as late as 1600H. There are fewer trucks servicing the south.

The road around Port Sandwich is rough and may be closed if there has been a cyclone and/or heavy rain. It's cheaper and quicker to take a speedboat across Port Sandwich. The road north of Black Sands is better. However, some sections north of Banam Bay are prone to landslides and the Pankumu river can't be forded when in flood.

Some truck fares are presented below. Exchange Rates.

Last updated: Jan 2008 by Stephen.