| 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.
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'Kula Trail
Malekula Hiking Trail Project
Our goal is to create a Malekula Hiking Trail System to improve the island as a destination for Adventure Travel; in doing so we hope to increase environmental stewardship, cultural preservation, and local economies.
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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.
| Airport |
Return
Santo fare
(Vatu) |
Return
Port Vila fare
(Vatu) |
Flights
per week |
| Norsup |
12193 |
25603 |
10 |
| Lamap |
16783 |
19775 |
2 |
| Southwest
Bay |
16490 |
21058 |
2 |
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.
| Trucks
from Lakatoro to |
Shared
(Vatu) |
Charter
(Vatu) |
Hours |
| Black
Sands |
600 |
5000 |
2.5 |
| Banam
Bay |
500 |
4000 |
2 |
| Walarano/Sanwir |
200 |
2000 |
1 |
| Vao |
300 |
3000 |
1.5 |
| Tenmaru |
600 |
4000 |
2 |
| Unmet |
300 |
3000 |
1 |
| Wiel
(Wiawi) |
600 |
4000 |
1.5 |
Last
updated: Jan 2008 by Stephen.
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