Malo
Island has white sand beaches, great snorkeling and easy walks. Avunatari Mission is a lovely escape from the larger towns of Luganville and Port Vila
and is a typical example of Vanuatu village life.
Due to Malo’s relative obscurity, very few tourists visit
and it is highly likely you will be the only tourists in
the village.
Tankyu tumas long Craig Twitt for sharing his discovery of Pandanus Bungalows.
Costs
and Booking
Pandanus Guest House is a family business run primarily
by the mother, Vomalehi ("Voo–mar–lay–hee"). Pandanus
charges 1500 Vatu per person per day for accommodation and
meals, payable in Vatu cash. Exchange
Rates.
Bookings
can be made by calling Vomalehi's mobile phone 5483590.
You could also call the community telephone, at the local
co-operative store, 37161. Anyone in the village may answer
the phone, so you might need to be patient before you reach
someone with solid English. Ask to speak to Vuro ("Voo–ro"),
Vomalehi’s husband, he manages the co-operative. Vuro speaks
good English, is usually closeby and will be able to take
your booking.
Bookings
are not essential as very few tourists make the trip to
Malo, but you might like to call a couple of days before
you visit so that they can prepare for your arrival and
arrange transport if required (see Transport below).
Accommodation and Food
Pandanus Guest House has two bungalows and a dining place
built from a mixture of forest materials and concrete. Mosquito
nets are provided. A satisfactory long-drop toilet is housed
separately and fresh water is provided for bathing (bucket
showers). There is no electricity, kerosene and solar powered
lamps are used for lighting. If you need electricity, for
example to charge batteries, the local co-operative has
a generator.
Breakfast
is usually local bread with coffee. Seasonal fruit such
as grapefruit and coconut is provided. Lunch and dinner
usually involves lap-lap with either fish, chicken, noodles
and yam, served with fresh water (rain water) or home
made lime cordial. Vomalehi will even show you
how to make lap-lap if you are interested! The food is simple
and plenty.
Things
to do
There is excellent snorkeling along the coast. It's best
to bring your own snorkelling gear.
On land, there's a large
cave 20 minutes walk from Avunatari which you can visit. You may also visit Vomalehi's garden and
a bit further inland is Malo Peak (326 m).
Tropicbirds
breed on Malo, apparently year round. You might see them
at Nanuku village, about 6 km south of Avunatari. You can
walk there along the road in 1.5 hours. Ask for Chief Wara
('Wa-ra').
If you
wish to drive around the island, there are transports (four-wheel
drive trucks) for hire. Vuro and Vomalehi will be able to arrange
anything you might be interested in.
Transport
The boat landing to get to Malo is appoximately 15 km drive
west of Luganville, just before the Naoneban ('Now-nay-barn')
bridge. It costs 200 Vatu per person on a market truck and takes
30 minutes.
Trucks can be found from 1500h in the afternoon,
across the road from the market at the bamboo stand, in
front of Valiant's store. A taxi to Naoneban costs approximately
1000 Vatu.
The
boat to Malo takes 20 minutes and costs 200 Vatu per person.
Most boats land at Small Nanuku and from there you walk
west to Avunatari (20 minutes), or ask for a truck. If you
charter a whole boat, you can go direct to Avunatari, 2000
Vatu for the trip. Don't rush, there's a nice little beach
restaurant at Small Nanuku.
To book
a boat you can call Pandanus Guest House and they will make
the arrangements for you. Then again, there's plenty of
public transport, easier and cheaper.
First
visited: 2008 by Craig Twitt.
Last updated: April 2009 by Stephen.
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