Espiritu Santo, gateway to the northern islands
Espiritu Santo, commonly referred to as Santo, is Vanuatu's largest island and the second most developed after Efate. It's serviced by twice daily flights from Port Vila and is a stepping stone to the Banks and Torres islands in the north. Santo is a relatively easy option for experiencing Vanuatu's outer islands with some good attractions:
- Real primary forest, big mountains and numerous rivers.
- Excellent bird watching.
- Excellent diving including the famous S.S. Coolidge.
- Crystal clear spring fed freshwater 'blue holes'.
- Idyllic white sand beaches.

Santo has Vanuatu's highest peak, Mt Tabwemasana at 1879m above sea level, and the longest river, the Jordan.

Copra and beef, established along the south and east of the island power the economy. Santo's main and only town is Luganville in the south. It's basically a one street town but there are banks, trade stores, internet, a hospital and most other essential services. A more detailed introduction to Santo is available online at Santo Today.

Santo is a good base for exploring the northern and central islands of Vanuatu. Ambae and Malekula are close at hand with frequent and inexpensive transport links. Maewo and Pentecost are only a little further away. From Santo it is much cheaper to travel to the Banks and Torres islands. Linking Santo and Port Vila there are direct flights and and 'milk run' routes that allow you to stopover on islands in-between.

Bungalows
Most of Santo's island bungalows are along the east coast with road transport access from Luganville:
Lonnoc Beach Bungalows, Hog Harbour
Loru Bungalow, Loru Rainforest Protected Area
The Little Paradise of Port Olry, Port Olry
Vatthe Lodge, Vatthe Conservation Area, Big Bay

Tourism on the west coast and in the south is a new thing. It's good to see a new bungalow at Kerepua, handy for people wanting to climb Mount Tabwemasana.
Vetape Guest House, Tangoa
Tasiriki Tuetueni Guesthouse, West Santo
Kerepua Bungalow, West Santo

See our new walking Santo page for some unknown adventures.

Transport to and from Santo
Pekoa is an international airport. They no longer have flights from the Solomon Islands but now you can fly Air Vanuatu direct to Australia:
Sunday: Brisbane-Santo-Vila
Monday: Vila-Santo-Brisbane

Pekoa is also a busy domestic hub for the northern islands. See the Air Vanuatu domestic site for schedules and fares. Note that tourists with a return Air Vanuatu ticket are entitled to a 20% discount.

Luganville is Vanuatu's second biggest sea port. A comfortable passenger-only boat between Port Vila and Santo is the Island Gateway. Another company that ships cargo and passengers between Vila and Luganville is Compagnie Transport Maritime Ltd. Their ship MV Havannah is popular but infrequently visits Vanuatu (about once a month). Boats to other islands can be found at the Simonsen and Melcoffee wharves. These are detailed on our many island pages, accessible via our Vanuatu map.

Transport around the island
Public transports on Santo come into town in the morning and return in the afternoon. Don't expect to find public transport on Sundays although one could wait and hitch a ride.

There are two places to find public transport in Santo. If you're heading up the east coast then go to the Unity Store and Pacific petrol station (formerly Shell). Buses and market trucks leave from 1500H. There are always people waiting here and the pump attendants know all the drivers. Minibuses are preferable for comfort and in case of rain.

For south Santo you can wait on the roadside across from the Luganville market house, in front of the clump of bamboo. It doesn't look like a bus stop but you can find people waiting here from about 1400h or 1500h. If there are some women from South Santo in the market house, they will know which trucks are in town.

*To go to Ipayato and Tasiriki a strong pickup is required, preferably four-wheel drive. The road is soft in places and there are rivers to cross. Also note the road down to Matantas is steep and typically in poor condition.

The costs and timings in the above table are only approximate. We have not travelled to all of these places lately.

For groups, chartered trips can be economical and are much more convenient. You will see trucks and buses driving all about town but will not know which ones are available. The front desk where you are staying in Luganville might be able to find a driver. Good drivers for south Santo are Loic (boy blong Sima), Silas (man Hog Harbour) and Peter Terry (man Malekula). Taxi driver's know the transporters and can take you to meet them.

Last updated: February 2008 by Stephen