There have been a few adventurous tourists walking around Epi in recent years and it appears that they follow the advice on this webpage.

The walks on Epi are dry and over flat or gently sloping terrain with clean tracks. It's possible to walk completely around the island in four days. Along the way you can admire the scenery and access some of the best forests.

Round-island Walk
The sections are mostly long but not difficult and the east coast scenery is remarkable. Guides can be found where needed. A tent can be handy but it's an unnecessary weight on the route described here.

The west coast route from Valesdir to Lamen Bay and across to Nikaura follows the truck road. There are villages along the route where you can get drinking water and refreshments (no need to carry litres of water). Near halfway, there is accommodation at Burumba Youth Guesthouse. At Lamen Bay you can stay at Epi Paradise Sunset Bungalows.

Lamen Bay to Nikaura is a shorter walk, over the hill and across the island, just follow the road. There are a couple of villages along the east coast before you arrive at Nikaua. Nikaura Sunrise Bungalow is about 1 km past the village. Rest here because the next day's walk is quite long.

South of Nikaura, the road soon ends and you follow the coast around to Mate village. This section is easy enough to follow or you can take a guide from Nikaura.

At Mate, ask for someone to guide you up Mount Yapeto. There are many garden tracks on the Mate side and you should use a guide. Beyond the gardens, there's only one track and you can proceed alone to the summit, where there's a Digicel mobile phone tower, and then down to Nul.

From Nul you simply follows the truck road down to Lopalis where you can sleep at the Dorcas house (see Pastor Daniel). Dorcas is a charitable women's association of the Seventh Day Adventist church. Dorcas charges 500 Vatu per person, per night for accommodation and everyone in the village will offer you food. You should pay about 1000 Vatu per person, per day for the food (three meals).

An interesting detour is a visit to Lapa Lake. The small village here is called New Place. If you look like the right sort of person you may be invited to stay. The lake is full of Tilapia and these fish are excellent eating.

From Lopalis you follow walking tracks along the coast and along the beach until you meet the truck road. This is a relatively uninteresting walk although there are some neat little bays and coves south of Valesdir. The route is easy to follow once you pass the rocky headlands near Lopalis. The road bypasses most villages and there are no clean water sources so carry some drinking water.

Guides
The walking tracks described above are lightly trafficked. You may not find a local to walk with so plan on hiring a guide as required. About 1000 Vatu per day is reasonable payment for guiding (500 Vatu for half a day). You should pay more if you're guide helps carry your bag or if you are in any other way an extra burden.

Last updated: May 2009 by Stephen