The
undiscovered Shepherd Islands
Apart
from a couple of cruising yachts and dive charters,
very few people visit the Shepherd Islands. On Tongoa there
have been some efforts in recent years to develop small
scale tourism and a couple of guesthouses are ready to welcome
visitors.
The
Shepherds are relatively densely populated. There is little
economic activity although fishing is very good. Many people
move to Port Vila to find work. The Shepherds have
a distinct culture and kastom
remains a strong influence.
It's
relatively inexpensive to get to the Shepherds from Port
Vila and these islands can be combined with a trip to Epi.
Kaekae
kava
'Kaekae kava' means to eat or chew kava.
People in the Shepherds like to drink kava in the evening
and they prepare it in the traditional way, by chewing the
roots. The masticated kava is then placed in a bowl of water
to extract the active compounds. The roots are chewed again
one or two more times before the bowl of 'muddy water' is suffciently
potent. The kava drink is then strained to remove the solids
and ready to consume. It's an honour to sit down with
the chief, your host or simply with a friend to share a couple
of shells of kava. Just make sure your vaccinations are
up to date!
Tongoa
On
Tongoa each village has something different:
- At Mangarisu village you can see their kastom
site and go to the surf beach.
- Purau
is another good place for kastom and down on the coast there
is a blowhole.
- Kurumabe village has an active geothermal area where Vanuatu
Scrubfowl bury their eggs. The 'green hole' is a famous spot to see Royal Parrotfinches drinking. On Laika island there is a Wedge-tailed Shearwater
colony and the villagers go there to harvest the chicks
in April and May each year.
- On the west coast is the Tongoa wall, one of Vanuatu's
best drop-off dives.
- Panita is a good anchorage for yachts
with a long black sand beach.
We
feature two bungalows on Tongoa island, both at Pele village:
Kamy
Guesthouse, Pele, Tongoa 
Serdj
Guesthouse,
Pele, Tongoa 
There
are other places to stay on Tongoa although we don't know
the current status. At Kurumabe village there is a guesthouse
run by the women of the Presbyterian Church. It's cheap
and basic. At Panita there's an old, well appointed cottage
by the beach that the community was going to renovate as
a guest house. Once on Tongoa you can check out these places.
Tongoa
has telephones at Lumbukuti, Matangi, Meriu, Panita and
Pele villages. Electricity is less common; you'll find private
generators at Lumbukuti and Pele. The Silimauri Health Centre
at Lumbukuti has the most extensive medical services and
there are a basic dispensaries at the more distant villages.
Stores are regularly restocked by cargo/passenger boats
and there are markets at Morua and Pele (Mondays, Wednesdays
or Fridays) where you can buy local produce.
Transport
Air Vanuatu flies to the Shepherds three times a week. One route includes Valesdir on Epi (Vila-Tongoa-Valesdir-Emae-Vila). A return airfare from Port Vila to Tongoa is
about 15725 Vatu and to Emae it's about 12193 Vatu (May 2006). Tourists holding
a return Air Vanuatu international ticket are entitled to
a 20% discount on this price. Exchange
Rates.
If you
plan to fly between islands within the Shepherd loop check
the timetable carefully as each day has a different routing.The Air
Vanuatu domestic website has scheudules and a fee matrix for download.
When
booking you may find that flights are fully booked but then you arrive
at the airport and the plane is not full (we've been
told this is common).
Several
small cargo and passenger boats pass through the Shepherds
every week. L/C Freedom provides a dedicated service to the
Shepherds. A one way fare to Tongoa is about 3000 Vatu. Freedom
and other ships can be found at the wharf near
the Vila market house. The phone
number for L/C Freedom's office in Port Vila is 22754.
Tongoa
has a lot of roads for such a small island and several trucks.
If it's too far to walk then you shouldn't have much difficulty
finding transport.
Last
updated: May 2009 by Stephen (based on 2007 information).
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