Torres Islands, the forgotten islands of Vanuatu
The Torres Islands are special in Vanuatu. Far away from Port Vila and lightly populated they are often overlooked and rarely visited by tourists. The natural environment is mostly in good shape and coconut crabs are still abundant. It's a good place to relax and feast on fish, coconut crabs and lobster. The white sand beaches are some of Vanuatu's finest and there's rumoured to be good surf on Hiu Island.

The small village of Lunghariki on Loh hosts the administrative centre for the Torres Islands (an empty government building). There is a community phone (38565) and medical clinic there but no wharf, no banks, no police station and few very basic stores. There's almost no copra production in the Torres Islands so ships visit only when there's a reasonable load of cargo booked for the islands which is only a few times each year. It's a good time to visit soon after a ship because the stores will be full and there will be no shortages.

The distances are short but it's difficult travelling between the different islands in the Torres group. However, there should be enough time in one week to visit neighbouring islands. Operational outboard engines are scarce and there's often a shortage of fuel. There are a couple of sailing canoes about, the technology was introduced by the Vanuatu Cultural Centre in the 1990s, but they are unsafe in heavy swells. For reference, a one way speedboat charter between Loh and Hiu takes about two hours and costs around 10000 Vatu.

At present there are only two island bungalows in the Torres group:
Kamilisa Memorial Resort, Linua Island
Joseph's Bungalow, Lunghariki, Loh Island

John Wycliff had an unfinished bungalow on Linua in May 2004. In 2005 there were reports of two bungalows on Loh (Lenua Guesthouse and Josedith Bungalow). If you've recently been to the Torres and have news about these bungalows then please contact us.

The costs of flying to the Torres Islands are a big deterrent to travellers and ships are not a practical alternative. If you have time, you can get more value out of your airfares if you visit a couple of more islands in the Banks on your travels. A super Banks and Torres tour takes at least three weeks and visits the Torres Islands, Vanua Lava, Mota Lava and Gaua (study the Air Vanuatu timetable and plan your route). Note, loop fares and stopovers add little to the cost of a return fare to the Torres Islands.

Transport
There's one Air Vanuatu flight a week to the Torres Islands, on Fridays from Santo (March 2007). It lands at Linua, adjacent to Loh Island. At low tide you can wade across the estuary between Linua and Loh. At other times people use canoes. An adult return fare to the Torres Islands is 47383 Vatu from Port Vila or 29405 Vatu from Santo (May 2006). International flights to Santo (since 2007) have made visiting Torres quite a bit cheaper. Tourists with a return Air Vanuatu ticket are entitled to a 20% discount. Exchange Rates.

Last updated: May 2005 by Stephen