Vanua Lava, big island of the Banks
Vanua Lava has mountains, a volcano, crocodiles, reefs, rivers, waterfalls and rainforests. There is plenty to experience, here in the northern islands of Vanuatu.

Sola is the provincial town for the Banks and Torres Islands. From Sola you can make excursions to Mt Sere Ama, an active volcano, the Selva River and Kwakea Island. The northern tip of Ravenga island has a surf break onto the reef at high tide but it's not easy to access, you need a boat. See our Sola page for guest houses in town.

West Vanua Lava is popular with yachts. You can walk from Sola to Vureas Bay and onwards to Waterfall Bay where the Sasara River falls into a pool by the ocean. There are two island bungalows in the west:
Nerr Bungalows, Vureas Bay
Malau Yacht Resort, Waterfall Bay

Airfares to Vanua Lava are expensive from Port Vila and moderately so from Santo. You get better value by visiting other islands in the Banks and Torres on the same trip.

Air Transport
Air Vanuatu now flies to Vanua Lava three times a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday (July 2008). An adult return fare from to Sola is 41308 Vatu from Vila or 22070 Vatu from Santo (May 2006). Exchange Rates. Tourists with an international return Air Vanuatu ticket are entitled to a 20% discount. Check the Air Vanuatu domestic website for more up-to-date schedules and fares.

The airfield at Sola is somewhat unreliable. After rain, the grass strip becomes boggy, planes can not land and usually divert to Mota Lava. You would probably have to stay one night on Mota Lava and catch a speedboat to Sola on the next day.

When leaving Sola, plan to be at the airport early. What happens is the pilot radios ahead from Santo and may decide to change the routing. Confirm your ticket at least one day before departure.

Sea Transport
These days, ships to the Banks and Torres Islands are rather infrequent. You might be lucky but it's not possible to plan ahead for travelling by ship.

Speedboats between Vanua Lava and Mota Lava are convenient, almost daily, and this makes it easy to visit both islands on the same trip. You can fly in to one island, make the crossing by speedboat and fly out from the other island. The 20km journey costs around 10000 Vatu for the whole boat or about 600 Vatu per person, shared. It may be a rough ride if the trade winds are blowing.

Land Transport
The Sola airport is about 4km by road northwest of Sola (about 30 minutes walk). There were three trucks on the island in May 2004 and you can count on at least one truck meeting the plane. An airport transfer in the back of a truck costs 500 Vatu.

Last updated: July 2009 by Stephen