Ambae

Ambae inspired James Michener's mysterious island of Bali Hai in his book Tales of the South Pacific. The island is a large semi-active shield volcano rising to 1496m above sea level. It's Vanuatu's second highest island with crater lakes on the summit and cloud forests on the upper slopes. East Ambae is wet and the west is a rain-shadow area. Ambae is an excellent place for walking, good for bird watching and there are some secluded beaches.

Ambae's west and northeast are densely populated. Elsewhere there are few villages. The centre for PENAMA province is at Saratamata in the northeast. Ambae's economy is based on agriculture. Ambae is famous for its aelan taro and melo-melo kava. Other exports are cocoa and copra.

Not many tourists visit Ambae even though it's close to Santo with frequent and inexpensive transport links. It's actually cheaper to fly to Walaha from Luganville than charter road transport to northeast Santo. There's an international airport terminal under construction at Santo's Pekoa Airport and hopes to draw tourists from Santo to Ambae when and if international flights to Santo commence. New bungalows are planned for Devil's Rock and Nangweangwea and a guesthouse or bungalow at Lolopuepue.

Bungalows
In the more densely populated areas of Ambae there are several local standard guesthouses, often owned by the church or community. These are not promoted to tourists and we haven't surveyed them. We feature the following places:

Devil's Rock Campsite, Devil's Rock
Duviara Guesthouse, Ambanga
Lolowai Transit House, Lolowai
Rose and Jeffry's Paradise Garden House, Ambore
Toa Guesthouse, Ndui Ndui

Air Transport
Ambae has three airstrips. You need to study the VANAIR timetable carefully to find a suitable connection. The table below summarises VANAIR services and fares as of November 2004. Tourists holding an international Air Vanuatu ticket are entitled to a 20% discount on VANAIR fares. Exchange Rates.

Sea Transport
Ambae is serviced by many ships. Ndalure is a small fishing boat with frequent crossings between Santo and Ambae. It's fast but rough. Sabrina is a small cargo vessel that sails around PENAMA province (Ambae, Maewo, Pentecost). Other ships pass by Ambae on the Port Vila-Luganville route and can stop at most places on the northeast and west of the island. Note these vessels are cargo boats with no space or facilities for passengers. One exception is the new L/C Sarafenua which has a lounge.

There are frequent ships between Luganville and Ambae. In November 2004 a one way fare to was 1500 Vatu to west Ambae or 2000 Vatu to the northeast. The crossing takes three to five hours but more than half a day can be spent rounding Ambae. The Simonsen Wharf (past the main wharf on the road towards the airport) is a good place to find ships for Ambae. It's also a good idea asking someone from Ambae in Luganville. Exchange Rates.

Road Transport
Ambae has extensive road networks in the west and northeast but the rugged coastline prevents a complete round-island road. Some truck fares are listed below. Exchange Rates.

Last updated: November 2004 by Stephen.