Text Box: One of Vanuatu’s tropical jewels the island of Espiritu Santo commonly known as “Santo”, is the biggest island in the Vanuatu archipelago. Far away from crowded streets, high buildings or haggling street sellers, Santo remains a peaceful and idyllic spot where the traditional island way can be experienced in everyday life. The island is teeming with wild nature and beautiful beaches and dotted with small traditional villages. For a long time, Santo has been known as a diving destination. One of the best keep secrets of the pacific, Santo is being found anew as a destination for families, nature lovers and adventures. New direct flights with Air Vanuatu are making Santo more accessible and there is plenty of creative entrepreneurial spirit to provide enough choice for a fantastic holiday that can be as relaxing or as packed with adventure as one desires. There are plenty of things to do for families, couples and adventures alike. Gorgeous beaches like Champagne Beach are pristine, uncrowded and filled with wonderment. Appreciating the local culture is also easy to do in Santo where a visit to the local villages will take you back in time thousand of years to a civilisation that still exist unclothed and virtually untouched. For the nature lovers, there is a myriad of short bush walks and longer jungle treks through landscapes that will take your breath away. Of course, relaxing is easy in a place known for its laid back hospitality and amazing coastline. Just like everything else in Santo, you never know what little gems are to be found around every corner of the island. As the spirit of adventure awakens and the mind slowly unwinds, you can relax into a deep and much deserved holiday; the only problem is, you may never want to leave. Getting there: Air Vanuatu has direct flights from Brisbane and Sydney. Air Vanuatu also has daily flights from Port Vila, check their site www.airvanuatu.com. The island: Luganville, Espiritu Santo’s capital is situated on the south of the island. It is the only town on Santo, the rest of the island is dotted with small villages. These villages are mostly self-sufficient with their own vegetable gardens, chickens and pigs. The airport is about five km from town. From Luganville, three ‘main’ roads emerged. One road runs along the south coast for about 40km to end at the village of Tasiriki. South Santo is a big farming area for cattle, copra and spices such as Vanilla and chilli. A second road goes inland through the middle of the island to the Fanafo villages, Butmas area and caves. The third road goes along the East Coast of Santo, following the island coastline all the way to the village of Port Olry where it ends. It is along this road that many of Santo’s attractions are found such as the Matevulu, Ri Ri and Jackie’s Blue Holes, Suranda Bay, Peterson Bay, Turtle Bay, Velit Bay, Santo’s Golf Course, Champagne Beach and Lonnoc. This road is fringed by many white sand beaches and beautiful little bays and coves. It is also along this road that you will find us. We are about 24km from town and 3km from the blue holes. Getting around: Local Transport: Santo’s public transport is in the form of utes that will load their trays and cabins with people. Local transport is around 100/200 vatu per person inside the town and 400 vatu per person for longer rides into the country side and up the East Coast. Taxis: Taxis around town are around 200/300 vatu depending on where you are going. For longer rides into the country prices vary according to destination. What to do: Tours: Taking a tour is a great way to see the sights. Tours in Santo are done in 4WD utes or small vans. Tour numbers are generally small and can be from 2 to 10 people. Prices of tours vary according to numbers of people and destination. The more people, the cheaper the tour. A tour to Champagne Beach, for example, can vary from 6000 vatu to 3000 vatu per person depending on how many people are going on the tour. The most popular tours are: Champagne Beach/ Port Olry: This tour will take you along the East coast all the way to the small and picturesque fishing town of Port Olry where you can enjoy some breathtaking landscape. You will visit the amazing Champagne and Lonnoc beaches. Whole day tour. Millennium Caves: Not for the faint hearted, this is an adventure tour. You will trek through the jungle, wade through the caves, climb the canyon and float down the river. A guide will be with you all the way. You will need good walking shoes. This adventure can not be done at times of heavy rain due to the river being unpassable. World War II: For those history lovers. You will visit the remaining sites from the American settlement during World War II including Million Dollar point and the remains of the old hospital, the air strips and Quonset huts. Fanafo and Vil Vil cultural villages: This is a great tour for those wanting to experience the local Vanuatu culture. You will visit some of the local villages who still follow traditional culture. These villages still dress wearing the traditional loin cloth, their cooking methods and huts remain as they were hundred of years ago. At Vil Vil village, you will see local dance, song and traditional craft such as weaving. Vathe conservation area: Situated in Big Bay, on the North side of the island, you will walk through the rain forest as your guide tells you about the local plants, trees and birds. A great tour for bird watchers and nature lovers. It is an easy but long walk. There are many mosquitoes, you will need good walking shoes and mosquito repellent. These are the most popular ones but there are other tours available and you can also tailor-make your own tour! All these tours can be organised from Turtle Bay Lodge with as little as one day notice. Car Rental: Can rental can be from 9,000 to 14,000 vatu per day. Car rental offices are Jeep Rental, Lahoo rentals, Santo 4WD rentals and Apex Car Rental. Diving: There are three main dive operators in town; Aquamarine, Allan Power and Santo Island Dive & Fish. And if you are into marine life, hire some equipment and come and explore the spectacular reef right here at Turtle Bay Resort. Fishing: Game fishing for wahoo, tuna, marlin and other big fish is available in Santo, there is great fishing along the East Coast and Splash Extreme will pick you up from the resort and take you game fishing for a very reasonable price. Other fun stuff to do in Santo: There is also quad bike tours, horse riding, jet skis, sailing and more. Trekking: Tour operators offer one day, two days and longer treks around the island. There are also a number of walks from the resort. Santo in a nutshell: Unpopulated, pristine and untouched. Paradise for those wishing to escape the urban and western world for a little while.

Turtle Bay, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu ph +678 37988 mob +678 5519241 stay@turtlebaylodge.vu