Vanuatu Kastom: Custom Villages, Volcanoes & Ancient Culture

Today you explore the culture and heritage of Efate, an introduction to Vanuatu's extraordinary living cultures. You visit the fascinating National Museum and Cultural Centre in Port Vila, with its rich collection of kastom artefacts, masks, sand drawings and cultural treasures, where you learn about the astonishing cultural diversity of Vanuatu's many islands, and perhaps watch a demonstration of sand drawing or traditional music. You explore the colourful Port Vila market, a window into ni-Vanuatu life, and might visit a cultural village near Port Vila to see traditional dance, crafts and customs. This introduction to Vanuatu's living cultures sets the scene for the deep immersion ahead. As the day ends, you return to your hotel, having begun to grasp the extraordinary cultural richness of Vanuatu. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly to extraordinary Tanna, its custom villages and roaring volcano.

Today you fly to extraordinary Tanna, home to ancient custom cultures and the roaring Mount Yasur volcano. On arrival you transfer across the island, through lush rainforest and past traditional villages, to your accommodation near the volcano. In the late afternoon, you journey to the awesome Mount Yasur, one of the world's most accessible active volcanoes, and climb to its rim as dusk falls. There you stand before the roaring volcano and watch, feel and hear it thunder and erupt, hurling glowing molten rock and ash high into the darkening sky, an overwhelming, primal and utterly unforgettable spectacle, the ground shaking and the fountains of glowing lava lighting up the night. Awed and exhilarated, you descend in the darkness and return to your accommodation. Dine and rest, deeply moved by one of the greatest natural experiences on earth, and the anticipation of Tanna's custom cultures ahead.

Today you immerse yourself in the extraordinary living culture of Tanna, meeting the custom people who keep ancient kastom alive. You visit a custom village, where communities maintain ancient traditional ways of life largely unchanged, living in traditional villages, wearing traditional dress, and preserving age-old customs, dances and beliefs. You meet the people, learn about their traditional way of life, beliefs and customs, and witness traditional dances and ceremonies, a genuine and profoundly moving encounter with a living, ancient culture. The warmth of the community and the authenticity of the culture are deeply moving. As the day ends, you return to your accommodation, deeply moved by the ancient living culture of Tanna. Relax this evening, reflecting on the profound culture you have experienced, and rest ahead of learning about the fascinating John Frum movement tomorrow.

Today you learn about the fascinating John Frum movement and explore beautiful Tanna. The John Frum movement is a famous 'cargo cult' that arose around the Second World War, whose followers await the return of a mythical figure bringing prosperity, and who hold gatherings with singing, dancing and, sometimes, American-style symbols; you learn about this unique movement, its history and beliefs, and, if timing allows (particularly on a Friday), may witness a John Frum gathering, an extraordinary window into the encounter of ancient and modern worlds. You also explore beautiful Tanna, its giant banyan trees, hot springs, ash plains and beautiful beaches. As the day ends, you return to your accommodation, having deepened your understanding of Tanna's extraordinary culture. Relax this evening, reflecting on the fascinating culture you have experienced, and rest ahead of flying to the dark island of Ambrym, land of magic and volcanoes, tomorrow.

Today you fly to Ambrym, the dark island of magic, volcanoes and extraordinary culture, one of the most fascinating and least-visited islands in Vanuatu. On arrival you transfer to your accommodation, taking in the dramatic, volcanic beauty of the island, its black volcanic landscapes, lush forest and traditional villages. Ambrym is famous throughout Vanuatu for its powerful kastom magic, its extraordinary Rom dance, its master carvers, and its ancient art of sand drawing, as well as its twin active volcanoes. This afternoon you begin to experience the island's extraordinary culture, being welcomed into a traditional village and learning about the powerful kastom and traditions of Ambrym, and perhaps watching the master carvers for which the island is famous at work. As the sun sets over the dark, volcanic island, you settle into your accommodation, immersed in the mysterious, powerful atmosphere of Ambrym, and the anticipation of the Rom dance ahead.

Today you experience the extraordinary cultural treasures of Ambrym, the Rom dance and sand drawing. You witness the spectacular Rom dance, in which masked dancers, wearing towering, elaborate conical masks and thick costumes of banana leaves, perform an ancient, secret ritual dance to the beat of drums and chanting, a mesmerising, haunting and powerful spectacle representing spirits and steeped in kastom secrecy and meaning, one of the most extraordinary ceremonies in the Pacific. You also watch master practitioners create the beautiful, intricate patterns of Vanuatu sand drawing, a UNESCO-recognised art in which designs are drawn in the sand with a single continuous finger movement, each encoding stories and knowledge, learning their meanings. The spectacle and artistry are captivating and profound. As the day ends, you return to your accommodation, deeply moved by the extraordinary cultural treasures of Ambrym. Relax this evening, reflecting on the profound culture you have witnessed.

Today you explore more of the extraordinary culture and dramatic volcanic landscape of Ambrym. You take in the island's extraordinary volcanic scenery, the vast black ash plains and, in the distance, the twin active volcanoes Marum and Benbow, whose glowing lava lakes are among the most dramatic on earth (a full trek to the rim is a strenuous multi-day expedition, arranged separately for the adventurous). You visit more traditional villages, meeting warm, proud custom communities, learning about the powerful kastom and magic for which Ambrym is famed, and seeing the island's renowned carving, tam-tam slit drums and crafts. The combination of dramatic volcanic landscape and profound culture is captivating. As the sun sets over the dark island for the last time, you enjoy a final Ambrym evening, reflecting on the extraordinary culture and landscape you have experienced. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly back to Efate for departure.

This morning you bid a fond farewell to mysterious Ambrym and fly back to Efate, reflecting on the extraordinary cultural journey you have made. On arrival, depending on your flight time, you may have a little time to relax in Port Vila or pick up last souvenirs, ni-Vanuatu masks, carvings and handicrafts, before being transferred to Bauerfield Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having immersed yourself deeply in one of the most extraordinary and intact living cultures on earth, the custom villages and roaring Mount Yasur of Tanna, the fascinating John Frum movement, and the spectacular Rom dance, ancient sand drawing and dramatic volcanoes of Ambrym. The experiences stay vivid long after you land, the glowing volcano, the custom villages, the towering masked Rom dancers, the intricate sand drawings, and the warm, proud ni-Vanuatu communities who shared their heritage. Vanuatu offers one of the richest living cultures on earth, and you depart deeply moved and already treasuring its extraordinary cultural richness.