12 Reasons You Need to Choose Vanuatu Over Fiji

With the world in financial chaos, many people have said they will make cuts in their personal budget, so as to be able to preserve their annual holidays. After all it is holidays that keep you rational, in a world that is reeling like a drunken sailor from one crisis to another. It is not only important you get value for money, but it is a chance for a once in a lifetime Blue Moon Opportunity to explore something different. A time to learn about and experience the hidden secrets of the exotic tropical islands of the South Pacific. A fabulous vacation destination that is right on the doorstep of New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia.

You need to make the choice between the highly popularized Fiji, or lesser known Vanuatu, (New Hebrides). Here are some pointers that may make the decision easier for you.

Access to both places is easy – just a short flight from Australia or New Zealand and you will always find lots of accommodation bargains and airline deals to both destinations, however…

1. Vanuatu has not been commercialized like Fiji and there is no bartering with the local shopkeepers

2. In Vanuatu you still have easy access to a natural wilderness experience, with a large variety of accommodation, from top-end resorts to unsophisticated island bungalows

3. Through the influence of both the French and the British, you have a large variety of great cuisine in Vanuatu, which is not just limited to the resorts. Your taste buds can have a world wide experience in one short vacation

4. A lot of visitors have made comments on the large variety of tours that are available in Vanuatu. Tours to suit every budget, age and entertainment needs. You can enjoy anything from a helicopter ride, to horse-riding on the beach, a day exploring on a buggy, snorkeling the coral reef, or just going an an around the island tour, visiting local villages and enjoying some of the quiet beaches

5. In Vanuatu you are not locked into the resort atmosphere only, which makes it easier to have conversations with the local people, who always greet you with a wide friendly smile. After all, Vanuatu was voted the Happiest Country on Earth in 2006

6. There is nowhere else in the world, aside from Vanuatu, where you can stand on the very lip of a live volcano. This is a totally awesome experience

7. Vanuatu is politically more stable than Fiji

8. A wide variety of outer island experiences are easily accessible in Vanuatu, if you have the time and the money. Each island has its own individual culture and language. (Only Papua New Guinea has more languages than Vanuatu)

9. Because of the uniqueness of each of the 83 islands in the Vanuatu archipelago, there is an equally wide variety of tradition and culture. All readily experienced by the visitor

10. Vanuatu is the original home of extreme sport. A flight to the island of Pentecost to watch the land dive will be treasured for years to come

11. While in Vanuatu you can get to enjoy one of the world's largest free standing musical instruments, the beautifully crafted custom tam-tam

12. Vanuatu has the best and most predictable deep sea fishing in the South Pacific

While Fiji is much in the headlines of the advertising gurus, the tropical islands of Vanuatu, hidden in the far North West corner of the South Pacific, has been the best kept secret. It is your year to discover them, but remember we don’t want too many visitors rushing there all at once, so it will keep its own magic and individual charm. No one wants it to become just another Fiji, Honolulu, or Gold Coast, Australia.