For the adventurous traveller seeking a real island experience, Ambrym is the island for you. It is a place of culture, spirituality and adventure and the people are warm, friendly and welcoming.
Ambrym is considered Vanuatu’s sorcery centre famous for its black magic. The North of Ambrym is famous for some of the best wood carvings in the Pacific, the mysterious Rom dance and for its easy access to Mt Marum and Mt Benbow volcanoes.
Culture is strong with its’ many spiritual beliefs like in the north, there is no fishing, hunting or other activities from 1 September – 31 December during the Yam planting season, and volcano trips can only be available from the south during these months.
Ambrym remains volcanically active. Benbow and Marum volcanoes still rumble away and smaller vents and fractures ooze steam and lava.
Wildlife Ambrym is home to some fascinating wildlife including the endemic Vanuatu Megapode (Namalao), dugongs and turtles. The Vanuatu megapode Megapodius layardi is considered as Vulnerable, according to the IUCN red list category, because it is thought to have a small population that is likely to decline. Megapodes use external heat sources to incubate their eggs.
The North coast of Ambrym also offers good snorkeling opportunities to view dugongs, large sea turtles and a myriad of brilliant coloured fish. Dugongs inhabit the warm tropical waters and are considered vulnerable to extinction. They feed almost exclusively on sea grass. North Ambrym has a beautiful natural spring where turtles and dugongs often frequent.
Getting here
Ambrym is not far from Santo or Port Vila and relatively cheap to get to. A good travelling strategy is island hopping via Ambrym by plane and/or ship between Vila and Santo.
Ambrym has two airfields, one in the west at Craig Cove and one in the east at Ulei. There more landings and bigger planes at Craig Cove and more flights from Vila than from Santo. Air Vanuatu still has a weekly service Santo-Norsup (Malekula)-Craig Cove-Ulei-Paama-Vila.
Visit the Air Vanuatu website for the latest schedule and fares. Tourists with a return Air Vanuatu international ticket are entitled to a 20% discount on domestic flights.
Accommodation
Accommodation is simple island style bungalows to standard budget guesthouses owned by local individuals or village communities. The bungalows are spread out mostly along the western side of the island up north right down to the south. You can choose any of the following: Lalinda Guest house, Black Beach Bungalows, Island Experience Bungalow, or Solomon Douglas Guesthouse. Just call Joseph Talo at Vanuatu Discovery Tours in Port Vila on +678 23167, mobile +678 7746312 or +678 5546312 for more details.
Getting around
Land Transport
West Ambrym has public transport trucks at Meltungon, Baiap, Port Vato and Lalinda. Services are not regular. The best days for trucks are when the Craig Cove bank is open (Tuesday, Friday) or there's a Air Vanuatu flight (Tuesday, Saturday).
Today there's more interest in tourism as the islanders see a small, steady flow of tourists attracted to the volcanos. The main tourist season is during the cooler months from April to September. Mobile phones are all around Ambrym now and this development makes it so much easier to contact people if you want to move from one site to the next.
Things to Do
Trekking to the Benbow and Marum active volcanos draws most tourists to Ambrym. You can also walk right around the island, passing coastal villages and historical sites along the way.
North Ambrym has an annual cultural festival featuring Rom dancing, grade-taking and sand drawing around mid-July every year. The interior villages of West Ambrym also welcome visitors to see their annual Rom dances. Tourists pay to witness a Rom dance. The fees asked will vary. |
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