VANUATU BEACHES
“Champagne Beach on Santo is arguably the most beautiful beach on earth…this is the magical tropical beach everyone is searching for….”
Johno Fitzroy (Trip Advisor)
Turtle Bay Beach, Santo Vanuatu
Island Beach, Turtle Bay Santo Vanuatu
Beach Oyster Island Santo Vanuatu
VANUATU BEACHES – SANTO
Santo has some incredibly beautiful beaches and many of them are easily accessible. Some require a small payment to the local village to access (which helps support the whole community), but this is usually only in the touristy areas and only amounts to a couple of dollars per person.
Starting on your doorstep, Turtle Bay Beach House has its own private beach which links to a larger, nearby public beach and many of the islands directly across the bay also feature beautiful, idyllic white sand beaches. So if you want to play Robinson Crusoe on Vanuatu beaches and pretend you’re stranded on your own piece of island paradise then this is a great place to start!
About 15-20 minutes farther south there are great swimming beaches at Lope Lope Resort (which also has the bonus of a large over the water restaurant and bar and etc), and Barrier Beach Resort (a private beach but if you go for lunch/drinks you can have a swim at the same time!).See picture below.
And of course there is the famous Million Dollar Point (about 5km east of Luganville on Canal Road) which is actually a nice white sand beach that has the bonus of having lots of interesting WW2 relics to dive/snorkel on within a couple of metres of the beach. This costs around $5pp to access.
Champagne Beach
Lonnoc Beach Santo Vanuatu
Port Olry Beach, Santo Vanuatu
However if you’re after Vanuatu beaches that are truly mind-blowing, you need to drive north. First stop is the turnoff to Champagne Bay and Lonnoc, where the sand is like icing sugar and the crystal clear azure waters look like an aquarium (*Note – you have to pay the landowner to enter – about $5 AUD each) . Don’t make the mistake of going there when the cruise ships are in otherwise you might find yourself surrounded by hundreds of tourists! Lonnoc on the other hand is free and you can rock up to Lonnoc Beach Bungalows and order a cold beer, lunch or a Coke (or even hire kayaks).
From Champagne head north towards Port Olry (another 20 mins up the road). About 6.5 km past the village of Hog Harbour there is a hidden turn-off to one of the prettiest beaches on the whole of Santo, called Golden Beach. The turn-off is not marked and the beach is on vacant private property so ask around for directions and make sure its Ok to go there. If you go past a dirt road on your left, you’ve gone too far (backtrack 100m or so)! Its about a 5 mins drive off the main road on a rough, overgrown dirt track.
Finally hit the road again until you reach Port Olry. It’s not really a port at all but a rustic fishing village with a couple of picturesque beachside restaurants. There’s a stunning white sand beach and a few tropical islands directly offshore. It;s a great place to relax and enjoy the best of Vanuatu beaches. You can actually walk across to the nearest island at low tide or you can hire kayaks or a boat and go exploring.