Tanna is an island in the South Pacific Republic of Vanuatu. Located on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", the Vanuatu are volcanic, rising straight up out of the deep clear south Pacific waters. Five of the Volcanoes are active and three of these active volcanoes are reasonably easy to visit.

The Island of Tanna is 100 miles south of the capital island of Efate. Tanna is only 22 miles long, 10 miles wide and 1084 meters high at the peak of Mount Tukosmera.

Getting to Tanna, Vanuatu

Visitors must first fly to Port Vila on the island of Efate and then fly to Tanna using the domestic airline VANAIR. There are three flights per day and it generally takes about an hour one way. The airport is on the north west coast of the island. Click here for a flight schedule.

Local Transportation on Tanna, Vanuatu

A network of roads circle the island, but most of them are in pretty poor condition and it takes awhile to get from one part of the island to another. The entire island is criss-crossed with walking tracks. These are ancient paths and great for trekking. Some tracks are good for mountain biking, too. You will need to have a guide when adventuring on these trails, not only because there are many branches and the terrain is often rugged, but also because you might wander into areas that are taboo or private gardens. (for high resolution images showing all of these roads and treks visit http://www.rocket-guide-vanuatu.com and order a copy of the travel professional's tourism guide to Vanuatu, the Rocket Guide to Vanuatu.

Taxis, rental cars and mini-buses are available in Tanna but not especially common. Transportation tends to be expensive because of the high cost of fuel, spare parts, and cars and trucks. Normally the accommodations in Tanna Vanuatu can arrange the best transport and most of the accommodations have their own bus or truck.

Climate and the Weather in Tanna, Vanuatu

The trade winds blow from the south through to the east almost all the time. This means that the south and east coasts are cooler and tend to have more sun than the west coast.

The maritime climate keeps Tanna reasonably nice all year long. During the winter, from May to November, there is relatively less rain and temperatures average 26 C (79 F) but can be much cooler in the mountains and during the evening. You will need a jacket to keep you warm. In the summer, rainfall increases and the average temperature is around 30 C on the coast. It can be much hotter inland or on the western side of Tanna.

When you get ready to visit tanna, get the latest 5 day Vanuatu weather forecast .

Money - the Vanuatu Vatu

For the most part, you can get a quick estimate of what something is worth by simply thinking of the Vatu as one cent. So a hand of bananas that costs 100 Vatu is about US$1.

If you wish an exact exchange rate, click here. To return here just close the exchange rate browser window.

There is a branch of  the National Bank of Vanuatu in Lenakel where you can cash travellers cheques and exchange money.

People neither bargain nor expect tips. What they ask for a product or a service is what they expect to get paid.

Communications in Tanna Vanuatu

The phones work most of the time and there are public phones that use pay-in-advance cards. You can buy these cards locally or in Port Vila.

Mobile phones don't work yet in Tanna although the service is expected to expand there "soon".

Internet is available as snail-pace dialup rates from some of the accommodations.

There is a post office in Lenekal where you can also buy some great volcano stamps.

Electricity in Tanna Vanuatu

Power is 240 volts 50Hz, the same as in Australia and the plugs are also of the Australian three blade type. Most accommodations have a 240 Volt generator but they don't always have it running 24 hrs a day. Many resorts only operate the generator in the evening.

Accommodation In Tanna Vanuatu

The accommodations in Tanna tend to be small bungalow-style and often build to the local materials. In general they look like movie sets for a South Pacific Island Paradise. There are 3 village style bungalows clustered around Yasur Volcano on the southeast side of Tanna, two near the airport, and three near Lenakel.

For a listing of features of the accommodations in Tanna, Vanuatu and links to their websites, visit http://www.rocket-guide-vanuatu.com/accommodation.html#tanna