Weather

If you travelled from Vanuatu's most southern island of Aneityum to its most Northern of Hie, you would be covering 875 longitudinal kms. Within the 80 island plus archipelago, you would find a large climate variance. Generally speaking, further south you go, the drier it becomes; further north, the more humid and subject to more rain.

The capital Port Vila on Efate can expect 27°C (80°F) in July to 30°C (89°F) in January. Peak humidity is from December to February hovering around 82%.

In Port Vila, average year round rainfall is approximately 200mm per month but can increase to 300mm or more in the green season from January to April.

The most northerly islands in the archipelago such as the Banks can receive above 4,000mm of rain per year, yet in the south, the Island of Tanna can be less than 2,000mm.

Cyclones are a natural phenomena to understand and respect. Mainstream tourism facilities are solidly built and experienced in cyclone management. Cyclones appear (in varying degrees with plenty of warning) on an average every year from December to April. By following instructions given by the local authorities, you will be in no danger.

Tourism peaks in the months of July to December. The months of January to June are the quietest. Experienced travellers take advantage of these tourism troughs to travel, as airlines, accommodation providers and other tourism related businesses discount heavily during this period.

The months of January to June are a little more humid, but cooled by the occasional tropical down pour, all part of the experience! You will also witness the explosion of flora and waterways. The added bonus is that in this period, tourism numbers are low. You have more opportunities to mingle with locals and carelessly do your own thing instead of being rushed by the crowd.

Weather Advice:

When in TANNA, place a rock on the ground.
If rock is dry - It's fine, go out;
If rock is wet - it's raining, stay indoors;
If rock is moving - it's windy, go sailing;
If rock is white – its’ snowing, you're in the wrong country;
If rock is spinning - tornado, you're in the wrong country;
Can't see rock - fog, go flirting, you stand a better chance;
If rock is gone - cyclone, get under the bed.