Babymoon in Santo

Wooooow, this is just so beautiful.... probably the most common quote in the last 4 days from Santo.

Last Friday, we started our well-deserved short vacation, which our friend Tiff called a "Babymoon". She works there as an Australian volunteer in the volleyball office and invited us to come and use this dream island for this occasion. I had never heard of a Babymoon before, but then found it quite fitting. We also had Michel's birthday present, which was perfect for this island. So I organized the whole tour and came up with a rough schedule of activities with Tiff.

Feeling quite euphoric and excited, we set off with Air Vanuatu to the island capital of Luganville, which is only 50 minutes flight from Port Vila. We spent the first 2 nights in the city with Tiff and explored the city center and a small island located in the south of Santo. Aore Island can be reached from Luganville in 20 minutes by a small banana boat and is quite famous for beautiful corals, fish, and coffee. We used the day specifically for that. We snorkeled and relaxed on the beach for 3-4 hours, had a delicious lunch, and returned in the afternoon. The underwater world was incredibly beautiful and very different from all the spots we snorkeled before.

In the evening, we cooked a curry and Tiff's entire volunteer crew (about 6 people) from Santo came over. They all live in the surrounding apartments and also brought some food. In the end, there was a huge amount of delicious food and a long, fun evening with many nice conversations. Michel talked a lot about his work, which brought a lot of new input to the group, and everyone asked many questions. In the small group, everyone knew each other very well by now and new energy refreshed everyone :) Compared to Port Vila, the city is quite quiet because only 10,000 people live in Luganville and there are few activities available. For tourists, it is a great place to relax and discover some really great spots. That was also our plan for the next 3 days.

On Sunday morning, a driver recommended by Tiff picked us up and drove us along the east coast, making 2 typical stops. Once at the Matevulu Blue Hole and a stop at Champagner Beach. The tour ended in the far north in Port Olry, where we wanted to stay for 2 nights. Normally, it is easy to find taxi drivers who offer the tour at a reasonable price, but since it was Sunday and many Ni-Vanuatu people go to church, it would have been very difficult to find a driver spontaneously or it would have taken a long time.

Our driver Glifford was punctual and after a 20-minute drive, we turned onto a small path to our first stop. Glifford waited for us for about 30 minutes at the Blue Hole and we used the blue oasis with a huge banyan tree in the middle for a small first refreshment.

After another 25 minutes of driving, we turned onto a dirt road again, this time to the famous Champagner Beach. There, too, you have to pay a small entrance fee and then you can visit this small, beautiful beach. Perfect white sand and clear, turquoise water greeted us. Still in our bikini and swim trunks, we immediately jumped into the water. With 3 other tourists, we were the only visitors and could calmly accompany a local giant turtle while eating and relaxing in the water. Otherwise, there was nothing to discover for snorkeling, except for perfect white sand.

After about 1 hour, we set off for the final destination, the small fishing village of Port Olry. There were supposed to be small bungalows on the beach, a small village, and lots of palm trees and bushes. And that's how it was... with a turquoise bay in the background and small lonely islands. We chose one of the 4 accommodations that we found the most beautiful and cozy. We couldn't have made a better choice. The next morning, we were woken up with delicious coffee, pancakes, and fruits. Before that, we quickly jumped into the waves. After breakfast, we strolled through the village and then to one of the small islands that you can reach via a sandbank at low tide. We collected a lot of shells and corals and walked back for lunch. On the beach, you talk to almost every one of the few guests and so you hear wild life stories again and again.

After an omelet, we kayaked to another small island in the afternoon, where it was very nice for snorkeling. We spent 1-2 hours on the lonely island and paddled back at sunset.

Before dinner, it became very special and romantic on the lonely beach at sunset.

After dinner, host Louis treated us to beer and pineapple juice and we sat together for a while. But then we went to bed quickly because the next morning we were going back to Luganville for the planned birthday surprise.

Louis took us to Luganville, we strolled once again through the market, had coffee at the oldest café in town, and made our way to Tiff. Around noon, the crew from the diving school picked us up, and Michel already had an idea. We went to Million Dollar Point, which is 10 minutes away. This spot is a remnant of World War II, where the Americans sank all their equipment after the war ended. Michel went diving and there was also a lot to see during my snorkeling trip. From the outside, the beach section initially appears unspectacular, but once you look underwater, you are overwhelmed. So many vehicles and shipwrecks covered in beautiful corals and now populated by various marine creatures.

We both enjoyed this last day very much and in the evening we cooked and talked about our experiences with Tiff. Santo is definitely worth a trip!

The next morning, the flight back gave us an unexpected highlight. Since we were only 6 passengers, Air Vanuatu flew us back in a 10-seater. Due to its size, we flew at a lower altitude and were able to see many of Vanuatu's 83 islands from the air. We landed again in Port Vila on Wednesday around 10 a.m., where the everyday madness was already waiting for us. You'll hear what's going on here next week.