Tanna - wild island and volcano fire

Fiji and China - and now off to Tanna!

Tanna Island, located in the south, also belongs to Vanuatu and, in addition to Efate and Santo, is a tourist highlight due to the active volcano Yazur. It has been active for 800 years, and it is said to be the most active volcano in the world.

Another reason why we went there so spontaneously and quickly (Michel landed on Saturday at 23:30, flight to Tanna at 15:00 on Sunday) were the Tanna Games. A tournament over a week including beach and indoor volleyball, football, and athletics. On Monday and Thursday, we scouted there for the indoor and beach, which was quite fun and interesting but not very successful. In addition to organizational problems (on Monday there was opening ceremony and setup until 1 am) and conditions of the courts (asphalt as 'indoor' and hanging nets), the footwear was highly spectacular. Most played barefoot, otherwise in flip-flops, socks, and very few wore shoes. Everyone who wants to play joins in and plays with what they have available. Many have ball feeling and enthusiasm, but they don't have proper technique, tactics, or fixed rotation positions, so it was difficult to really select players. The night in the bungalow right next to the football field was not exactly a place for relaxation due to nocturnal work, soundchecks, and loud mooing cows. Nevertheless, it was funny to watch the setup at breakfast #the linesofthetrackarealmostparallel. To use the Monday morning well, we drove to the well-known snorkeling spot Blue Hole and were rewarded with the most colorful corals we have seen so far on our journey :) At noon, we went back to the courts.

After the first games (chaos and semi-good level), we decided to first visit the volcano and take a break by snorkeling and hiking. On Thursday before our return flight, we would watch the semi-finals again.

Since the transport costs for tourists are quite high, we mingled with the locals and directly caught a pickup truck, which took us to the other side of the island to the volcano at local prices. About 1.15 hours drive for about 40km (says everything about the road conditions). We drove through dense jungle, over small mountains to the ash field of Mt. Yasur, which impressed us a lot from the beginning. Perfect for the start of the tour, we arrived at the entrance of the volcano and despite unexpected, hefty entrance fees (about 80€), we decided to watch this spectacle, which was definitely worth it. With about 25 other outdoor tourists, the guides took us up the 340m high volcano in pickups, and in good weather, we could observe the bubbling lava. We stayed at the crater rim until it got dark, and the darkness in particular made it a spectacular experience. Every 5 minutes, it grumbled louder or quieter, and Mt. Yasur spat out lava with all its might. Totally crazy and at times a bit scary, as we later saw the lava flying over the crater rim a few times. Fortunately, we had already arrived back at our treehouse (Yasur View Lodge) and enjoyed the nighttime view of the volcano fire.

We spent the third night on the east side of the island in Port Resolution. James Cook discovered Tanna here in 1774 and gave the island and the place their names. It is a wild area with only 2-3 accommodations, 3 'restaurants', and nothing else but white beaches and bush. We loved it, snorkeled, and took a whole day to recover from the past weeks and travels (it's not like it wasn't exhausting ;)).

For our last night, we chose Yasur View Lodge again because it was simply incredibly beautiful. The next morning, we started walking towards Lenakel, where the airport and the Tanna Games took place. We hoped for a transport option soon so that we would have time to scout and wouldn't have to hike too long in scorching heat. After about 2 hours (some dissatisfaction and desperation were already setting in), a bus finally came and brought us back. Everything worked out well again, and crossing the ash desert on foot was also a great and picturesque experience afterwards. The Tanna Games were already in full swing again. We watched a bit, had lunch, and in the end, Michel played 1-2 sets barefoot on the hot asphalt floor.

Tanna was a completely original, diverse, and fascinating experience. After these 5 days, we were looking forward to Port Vila and our room with fresh clothes and a proper shower.