Exploring Mt Yasur in Tanna

Vanuatu | Write a review | February 19, 2010

Tanna or Tana is a constituent island of the country of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean in Melanesia. It is located in Tafea Province and is about 100 miles southwards from the capital island of Efate. The island of Tanna is 40 km long and 19 km wide and has an area of 550 square kilometres. Tanna, with a population of about 20,000 is one of the populous islands of Vanuatu. The provincial administrative capital is Isangel, which is located on the west coast and near to the largest town on the island, Lénakel.

Tanna has five main languages, namely, North Tanna, Lénakel (has the highest number of speakers), Southwest Tanna, Whitesands and Kwamera. These are generally grouped into the Tanna languages family, which is a subgroup of the South Vanuatu languages, an Austronesian language branch. People here also speak Bislama, one of Vanuatu’s three official languages.

Kava, coconut, copra, coffee are some of the products grown in the fertile island of Tanna. Tanna’s economy is mainly based on agriculture and tourism.

Geography:

Mount Tukosmera with an altitude of 1,084 metres is the highest peak in Tanna. To the north-east of the peak and close to the coast lies Lake Siwi. In 2000, abnormally high rainfall caused the lake burst down the valley into Sulphur Bay, leading to total destruction of the village. Mount Yasur, one of the most accessible volcano in the world, is located on the southeast coast of Tanna. Mt Yasur is said to be one of the prime attraction of Tanna.

Climate:

The southern and eastern coasts of Tanna are cooler (thanks to the trade winds blowing from south to east) and also more sunnier than the western coast.

May to November is the winter time when there is relatively lesser rain and temperature hovers around 26 degrees Celcius on an average. Mountains are cooler during this time. During the summer, Tanna experiences more rainfall and the mercury moves around 30 degrees Celcius near the coastal area. Inland and the western areas are hotter.

Best time to visit Tanna:

February, August and October are the ideal months to visit Tanna.

Tourist attractions of Tanna Island:

Mount Yasur (Vanuatu’s most active volcano)

Port Resolution (named by Captain James Cook after his ship, H.M.S. Resolution, in 1774)
Kastom villages, wherein the inhabitants have rejected modernity and still live life the way their ancestors did
Jon Frum Religion, a Cargo Cult with Christian influence
Lake Isiwi
Festivals like Yam, Toka or Nekowiar and John Frum Day.
Mountain trails in the southwest
Tanna volcanic hot spring

How to Get to Tanna Island:

By air:
Tanna airport is located 10 km north of Lénakel. Air Vanuatu flights connect Tanna every day of the week. Domestic flier VANAIR connects Tanna with Port Vila (takes an hour). Taxi, minibus and truck service is available for reaching Lénakel town from the airport. There is another airport at White Grass but there are no overseas flights flying to and from there as yet. Vehicles are also arranged from the hotels/resorts.
Domestic water transport:
Lénakel offers domestic shipping transport service. A fast passenger boat called Fresh Cargo visits Tanna from Vila. The service, however, is irregular and depends on the number of passengers.