Travel Guides on Channel 9 – Our Travel Guides are ditching the rat race and hitting up the most chilled-out spot in the South Pacific – Vanuatu – for a tropical island adventure.
They land on Efate, Vanuatu’s most populated island, and travel by boat to get to their accommodation at Erakor Island Resort.
After checking out their new digs, they’re ready for a feed on the best cuisines in the region at the Melanesian Feast. After they’ve loaded up their plates, the real highlight is the fire twirling floor show.
Now island mode is activated, our Guides are trying their hand at all the activities Erakor Island has to offer. From beach volleyball to kayaking and coconut tree climbing, there’s no shortage of fun things to do.
And when they’re ready for some more action, they boat over to bustling Port Vila on the main island of Efate to hit up the markets. Here they try some uber fresh produce, and even meet the local lizard man with iguanas draped all over him.
Next up, is a 250cc jungle buggy ride through the tropical rainforest. Without any doors, our Guides are covered in mud from head to toe by the end of the trip. But it’s totally worth it for the adrenaline rush and stunning ocean views.
Then it’s time to save some turtles! They boat it over to Moso Island’s Tranquility Turtle Sanctuary where they meet the baby turtles who have only recently hatched. The most exciting part is setting the big teenage turtles who are ready to be released free into the sea.
After a quick flight to Vanuatu’s largest island, Santo, they check into Aore Island resort for eco-friendly, back to nature accommodation and then settle in for a cultural experience like no other. Women and girls from the remote northern islands have been making music with water for centuries, and our Guides get to try it out for themselves. It’s harder than it looks, and it looks really hard.
On the Plantation Walk, they learn how the locals survived in the past by finding food and water from the plants around them. And after all that jungle survival action, they deserve a break, kicking back with a cocktail at the resort’s open-air bar.
Next stop is the Leweton Village for a full village life experience. After braving a spear-filled welcome, they watch the traditional Kustom dance, try local food and sample the locally-made Kava.
Back on Santo Island, our Guides channel their inner Indiana Jones as they explore the crystal-clear Riri River in traditional dugout canoes. They glide under magnificent canopies and all is good with the world … until some of the canoes turn out to be a bit overloaded and filling up with water. When they can climb back aboard, they’re in for a treat upriver at the Matevulu Blue Hole, where they can channel their inner Tarzan. But not everyone is cut out for the rope swing, and for some of our Guides it’s more of a fall than a swing.
On their last day in Vanuatu, our Guides are savouring every last moment in paradise. They chow down a tropical brekky, try basket weaving, and even have a go at sand drawing, then they’re ready to rate their tropical island adventure out of five stars.
Travel Guides – Wednesday 10 May, 2023 at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now
TV Central Nine content HERE
