Lelepa Island Tour Review, Day Trip from Port Vila with Kids
If you are looking for a kid-friendly day trip from Port Vila that includes a snorkeling tour and a visit to a local village, check out Lelepa Island Day Tour.
We didn’t find Lelepa Island Day Tours on Viator or Get Your Guide. A brochure of the company was located at our hotel, and the front desk staff highly recommended it.
Led by Lelepa Island locals, the tour includes a boat ride, snorkeling, lunch, a visit to a historical cave, walking through the village on Lelepa Island, and the chance to talk to some of the locals who live on the island.
You may recognize Lelepa Island from Survivor Vanuatu and Celebrity Survivor.
Keep reading to see what you can experience on the Lelepa Island Day Tour.
Lelepa Island Day Tour Pick-Up
A van picked us up at our Port Vila hotel. We were the last guests to be picked up in that van. Another van full of guests met us at the dock.
The drive from our hotel to the dock took about 30 minutes. As I was sitting at the front, the driver pointed out interesting sights and told me a little bit about Vanuatu on the drive.
The dock is located at the bottom of a small hill, and we had to walk down from the van parked at the top. We waited at the dock for a few minutes before 2 boats arrived to drive us to our first stop of the day.
Lelepa Island Day Tour Website
Boat Ride and Snorkeling
Two small boats picked us up. Ours had shade, bench seats, and room to store our items in the front. The other boat looked similar, though not all seats were shaded.
We were separated into the boats into the same groups that we drove to the beach with.
Before arriving on Lelepa Island, the boat took us to another area of Efate Island where a kitchen area was set up, as well as picnic tables and toilets nearby.
Everyone dropped off their belongings at the tables, changed into their swimwear, and collected snorkels and flippers before returning to the boats.
I didn’t rush to get my gear, but if you need a specific size, it may be a good idea to get there first. We (the adults) were able to get our sizes, but there aren’t any kids’ sizes available.
One kid insisted on wearing the smallest size of flippers available over her swim shoes, and the other didn’t mind not wearing anything on his feet.
We weren’t on land for long, and as soon as everyone had their gear, the boats took off and anchored a few minutes later so that everyone who wanted to could snorkel.
While the water at some points was rough, as a cyclone had just gone past a day earlier, it was smooth where we snorkeled near Lelepa Island.
I didn’t time the snorkeling, but just about everyone was finished before the last of the group was told to get back into the boat. They gave us enough time to enjoy snorkeling.
Unlike some of the snorkeling trips we’ve been on, we had a pretty big area to snorkel through. We were given parameters but were generally free to explore. We saw the fish and coral, but no other sea life.
BBQ Lunch
Lunch began at 11:45 back at the beach on Efate Island.
The BBQ lunch on the Lelepa Island Day Tour included sausages, chicken, beef stew, rice, fruit (papaya, pineapple, and bananas), corn, cole slaw, and bread. There is more than enough for everyone to eat as much as they’d like.
Water and juice are included.
After lunch, we had time to relax on the beach or in the hammocks before heading back on the boat.
We were told that usually, the Lelepa Island Day Tour guests swim or snorkel after lunch, but because of the size of the waves, we went straight over to Lelepa Island, where the water was calmer.
Lelepa Island
The boat docks at a small beach on Lelepa Island.
Lelepa Island is visible from Efate Island and is home to 300-500 people. The largest village on the island is Natapao, located on the island’s southern edge.
On Lelepa Island are a kindergarten, a primary school, and 2 churches. Kids from the villages on Lelepa Island go to high school in Port Vila.
We had a little bit of time on the beach before exploring the island.
Lelepa Island Caves
The group walks from the beach to the cave. Once inside, we learned about the history of the cave and how it is actually a place where Lelepa Island natives go to wait out cyclones.
When we arrived at Port Vila and were immediately looking for a day tour option, the Lelepa Island Day Tour was recommended to us, but we had no idea a cyclone was set to arrive later that night.
The man at the front desk was talking to us about the tour and mentioned that we could go to the caves to hide from a cyclone. We thought he was kidding.
The cave is up a hill with many stairs, and there is a handrail for most of the stairway.
Our kids were fine on the walk up the stairs, but it could be difficult for smaller kids or anyone with difficulty on uneven ground.
For anyone who knows me, that’s me! I don’t do well on uneven ground, and if I had to do it again, I would wear better shoes. I wore my standard flip-flops, but closed-toed shoes or sturdier water shoes would be a smarter option.
The cave has a very tall ceiling, and there is plenty of space for everyone to be inside it at the same time. The sunlight comes in through the entryway and lights up the space.
After walking back down the stairs and back to the beach, we had a little bit of time to hang out before walking to the village.
Bushwalk
The walk to the village was a bit easier than the walk to the caves. The walk to the caves is rocky and uneven, and includes stairs, while the walk to the village is much flatter and made of dirt.
The group stopped a few times along the way to learn about some of the plants and how they are used medicinally.
As we got closer to town, we saw pigs, but not wild pigs. I later learned that there are many wild pigs in Vanuatu, and Efate Island has lots of wild pigs in the middle of it, while the outer edge of the island is inhabited by people.
The houses on Lelepa Island vary in size and condition. There are no roads and no cars on the island.
Lelepa Island Village Visit
We walked from the beach to the caves, through the bush on Lelepa Island, and finally to the village.
The narrow path opens up to a village where we could see houses and people walking around.
Afternoon tea was already set up as we arrived. In addition to tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, there were Oreos and fresh coconut.
A few women have mats set up around the area where tea is held. They sell souvenirs and trinkets.
After everyone had a chance to pour themselves a drink, grab a snack, and make their purchases, a few of the women and children greeted us with a couple of songs.
After their welcome songs, there are a few minutes to mingle with the people on Lelepa Island.
A few families brought gifts for the kids in the village. We bought school supplies in Port Vila and gave them to one of the parents to hand out to the kids. Originally, we thought we would donate them to the school, but we visited when school was not in session.
There is an opportunity to use the bathroom before leaving Lelepa Island. A bathroom is located right next to the area where we had afternoon tea.
Walking through the Village
Surprisingly, Lelepa Island has good cell phone service. The visitors with local SIM cards could check their messages if they wanted.
While on the island, I spoke with another American who had been living in the village on Lelepa Island for a few months. We were made aware of each other after I spoke with one of the guides and told him I was American, knowing that most of the visitors they get are from Australia and New Zealand.
While living in a village in Vanuatu is not my dream, I can see what an amazing opportunity it is to experience Lelepa for an extended period of time, and not just an hour. I had a lot of questions, and it all came down to the people on the island being very kind, happy, and helpful.
The people in Vanuatu are considered some of the happiest in the world.
Everyone we met in Vanuatu, and especially on Lelepa Island, was kind.
After enjoying afternoon tea, the music, and meeting some of the Lelepa Island locals, we continued to walk through the village to the boat that would take us back to Efate Island.
Hotel Drop Off
After the boat ride back to Efate Island, we were put in a different van on the way back to our hotel, most likely because of convenience. Either way, the buses were back at the same place they dropped us off earlier in the day, and everyone climbed aboard and rode the 30 minutes back to the hotels at Port Vila.
Lelepa Island Day Tour Wrap Up
If you are looking for a day tour from Port Vila, with or without kids, the Lelepa Island Day Tour is worth checking out.
The staff was kind and helpful, the lunch was delicious and plentiful, and we enjoyed our visit to Lelepa Island.
It could have just been our tour since the water was a bit rough after the cyclone and during the quick afternoon rain, but getting on and off the boat wasn’t always easy. Not that it was hard (those who know me know I am klutzy, and I was able to do it), but just something to keep in mind. You get on and off the boat in the water multiple times. You also need to be able to climb out of the water on a ladder after snorkeling.
Our kids loved the adventurous walk, playing in the waves, and jumping out of the boat into the water.
We booked the Lelepa Island Day Tour the day before, from our hotel in Port Vila, and they run every day of the week except Saturdays.
Looking for a budget-friendly, kid-friendly hotel in Port Vila? We enjoyed a stay at Moorings Hotel.
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