Ambae
Vanuatu · Penama · 400 m
Description
Ambae is a single volcano rising straight out of the sea, and James Michener saw it from Espiritu Santo and turned it into Bali Hai, which is the only reason most people outside Vanuatu have heard of it at all. Inside the summit caldera sit crater lakes that change colour, with Lake Vui the largest and the one that erupts. In 2017 it threw ash twelve kilometres up and the entire population of eleven thousand was evacuated off the island, most of them at night. They came back. The summit is a two day walk through cloud forest and steaming ground.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – August
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Manaro caldera and its crater lakes
- Lake Vui and its changing colour
- Steaming vents on the summit plateau
- Ash fields left by the 2017 eruption
- Longana and the villages of the east coast
- Hot springs on the flanks of the crater
- Black sand beaches of the west coast
- Bali Hai, the island Michener saw from Santo
- Waterfalls of the rainforest slopes
- Kastom dance and the mat weaving of the island
Getting there
- Airports:
- LOD