 There are daily flights to Tanna with the local airline
Vanair to White Grass Airport. There is no regular bus
service, however, you will find the occasional taxi, but
negotiate the price beforehand. Your best bet is to book
through one of the local tour operators such as Adventures
in Paradise, ph 25200, Adventure Centre, ph 22743,
Destination Pacific Islands, ph 22595, Coongoola Tours, ph
25020, Island Safaris, ph 23288, Tamaso Aliat WI Tours, ph
25600, Melanesian Tours, ph 26847.
The Yasur Volcano is the most accessible live volcano in the
world. With a well-equipped
4-wheel drive, you can drive up
to within 200 metres of the edge of the crater. Volcano
activity permitting, you can also walk up to the crater to
view this awesome and unforgettable sight. A must see sight
of your Vanuatu holiday. The ideal way to see the volcano is
to take an “afternoon to night” tour where you will
experience the sunset followed by the magma explosions only
seen at night. The people believe that the spirits of the
dead reside in the volcano.
The Toka
The NEKOVIAR Festival or TOKA is one of the most significant
custom celebrations in the country.
Nowadays, the event, which used to mark the end of a tribal
war, is a symbol of alliance and friendship between
different tribal groups. Its preparation requires several
months and can even spread over a full year. The ceremony
starts with the women dancing all night. This is known as
the “napennapen’, surrounded by the men who are waiting for
dawn to take their place. A bit before sunrise, silence
falls. Then the TOKA dance begins. Bearing strange looking
carved sticks, the men mime scenes of daily life, followed
by other dancers: the NAO group. The host group carries out
this dance, its allies, in reply to the TOKA. The dancers
stamp the ground rhythmically. At the end of the dancing,
the feast of pig killings and exchange of gifts begins. The
whole ceremony may last three days.
John Frum
and the Cargo Cult
 It all started in 1940, when, now a mythical figure John
Frum came along from the sea claiming that there would be a
wealth of goods and money if only the Europeans would leave
the island.
Soon after that, the arrival of American troops landed with
planes, jeeps, radios and cigarettes giving credence to the
myth. Red crosses were put up in the hope that medical care
would continue to be provided free of charge. By then it had
become obvious that John Frum must have been American (John
from America).
Nowadays, this cult, which has attracted numerous
supporters, is celebrated through prayers and dancing every
Friday at Sulphur Bay. Every 15th of February, all the
believers in this cult gather from all over the island to
celebrate. The men, armed with sticks made to look like
rifles, march past their flag, which shows the letters USA
on the back. Visitors and members of the congregation gather
around the Red Cross in the sacred clearing and lay flowers
to the sound of singing and praying, waiting for John Frum
to return with a white cargo laden with riches.
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