Pentecost Island Vanuatu
Vanuatu

4 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Seabourn Cruise Line (2 Cruises)

Silversea Cruises (2 Cruises)


Frequently Asked Questions

On a dark sand beach, by zodiac, when the Pacific swell allows. No quay awaits the ship: expedition vessels anchor off the coast, and this uncertain landing is part of the journey.
Because Bougainville's expedition sighted it on Whit Sunday in 1768 and left it that name. It is a long ridge of green crests in northern Vanuatu, some 200 kilometres from Port Vila.
A ritual born in the villages of the island's south: men throw themselves into the void from towers of wood and vine 20 to 30 metres high, held only by fresh vines tied at the ankles. Linked to the yam harvest, it calls for fertile land and displays the divers' courage.
It inspired it, after being filmed from the 1950s onwards, but the comparison stops there. Here there is no elastic and no harness: only the knowledge of the elders, who choose the vines and judge their stretch by eye.
April to June, after the yam harvest, on specific dates set by the communities. The ceremony bends to no ship's schedule: only itineraries coinciding with the season allow you to watch, from the area set aside for visitors.
No, it is strictly forbidden. The ceremony belongs to the clans of the island's south and outsider participation is not contemplated. Visitors watch in a silence broken only by the singing and whistling of the women at the foot of the tower.
The dismantled towers give way to the villages, the paths and everyday customary life, which justify the landing on their own. No paved roads and no shops: red earth tracks, palm-thatched houses and welcomes made of song.
On yam, taro, kava and copra, under kastom, the customary system that orders social life in Vanuatu. The pigs tethered under the mango trees are as much part of the customary economy as of the landscape.
The vatu, Vanuatu's currency, and Bislama, with French and English depending on the village. Bring cash in small denominations: there are no shops and no card terminals.
This is a demanding expedition call: zodiac landing on a beach, earth paths, heat and no services. It leaves a lasting impression on curious teenagers, but suits neither very young children nor reduced mobility.