Today, we hired a jeep from Deco Stop, our hotel, and drove up the East Coast of Santo. Kim, the hotel owner, laughed when she saw us studying the map – “just turn right out the hotel and carry straight on – there’s only one road in Santo!” This isn’t quite true – there are unmade roads – but there’s only one sealed road, which goes up the East Coast from Luganville to Port Olry. To put it in perspective, the Circular Road in Efate (see previous blog re: The Blue Lagoon) and the East Coast road in Santo are the only sealed roads in Vanuatu.

So, we set off up the East Coast Road. Driving the jeep took me back a few decades – soft top, stick shift, no seatbelts! I crossed my fingers and prayed that we wouldn’t have an accident. Fortunately outside Luganville, there was very little traffic. Santo is noticeably less developed than Efate and most of the villages seem to be set back from the road. The road was lined with coconut palm tree plantations. We pulled in to look at a beautifully clear river.

Continuing on our way, we pulled into Nanda Blue Hole. This had been recommended to us by our dive instructor, Scott of Pacific Dive, but there were signs to several other blue holes along the way. The entrance fee was a hefty 1,000 Vatu each  (about 7 pounds sterling), but it was a beautifully kept site with lovely tropical gardens, changing rooms, flush loos and a café. The pool itself was as blue as the Blue Lagoon on Efate but with a different, more mellow vibe. No rope swings, no music, just a beautiful spring fed pool. I tasted the water and it was fresh with no hint of salt. A variety of fish swam about. We chilled at the pool for an hour or so before heading off on our way.

 

Our next stop was at Port Olry. The name led me to expect a port with perhaps a marina but instead I found a fishing village of traditional huts and two or three locally run restaurants and bungalows on the beach. The water was as blue as the water in the Blue Lagoon. The beach curved round to an island which can only be reached at certain times of the day. There were several fishing canoes but no sign of anything bigger.

We selected one of the restaurants and took our seats in an open hut right on the beach. It was surprisingly windy and after swimming in the cool waters of the Blue Hole, I actually felt quite cold! (Bear in mind that the temperature here is currently around 27c).

The menu was simple and based around seafood. Lobster was on the menu and we both opted for that. Unfortunately, they only had one lobster in. A boy was dispatched on a bicycle to ride round to the fishermen and order up another one taken straight from the sea. When the lobster arrived, we found ourselves with quite an audience: one cheeky kitten and two very humble dogs. The kitten jumped on the table and tried to steal our food. No lobster for him. The dogs waited ‘til the end of the meal and were rewarded for their patience.

After our lobster, we took a walk round the bay until we reached the island. There were cow pats on the beach but no sign of the cows. We picked up some cowrie shells and a stone with a hole in it to take home.

After the beach, we turned the car around and headed back towards Luganville. En route, we pulled off the road onto a rough dirt track which lead to Champagne Beach. I had heard that this beautiful white sand bay is on the cruise shop itinary and can be horribly crowded.

Not today. Apart from a girl in the café and a pregnant woman selling dresses, we were the only ones there. David brought some drinks from the girl and I brought a dress from the pregnant woman in an effort to up their sales.  Then we went for a swim in the bay. It was picture perfect. The sea was beautiful and the sand soft and powdery underfoot.

 

Then we put on our snorkels and checked out the coral at the edges of the bay. The corals were exceptionally colourful and in good health – although David spotted a Crown of Thorns, which eat and kill the coral.

 

The afternoon was drawing to a close, so we headed back to Depo Stop and took up our places on the deck – just in time to watch the sunset over the bay.