The 4 Best Locations for Exotic Bird-Watching on Your Vanuatu Holidays

For most tourists, holidays mean a change of scenery, people, cuisine, culture and sights. For some, it is relaxation and recreation. However, for some, travelling is all about knowledge. Absorbing information about diverse cultures, catching up on the local history, sighting the rare birds and animals in the natural ecosystem- these are the activities that fill up a nature enthusiast’s travel itinerary. If you are one of those who love to go to foreign destinations for sights of rare birds and animals, then Vanuatu holidays should be on your agenda.

Birds of Vanuatu

Vanuatu boasts of high biodiversity. The ecosystem in Vanuatu offers refuge to a unique 178 different species of colourful and exotic birds, and some of them are not sighted anywhere else on the planet. So, for the bird-watching experts visiting Vanuatu, these are the best locations to sight rare findings:

Efate Island

The Efate Island, located in the Shefa Province of Vanuatu, is urbanised around Port Vila, the capital. However, once you move out of the town and move into the green tropical pastures, you are in touch with nature. In the northwest parts of Efate, lies Chief Roi Mata’s domain. The expansive site in Lelepa, Efate is home to at least 60 different varieties of land and sea birds. Tourists can quickly obtain local guide booklets that help them identify these birds.

Ambae Island

One of the rarest exotic bird ecosystems can be found in the Duviara Conservation Area, near the summit of the volcano on Ambae Island. The reserve offers refuge to at least 25 different varieties of bird species. These feathered residents of the ‘cloud forest’ can be easily located within the conservation area as the surroundings are primarily uninhabited due to the presence of other wildlife.

Espiritu Santo

Espiritu Santo offers an enormous bounty to bird-watchers with an eye perpetually on the binocular. The Loru Rainforest serves as a protected area for the local flora and fauna and is easily accessible with the help of local guides for bird-watching expeditions.
The rainforest land of the Vatthe Conservation area in Big Bay also offers a unique ecosystem to birds with its limestone cliffs and beaches of magma infused sand. The area is home to most of the freshwater and land bird species of Vanuatu.
Mount Tabewamasana also offers ample scope for bird-watching, being the highest peak in the South Pacific. The tropical forest land offers nesting grounds to some 30 different bird species. The elevation and lack of human settlements offer them tranquillity to nest in peace.

Malekula Island

To round off the bird-watching expedition in our Vanuatu holidays, you should head for the Nguna-Pele protected area in Malekula Island. Malekula rivals Espiritu Santo in terms of biodiversity. The abundance of assorted greenery in the shape of rainforests, semi-deciduous forests, thickets and savannah terrain offers residence to different varieties of birds. Tourists can hire a bird-watching guide easily to help them around with the best bird-watching spots.

Vanuatu is a bird-watchers dream destination; you only need to know where to look, to make the most of it.