Market, Crafts and City History
Luganville Market offers street food such as grilled meat skewers, fresh coconuts, and coconut or taro pastries. The main market also sells tropical fruits and vegetables, local dishes, and handcrafted products. This gives you the opportunity to explore the market for both its food and its goods. Offerings and market operations may vary; individual vendors and foods are not always the same.
Luganville is an important distribution hub for handicrafts from the northern provinces, including the islands of Pentecost, Ambae, and Banks. These places of origin give the crafts a regional dimension and show Luganville’s connections to several islands. For travelers interested in handicrafts, learning about their origins adds another perspective to a visit to the market.
The South Pacific WWII Museum in Luganville displays a collection of objects relating to the Pacific War and Espiritu Santo. Check the current visiting arrangements before your trip.
Culture and History in the Surrounding Area
Near Luganville is Beterihi Cultural Activity Park. Traditional dances and demonstrations of food and kava preparation, weaving, wood carving, and sand drawing are offered there. If you would like to plan for these cultural performances, check the current arrangements before your visit.
The wider region’s history is also connected to World War II: the SS Coolidge struck a mine in Segond Channel off Espiritu Santo on October 26, 1942, and later sank. The wreck of the SS President Coolidge off Espiritu Santo is almost entirely intact and contains war relics such as guns, cannons, jeeps, helmets, and trucks. The wreck dive is accessible directly from shore.
Sanma: Nature, Culture and Bigger Adventures
Mount Tabwemasana is on Espiritu Santo, within the wider destination of Sanma. At 1,879 meters, it is Vanuatu’s highest mountain and also the highest point in the South Pacific. Its ascent is offered as a six-day expedition through dense rainforests and remote villages. This duration makes the tour a distinct, multi-day focus when planning a trip.
Vatthe Conservation Area is located in Bay Bay on Santo’s north coast. Covering 2,720 hectares, it preserves an extensive alluvial and limestone forest, considered the only large-scale forest of its kind in Vanuatu. Forty-eight land and freshwater bird species have been recorded there; six of Vanuatu’s nine endemic bird species use the forest.
Cultural experiences across the wider Sanma region include traditional dances, wood carving, and the sand drawing unique to Vanuatu at Leweton Cultural Village on Santo. On Malo Island, visitors can experience traditional dances, local music, and ni-Vanuatu handicrafts; offerings may vary by community and season.
On Santo, premium kava varieties known for their mild flavor and calming properties are grown using traditional methods on small, family-run plantations. The Millennium Cave Tour combines jungle hikes, cave exploration, crossing rocky gorges, and a downstream journey back to the village. Guests are welcomed in Funaspef village; traditional face painting is part of the program before entering the cave. Tour details and cultural activities may change.
On Espiritu Santo, the WWII Museum houses equipment and everyday items left behind by American troops during World War II. The collection and access arrangements may change; check the latest information before visiting.
Getting There and Island Connections
To reach Sanma, you can take international flights to Port Vila followed by domestic flights to Espiritu Santo. The domestic flight takes one hour; ferries and cargo ships also connect Port Vila with Santo. From Luganville, boat services run to Aore Island, taking about ten minutes, and to Malo Island, taking about 30 minutes. Schedules and operators may change, and boat journey times may vary.
Discover more destinations: Hog Harbour
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