All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Espiritu Santo
Trekking / Hiking in Espiritu Santo
The largest island in Vanuatu, in the country's north, fringed by WWII wreck diving and blue holes and backed by jungle mountains, caves and rivers. Its town of Luganville is the base for the SS President Coolidge and Million Dollar Point offshore, and for the Millennium Cave, freshwater blue holes and Champagne Beach inland and along the coast.
Why here
The Millennium Cave is the great land adventure of Santo, a full day loop through jungle, cave and canyon in the island's remote south centre. You start with a rainforest hike from Funaspef village down a slippery trail and bamboo ladders to the mouth of Vanuatu's largest cave, then wade and scramble through the pitch dark cavern with a river running through it, past bats and waterfalls, guided by torchlight. Out the far side the walk becomes a canyon: you float and swim down a gorge between towering moss walls, clambering over boulders and under small falls, before the trail climbs back out through the plantation. The site is held and run by the landowning villages, so the day is as much a village experience as a trek, and the physical mix of hiking, caving and river swimming makes it one of the most complete adventure days in the Pacific.
Best months
The trek runs mainly in the drier months from May to October, when the river is lower and safer for the canyon swim; heavy rain in the wet season can make the gorge dangerous and trips are cancelled. Expect around eight hours of hiking, ladder descents, wading through a river cave and swimming a canyon, so a medium level of fitness and confidence in water are needed, though no technical skill is. Bring grippy shoes you can swim in, a change of clothes and insect cover.
Getting there & around
Operators pick up in Luganville around 8am and drive 4WD about 45 minutes to the trailhead, where a short walk through coconut plantation and across a bamboo bridge reaches Funaspef village and the cave. The full loop returns to town by mid to late afternoon. There is no vehicle access to the cave itself, so the whole route is on foot and in the river. Book a day ahead through one of the Luganville operators, and go on a dry day; trips do not run when the river is high.
Skill levels: intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Millennium Cave Tours
GuideMillennium Cave Tours, trading as Millennium Tours Ltd under owner Sam Andikar, is the operator based at the cave itself in South Santo, working with the landowning villages of Funaspef and Vunaspef who hold the site. Its guides walk visitors through tropical forest and down into Vanuatu's largest cave, then through a river canyon of jumps, swims and small waterfalls. The tour won a Judges Commendation at the 2015 Westpac Vanuatu Tourism Awards and ranks among the top things to do on Santo.
Paradise Tours Santo
GuideParadise Tours Santo is a Luganville tour operator that runs the full day Millennium Cave adventure in South Santo, an eight hour trip combining a rainforest hike, a walk through Vanuatu's largest river cave and a canyon of swims, waterfalls and bamboo ladders. Guides lead small groups by 4WD from Luganville to the trailhead near Funaspef village, and the route finishes by floating the gorge back downriver. It also runs blue hole, Champagne Beach and Santo island day tours.