Secret Islands of Melanesia

Lautoka is situated on the western side of Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji, and just 20 km north of Nadi. The Fiji archipelago lies just to the western side of the International Date Line. Lautoka is Fiji's second largest city. Read more about Lautoka, Fiji

Tanna is an island (40km by 19km) in the Vanuatu archipelago and one of the more populous islands in this South Pacific country. It lies 200 km south of the capital Port Vila. The island's residents are Melanesians who follow a very traditional lifestyle and which draws the attention of tourists. Read more about Tanna Island, Vanuatu

Ambrym is an island in the archipelago of Vanuatu (formerly known as the New Hebrides) in the South Pacific. It remains volcanically active, with two volcanic cones Benbow and Marum that still rumble away, and smaller vents and fractures that ooze steam and lava. The centre of the island is dominated by a massive 1900 year old 12 km diameter desert-like caldera that hosts multiple craters. Read more about Ambrym Island, Vanuatu

Luganville is a port on the south coast of Espirito Santo, the largest island in Vanuatu. It belongs to the archipelago of Vanuatu (the New Hebrides before 1980) in the Pacific region of Melanesia. Luganville on the SE coast is Vanuatu's second-largest settlement, and the provincial capital. Read more about Santo (Luganville), Vanuatu

Ureparapara (also known as Parapara; once Bligh Island) is the third largest island in the Banks Group in northern Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific. Three small villages on the island have a combined population of around 440. The caldera rim is often clouded in mist, the sand is black, and the forest lush. Read more about Ureparapara Island, Vanuatu

Santa Ana Island is a raised coral atoll in the Makira-Ulawa Province of the Solomon Islands, east of Papua New Guinea. Port Mary, situated on a small bay of the same name on the SW of the island, is the main town. Each cruise ship Zodiac that arrives at the beach landing is greeted by a fierce “welcoming committee”, composed of local men, masked and mud-smeared, dressed in warrior costumes and brandishing spears, shields, and machetes. Read more about Santa Ana Island, Solomon Islands

Honiara, located on the northern coast of the island of Guadalcanal, is the capital of the Solomon Islands, which lie between Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. Pijin is the principal language. The climate is tropical, and while the most pleasant time to visit is winter, July to September, the cooling sea breezes temper the humidity and heat along all coasts year-round. Read more about Honiara, Solomon Islands