The erstwhile New Hebrides Islands dot the Pacific Ocean some 1,750 kilometers from the shores of Australia. A true off-the-beaten-track spot on the map, the archipelago of more than 80 islets and cays has only just started to draw any noticeable numbers of visitors. Why? Well, for one, cruisers and package holidayers have rarely even heard of the place, so scarce are the resort hotels and the like. The bustling capital of Port Vila does receive the occasional whitewashed liner, though folk tend to simply flit around the docks and sip cocktails in the wealth of beach dives. Some visitors engage a Vanuatu tour guide (the bulk of whom are based here) and break out for an adventure abounding all around. And what an adventure it promises to be! There are traditional tribespeople lurking in forest huts beneath the volcanos of Mount Yasur and steaming Lopevi, there are babbling hot springs along appropriately-named Sulphur Bay, curious traditional ‘land jumpers’ in the town steads of Pentecost, flying foxes and Fiji banded iguanas and saltwater crocs amidst the waters and forests of Efate – the list goes on!