Travelling to Vanuatu’s islands volcanic island of Tanna is unmissable. And, with some research on accommodation, a perfect location is the tree houses near Mount Yasur. Making it both easy to enjoy the local community, and hike the volcanic mountain. This White Beach hike combines a good hike with snorkelling, beach time, and exploring lesser known sides to Tanna Island.
What I learned while travelling to Tanna Island and staying at a Tree House, is that there’s also other hikes in the area. This is a great hike for those wanting to do more while staying near the volcano.
White Beach is on the most Eastern tip of Tanna Island, Vanuatu. It’s reachable by a large dirt path, the local road. There isn’t a lot of roads on this end of the island so it would be difficult to get lost. White Beach, is an incredible spot for swimming and snorkelling, and is the best break to walking through Tanna Island’s incredible jungle and coastline.
More importantly, what I’ve learnt of my time spent on Tanna Island is that walking is essential to the local culture. It’s common for people to walk hours a day, as we did here. For the locals though, it’s a common pastime to reaching school, or neighbouring villages. Experiencing this hike is to feel like a local.
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Mount Yasur to White Beach Hike: How to Get There
The White Beach hike begins at Mount Yasur entrance, on Tanna Island, and goes to Ireupuow, ending at White Beach. The total hiking time return is four and a half hours, or 18km. The hike could be less, but with a few hours hike it’s important to stop for breaks.
Be aware this time is an estimate only, there’s no official information on hiking times, this is based off of personal experience and local guides. If using Google Maps, pop in Tanna Horizon Bungalows to find the route. Just follow the road to the Bungalows past the village, which will reach the beach.
As recommended, check out the local tree houses or bungalows to stay near Mount Yasur for this hike.
About the Hike to White Beach, Tanna Island
As with the local culture, there’s no rush in Vanuatu. Island time is definitely a thing here, and enjoying the walk for this hike is just as important as arriving to the beach. Sure, it’s possible to get a ride out instead, but as mentioned, enjoying the walk is the local culture.
Starting at Tanna Island’s Mount Yasur, the walk heads east. The road is not marked for this hike, rather it’s the local road used for travel by vehicles and locals walking. Close by Mount Yasur, the local villages are close to each other for a few kilometres. At the time of writing, the area has predominately dirt roads, aside from one small area paved.
What’s most important to know is this walk is safe, both as a solo traveler, or in groups. The people of Vanuatu are aware of tourists and say “Hi” and smile when approached or when walking by. There’s also no dangerous animals or insects during this walk. Local animals include pigs, chickens, and dogs. None of which generally approach people—they’re all quite timid.
Back to the hike; during these first few kilometres there should be more people in the area walking as well. Some have machetes, but don’t be afraid, it’s for hunting purposes not to harm anyone. Then, the hike changes into less villages and more wild jungle. The path is still accessible, but there’s less people area until the road turns (about 4.7km/1 hr).
During this time, enjoy the wondrous, yet simple jungle which is filled with loud insects, chirping birds and huge trees. It’s no surprise why Vanuatu, especially Tanna Island is so naturally beautiful.
When vehicles approach, just move to the side of the road for them to pass. Locals will wave and may honk when passing. There was always a cheerful “Hello”, when a vehicle passed my partner and I on this hike. The roads are quite narrow, so it’s always responsible to step off the road.
However, at any other time, it’s okay to walk in the middle of the road, as vehicles don’t often drive on this road. We travelled during February which is the wet season, and often have cyclones, so expect humid and hot conditions during the time. Although since there’s no leeches I was perfectly happy to trot through the jungle.
Finally, when approaching the fork in the road, head north, or left. This is about half way through the hike so it should be after an hour.
Heading straight at this time leads to Black Beach, another spot to stop, if interested. We didn’t stop here, but it is another local recommendation. I understood through the locals that the beach is black due to volcanic properties.
When first turning left on this walk there will be noticeable villages near the coast. At this time, you should also hear the ocean waves. As the path heads North, it’s time to get more excited for new stops and sights. There’s villages on either side of this path, some are visible and others not.
We started to get a bit nervous that we were heading the wrong direction, so we went up a small path as we could hear the ocean. As we walked up, there’s was a phenomenal view over the bay West, and an entire village east.
We later learnt, the path is quite easy, it’s the same road that goes all the way to the beach so there’s no need to worry.
Carrying on, there will be a beach on the western/left side of this path. There’s also a beach that appears to be from a river, but it’s actually a hot spring.
As it was incredibly humid and over 30 degrees celsius, we weren’t about to get in a hot spring. The beach connected to the Bay doesn’t seem to be practical for swimming due to the waves.
Continue on the road, at this time was when we encountered the most locals, as they visited the hot springs. There were also farm animals in the area, but mainly tied up. The path inclines slightly until evening out around the final village at White Beach. Although we didn’t always walk through villages deliberately, this was one of the most beautiful villages we found. The houses are made of woven leaves and wood, and are spaced out generously.
Eventually, after clearing the village, the path enters White Beach—finally! There’s many huts to set your things down. I felt like I was on an episode of Survivor under these huts! The sand is clean, white, but a bit thick. We snorkelled and swam for a while, and the whole time the beach was nearly empty.
After enjoying the beach and the ocean, we eventually carried back the same way we came. The only caveat to exploring White Beach is that there’s no life saving patrol, please be careful in the ocean. We found there was a bit of a current, and stayed generally close to the coast because of this.
What to Pack
Along this trek, we didn’t encounter any stores, so make sure to bring enough food and water to make it through the day. We brought three litres each of water from our three litre Camelbaks as it was incredibly humid and the journey is long.
Other important things to bring include:
- Small bandages (or First Aid Kit)
- Waterproof walking shoes (I use these Keens)
- Rainwear (seasonal)
- Bug spray
- Waterproof reef-safe sunscreen
- Hat
- Swimwear
- Towel
- Snorkel set (optional)
- Fly net (optional)
Please note there is limited cellphone reception in the area, for emergencies, if any, find a local village.
Other Helpful Tips
This hike is pretty remote, remember to bring everything you need for the day, and take garbage out as well.
However, there are locals around and vehicle may pass by, so if there is an emergency it’s possible to ask locals for help, such as a ride.
Heading to Australia? Check out other helpful guides on the blog such as How to get Started on a Working Holiday Visa in Australia, or this road trip guide from Sydney to Melbourne.
