Millennium Cave in Vanuatu: Exploration in the dark

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Millennium Cave in Vanuatu is an entertaining and adventurous hike through Vanuatus largest cave on the outskirts of Luganville

We have been on our long -awaited world tour for two weeks and already in the middle of the hustle and bustle. So far we had one day in the Kiwanis (Vanuatus annual horse racing), swam under the waterfall Mele Cascades, drove to the island of Erakor, dipped for the very first time and saw the wreck of the SS Coolidge.

Every day brought a new experience, the most demanding of which was the Millennium Cave Tour, a hike through Vanuatus largest cave on the outskirts of Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo.

Millennium cavity in Vanuatu

We set off with a group of six other adventurers and wandered through lush rainforest to the small village of Vunaspef, where we were told that we should leave everything behind that cannot get wet. Some of our companions handed over expensive cameras and repeatedly checked whether the guide would keep them safely.

alt = “Millennium cavity in vanuatu 6 ″> Atlas & Boots trekking through lush rainforest

We strapped the mandatory life jackets and hiked in more rough terrain, climbed over steep and slippery rocks. In particularly dangerous places, the leaders had nailed wooden pieces on rocks to facilitate the passage. That certainly helped - without that there would have been one or the other serious accident.

At a clearing we considered a symbolic ritual: tone paste applied to our faces to show our respect for nature and to ensure a safe passage. Then we rose carefully down to the entrance to the large cave: 50 m high and over 3 km long. We entered torches in our hand and waded up to the knees through ice -cold water.

I asked Charlie, our guide, how often he does. "Every day," he replied with a smile. "Every day." He explained that a large part of the proceeds from the tour are used to build a school in the village.

"We built classrooms one and classrooms two. This summer we are building classrooms three," he added proudly. "Every week we have a teacher from Santo who taught our children."

"That's why we do that," he continued. "Our customers have a good time and they also help our village."

Then, distracted, he waved to a slippery wall. He shone on it with a flashlight. I gave way back. There were about 20 spider -like insects that crawled around in frenzy. Charlie felt my need and assured me: "These are not spiders; they are grilling. Only grilling."

Peter joked that I like Willie Scott from Indiana Jones and the temple of death ("Indyyyyy"). Unnecessarily to say that I was not amused.

Halfway to the cave, the guide asked us to switch off our flashlights. My thoughts flashed to a scene from The Descent, the horror film, in which a group of cave researchers stumbled across a species of nourishing fuss -on my meal - no comforting thought if they are immersed in the dark.

I couldn't even see my own hand in front of my face. We heard the other cave researchers scare down with growling noises.

alt = “Millennium cavity in vanuatu 13 ″> dream time appear in a clearing from the millennium cave in vanuatu

We spent an hour in the cave - slipped and slid and collected bruises in this dark, side -side space. Finally we appeared victoriously on a clearing on a river. We took a lunch break and then spent the afternoon to climb through a gorge, to dive into a river and drive down to the village to the village of Vunaspef.

Our tired members were calmed down by the fresh coffee and the fruit that was interpreted by the locals. While we ate, they taught ourselves some bislama-an English-speaking Creole-and were very amused that we knew the bislama word for "bikini".

Yes, if you want to make a Ni-van laugh, tell him that you know how to say Bikini: "Basket Blong Titi" will bring you into seizures.

An Australian couple who hiked with us gave the villagers some notebooks and pens - practical gifts that were gratefully accepted. Exhausted but pleased, we packed our things together, said goodbye to the guides and climbed our bus back to the dusty city of Luganville, ready for our next adventure.

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Port Vila has an international airport with regular flights to airports on the Australian east coast (booking via skyscanner.net).

Lonely Planet South Pacific contains a comprehensive travel guide for the country (including the Millennium Cave in Vanuatu), ideal for those who want to explore both the most important sights and take the less busy road.

Additional photography: Dreamstime 
 .