Lenakel : Profile

Location

Being able to now stop at Tanna is a great advantage as it allows yachts arriving from the east or south to make landfall at Tanna first and visit other islands en route to capital Vila, rather than face a tough beat to windward to visit some of the southern islands of Vanuatu.

It is a 15min. car trip from White Grass Cove to Lenakel.

Clearance

First office to be visited is quarantine and Immigration formalities are completed at the police station (see Fees).

There is now a permanent customs office on the island, but it might be wise to check it is manned before visiting. Yachts are allowed to wait in Port Resolution until clearance has been obtained.

There is a bank in Lenakel where foreign currency can be changed into Vatu only, but there is no ATM and cards are not accepted. Cash advances on credit cards can be had at Evergreen Bungalows. The nearest ATM facilities are in Port Vila.

If wishing to stop at Aneityum after clearing out, it is important to get prior permission to do this, and to include the time you plan to spend there when calculating the fees due for your stay in Vanuatu.

Last updated July 2011.

Customs and Immigration
Tel:+678 68058

Docking

Lenakel is located on the west coast of Tanna, and is not a good harbor because of exposure to SE swell.

Traditionally cruising yachts use Port Resolution on the east coast as a base while visiting the island, from where one can cross the island to Lenakel on local transport (see Port Resolution pages), but this is quite a rolly anchorage.

The Black Sands anchorage is about 4nm north of Whitegrass Cove.

Tanna Evergreen Bungalows
PO Box 5, 5 km North of Lenakel, Tanna
Tel:(+678) 68774, Fax:(+678) 68846
tevergreen@vanuatu.com.vu
Protected anchorage few miles north of Lenakel near airport with two moorings available. Laundry, water, internet, English, French & Bislama spoken.

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