Luganville - Docking

There is no marina in Luganville.

Moorings:

The Aore Adventure Sports & Lodge, just a five-minute tender ride to the main shopping area of Luganville, has three deep water moorings available for visiting yachts. They offer a number of services to cruisers (see their listing for more details) and their moorings are recommended if you want to stay for an extended length of time while visiting Espiritu Santo.  See the following report from cruisers who visited in July/August 2023.

Vanuatu:  A Cultural and Cruising Paradise

Anchoring:

There are two good anchorages convenient to town:

Between the main wharf and BP wharf just north of the no-anchor zone: Here there is a plateau of sand in 12 to 15 meters with good holding. This spot does get a lot of wind and will be rolly in trade wind conditions. It is also not ideal when cruise ships visit. Dinghies can be conveniently landed to the west of the BP wharf at the dock of a big hardware store. Make sure not to tie to the cleats, as they are used for their delivery boats and your dinghy may be moved. Be sure to approach this dock very close to the shore (in particular at low tide) as there is a reef south of the dock that can not be crossed with a dinghy.

Beachfront Resort: This is the preferred yacht anchorage on the Luganville side of the Segond Channel. The anchorage is along a sandy beach located just west of the Sarakata River, west of Clemenceau Point and East of the three ruined iron wharf structures from the WWII era. Holding is good in 5-15m in the sand. The anchorage is relatively open to the east, and especially at high tide in the afternoon the anchorage can be choppy.

Dinghies may be landed on the beach at the Beachfront Resort and they offer a number of services to cruisers (see their listing below for more details). Taxis and buses frequently pass by on the road next to the resort, a ride typically costing 200 Vatu.

Other Anchorages:

Palikulo Bay

The anchorage at Palikulo Bay is well protected and quite beautiful and is approx. 11nm from Luganville. Buses to town only leave in the morning and evening (30-minute journey). Taxis and cars rarely pass this area, so it would be very wise to negotiate a taxi ride in advance or call one via mobile phone. The taxi ride is usually 1.500 Vatu. Hitchhiking is an option, but you may not find a single car passing you for a long time. There is 3G mobile reception available.

Peterson Bay

This is a very popular anchorage situated approx. 15nms from Luganville near Oyster Island. The anchorage is almost a cyclone hole and many cruisers end up staying here much longer than planned as they enjoy the quiet anchorage and numerous activities in the area (blue holes, snorkeling on WWII plane wrecks, hiking, etc.). Transport to Luganville is relatively easy to find.

No facilities are available for yachts on Oyster Island but Turtle Bay Lodge at the northern end of the anchorage welcomes cruisers and can usually arrange water, laundry, transport etc.

Oyster Island Resort is undergoing redevelopment and rumors abound that they will build a bridge across from the mainland, preventing access to the anchorage. With this in mind, a full hydrographic survey is intended of the northern entrance to the lagoon with a view to placing proper navigation marks in 2019. For permission to go ashore and explore Oyster Island (before construction begins), simply ask anyone on the beach by the remains of the old resort.

Velit Bay Plantation (Shark Bay), north of Peterson Bay, has new owners who no longer welcome tourists.

Rubbish Disposal

Luganville rubbish disposal is handled using pre-paid bags, if rubbish is not in these bags it will not be collected. Be sure to ask once ashore where the bins are located to help keep Luganville clean.

Note: These bins are for small bags only. Stacking big bags around the bins is both unsightly and unhygienic.

Last updated:  August 2023