Vanuatu

Vanuatu: Pentecost and the Ambrym Volcano

A ritual leap from a wooden tower, the ancestor of bungee jumping, then a twice-active volcanic island watched over by reputed sorcerers

Vanuatu

Vanuatu: Pentecost and the Ambrym Volcano

A journey between two spectacular sides of Vanuatu, far from Port Vila and Mount Yasur: Pentecost Island, where men leap each spring from wooden towers over twenty metres tall with only vines tied to their ankles for protection, an ancestral ritual that inspired modern bungee jumping, then Ambrym, one of the rare islands in the world to shelter two active volcanoes simultaneously and renowned for its woodcarving and black magic traditions.

When

April to June

Price

From 3 400€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

6 nights

Ideal length

Pentecost and the Naghol

Days 1-2

The first chapter unfolds on Pentecost Island, where the naghol is practised every year between April and June, a ritual leap from a wooden tower that can exceed twenty metres, made with only wild vines tied to the ankles for protection, calculated to the centimetre to brake the fall just before the ground. This ritual, linked to yam harvest fertility according to local tradition, is said to have directly inspired modern bungee jumping after being popularised by a New Zealand television report in the 1970s.

Day 1

Witnessing the naghol, the ritual leap

Attendance at a naghol ceremony, a ritual leap from a wooden tower practised by the village's men to ensure the fertility of the yam harvest, watched by the gathered community.

Day 2

Meeting the tower builders

A visit to the village to meet the builders of the naghol tower, who carry on skills passed down orally on choosing the wood and precisely calculating the length of the vines.

1 / 3

Ambrym, the Island of Two Volcanoes

Days 1-2

A flight to Ambrym, one of the rare islands in the world sheltering two simultaneously active volcanoes, Marum and Benbow, whose lava lakes visible from the summit rank among the most accessible on the planet. The island is also renowned throughout Vanuatu for its woodcarving and black magic traditions, a craft passed down through generations and associated with secret ceremonies reserved for initiates.

Day 1

Ascent to the Marum lava lake

A hike across a desert of volcanic ash to the rim of the Marum crater, where a molten lava lake bubbles constantly a few hundred metres beneath visitors' feet.