Millennium Cave

There are two other VSAers in Luganville, Maxine (preschool coordinator) and Peter (Navigation Instructor). I met Maxine in Vila and travelled with her to Santo, so was keen to meet up with Peter. After getting in contact, he invited me to go to the Millennium Cave with his partner Margaret, and daughter visiting from Perth.

We pilled into the obligatory Vanuatu Bus (ie mini-van) with a bunch of Aussie tourists on Saturday morning and headed inland from Luganville, along dirt/gravel roads that would be better suited for 4WD and mountainbikes. Still, those van’s just keep on truck’n (and somehow the exhaust pipes stay attached). After cruising over a disused WWII airfield, and then along a road more aptly described as a track, we eventually parked up after the bottom of the van scrapped along the ground one too many times. From here we walked about 30 minutes to a village where we prepared for an hours walk, caving and river experience while being entertained by the obligatory string band.

We ambled through the rainforest, coming to a clearing with bamboo benches. As it was our first time in the cave, following kustom we had the “sign of the swallow” painted on our faces, to protect us from spirits within the cave. Then it was down about 12 bush-made ladders (Occupational Safety and Health would have a field day) precariously attached to the cliff face of a doline leading to the mouth of the cave. It was an impressive entrance, with swallows circling in the cool air from the cave and river inside. It was about a 30 minute walk/wade through the cave which had some beautiful limestone features, as well as nesting swallows. The cave exit was at the confluence with another river and we stopped for a picnic lunch.

The afternoon began with a pseudo rockclimbing/clambering mission down the river, which was carved through limestone, in the form of a now collapsed cave system. After getting to the beginning of the navigable (by inner tube) waters, we were each issued with our buoyancy device (consisting of a made in china children’s blow-up life-ring, complete with slow leak). Then it was into the water to float through limestone gorges, with stops to reinflate the inner tube. The gorge was absolutely amazing, really beautiful clear water, water carved limestone and calcite features fringed with rainforest. At a particular spot the fish are feed with coconuts so are tame and expecting to get a meal! Luckily I’m not that tasty : )

To get back to the village we clambered up a calcite encrusted waterfall and some more bush ladders, eventually making it back for afternoon tea and grapefruit. A very cool spot and definitely one for the more adventurous.