Village Circle Island Adventure

As a first time tourist and cruiser aboard the Pacific Dawn on the Week Fantastique, leaving Brisb Aug 13th, we are considering the Village Circle Island Adventure in Vanuatu that P&O are advertising. After canoeing up the Epule River, it stops at a local village in north Efate (Custom Village), then to Banana Bay. Does anyone have an opinion of this particular tour. Sounds great, but needs to be for $119 per head. I really like the idea of experiencing a village first hand. We arrive Port Vila Wed 8am and leave again 4.30pm. But need to know if it fits in with arrival and departure times at port, how you get to the start of the river, or any other advice.

Cheers

Craig :)

We went on that Tour with Princess last year and it was quite easy . The round island bit is by bus and you stop off at a Village for lunch where the food was excellent but basic, toilets basic .

The canoe ride up the river . One walks carefully over some sand and rocks to board large wooden dug out canoes with outrigger arms (quite stable). The native boatman then paddle and walk the canoes upstream for a km or so where you land and the natives come out of the jungle and put on a song and dance sort of . Lots of fun and photo opportunities here (Guess who's coming to Dinner !!) . The return trip downstream is by bus on a parallel road . The circle island tour was excellent overall .

Not for the physically challenged as walking in sandy river to ankle deep, and some walking over rocks and un-even ground .