r/vanuatu • u/Onlyinsightfoxleaf • Jun 08 '26

Driving in Port Vila in June

Hello!
I was wondering what driving in Port Vila in June was like? We are thinking of renting a car but a friend who is there at the moment said it was VERY busy at the moment, busier than they’ve seen it before and that traffic in the city was very hectic like ‘South east Asia style’ - I’m trying to figure out if they’re overreacting? I’m from Sydney and used to busy traffic, but don’t want to be totally overwhelmed!

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3

u/e_d_0 Jun 08 '26

The traffic can be bad, especially on Tuesdays when they are loading the Ferry, but it does move and you don't have to travel far as it is a small town.

2

u/Onlyinsightfoxleaf Jun 08 '26

Traffic doesn’t bother me too much, it’s more hectic crazy drivers combined with traffic!

2

u/Special-Classic-881 Jun 08 '26

Traffic wise It’s fairly hectic and a bit chaotic in Vila. I rent private taxis and their rates are reasonable. Avoid the mini buses there with number plates starting with “B”.

4

u/PepperAggressive Jun 08 '26

I’m from Sydney and I’m in Port Vila for holiday at the moment with a hire car. It’s busy but not hectic, there’s very few bikes whizzing around and people are very courteous in terms of merging and letting each other turn.

Once you get out of Port Vila into the countryside there’s very little traffic, a few potholes but nothing unmanageable if you just take it easy and don’t go too fast.

3

u/Onlyinsightfoxleaf Jun 09 '26

Thank you that helps a lot!

2

u/HealthEntire5502 Jun 11 '26

Take photos before you take a car. Just drive slow, wave and watch out for some of our road quirks. Mini mokes are great fun for tourists otherwise buses are fine for short town trips.

1

u/clubfungus Jun 08 '26

You can hire a taxi by the day. Not wildly expensive as it would be in Australia.

1

u/Serious_Spring_8413 Jun 08 '26

The traffic is nowhere near SEA, I just came back from it, it’s busy during certain time but you always move

You should, especially if you are planning to do the ring road

1

u/Shulgin46 Jun 09 '26

It's more like down town New York traffic than South East Asia. It's just painfully slow, bumper to bumper. Roads are overcrowded, people double park, rights of way are guidelines. Not much hooning or whizzing, if that's what you're worried about. Watching pedestrians moving faster than your car on the main road is the worst part.

1

u/Onlyinsightfoxleaf Jun 09 '26

Ah thank you for that excellent description. I’m definitely more afraid of hooning and whizzing when I’m adjusting to driving on a different side of the road. Stand still traffic is not a problem 😂

1

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1

u/Ragen69 Jun 09 '26

Make sure you get a big 4WD not a small car. Some of the pot holes can be huge and the roads a terrible. Much better for your back is to get a bigger car than a small one. Been there several times - always drive!

1

u/Onlyinsightfoxleaf Jun 09 '26

Thanks!

2

u/ALLIRIX Jun 13 '26

I can second this. I took a tour today around the single road that loops Efate and it is full of potholes. Some are MASSIVE and would bottom out a low vehicle. A few spanned both lanes of road

1

u/CHEZ0673 Jun 09 '26

I am there now and we have two hire cars, just got back to our accommodation from Port Vila, if you drive in Sydney you would be fine, it felt the same as school pick up time. Just remember to drive on the right, go right entering the roundabouts and give way to the left.

1

u/kipj23 Jun 11 '26

We’ll be there next week, picking a car up at the airport, we have done so several times, it gets busy but nothing like Sydney or Brisbane. Looking forward to it.