Ambae

Ambae is the island that Vanuatu keeps almost to itself. It does not have the brand recognition of Tanna or Santo, the cultural specificity of Malekula, or the dramatic accessibility of Port Vila. What it has is a near-perfect cone rising to 1,496 meters out of the ocean, and at the top of that cone, inside a caldera that has been erupting and subsiding for millennia, a series of crater lakes that are among the most otherworldly bodies of water I have encountered anywhere.

The main lake, Lake Vui, is acidic, active, and changes color depending on volcanic activity — ranging from deep blue-green when calm to vivid red when the gases coming up from below are mixing with the iron in the water. When I arrived, it was somewhere between burnt orange and rust, and steaming very slightly at the eastern edge.

The Climb

Getting to Lake Vui is a full-day hike from the coast — roughly four to six hours up, three to four down, depending on conditions. The trail begins in dense coconut palms near the shore and transitions through layers of tropical forest, cloud forest, and finally the stripped, eerie vegetation zone near the summit where the acid rain from the lake’s emissions has killed everything except a few tenacious ferns. The guide I hired, a man named Livo who had grown up on Ambae’s east coast, checked the lake’s current activity level before we left — he had a contact in the village near the top. The lake has done serious damage before. When it erupted significantly in 2017 and 2018, the entire island’s population was temporarily evacuated.

The summit plateau, when you reach it, is quiet in a way that feels geological rather than just peaceful. The lake sits below the rim in a bowl of grey and orange rock, hissing softly. The far shore disappears into mist. I ate lunch on the rim and watched a tern — improbably far from any coast — circle over the acid water below.

The Coast

Ambae’s coastline is all dark sand and gentle bays sheltered by reef systems in good condition. The west coast villages are connected by a coastal track that can be walked in sections, passing through gardens of taro and sweet potato, past nakamals where men sit in the late afternoon with kava shells. There is an easy rhythm to life on Ambae’s coast that is completely disconnected from the violent geology at the summit, and the contrast between the two — the placid fishing villages below, the acidic red lake above — is one of those things that makes volcanic islands specifically strange.

Lolowai Bay

On the island’s east coast, Lolowai Bay cuts deep into the island and shelters one of the nicest anchorages in the New Hebrides. A small mission hospital was established here in the early colonial period, and the bay has a quiet, organized quality that still reflects it. The snorkeling inside the bay is good — healthy coral, good fish life, warm water — and the view from the water back toward the island’s summit is the one that makes Ambae look exactly like what it is: a live volcano with aspirations.

Getting There

Ambae is served by Air Vanuatu from Port Vila. The island has accommodation in village guesthouses and a small number of simple lodges. All summit hikes require a local guide — non-negotiable given the active volcanic conditions and the absence of marked trails. The tourism infrastructure is minimal, which keeps Ambae as close to untouched as a place with regular plane service can be.

When to go: June through September for the summit climb — cloud cover and rain make the crater approach miserable and occasionally dangerous at other times. Check current volcanic activity levels before planning the summit hike; the lake status changes.