Sulphur Bay Hotspring River

Where is it and how far is it? 

You can get to the hotspring river on foot in around 30 minutes from the foot of Mt Yasur volcano. Don't use google maps to get there - it will send you along the "road", but around Mt Yasur there are no paved or marked roads. You simply follow the tyre tracks through the ash plains. 

The hot spring river and waterfall are located in Sulphur Bay, in the village of Ipikel. Around 300-400 people live in Ipikel in very rudimentary housing. I met a woman who was happy to show me around her village and to the waterfall. 

I strongly recommend to bring a neck warmer or scarf that you can use as a dust mask, and wideframed sunglasses to protect your eyes. It's an amazing and fun experience to get caught in an ash storm at the bottom of the volcano, but if you haven't got your eyes, mouth, and nose covered, you probably won't be able to enjoy it. 

Why Tip In Vanuatu? 

80% of Vanuatu's population rely on subsistence based agriculture to survive. This means that very few people are in the formalised economy; i.e., have jobs that pay cash salaries. Whilst most people meet their food and water needs through agriculture, the main economic strain and need for cash is to pay school fees. Whilst around 90% of children complete lower primary school, less than 50% complete secondary. Access to education is expensive and a priviledge, and the money you tip will often go straight to school fees and supplies. 

The woman who took me around Ipikel village ended up inviting me back to her house where she shared some cooked taro with me and her six children. During cyclones Kevin and Judy (two category 5 cyclones that hit Vanuatu 2 days apart in 2023), her single room house was ripped apart. There was no roof and one of the walls had completely crumbled. She cooked on a small fire on the floor and had a torn AusAid tarp providing most of the protection for her family. Three of the smallest children were asleep on a woven mat on the floor. She told me how her husband had left her to care for the children by herself, and she was saving up for a passport so that she could apply for the season worker program in Australia so that she could send her children to school. It's easy to focus on your holiday, and forget the humans living in these conditions. I always recommend though, take the time to talk to the locals and hear their stories. I don't think of her story as a sad tale, but one of human resilience and determination. I was grateful for her companionship and friendship. 

Shortly after the school, you'll come to the entrance of Ipikel village. When approaching a village as a foreigner, I recommend trying to keep yourself as visible as possible and speak to the first person you encounter. They may not speak English, but once your presence is made known they will either direct you where to walk to find someone who speaks English, or take you to someone themselves. Speak with that person and request if you can come on to their land to see the hotspring and waterfall. They will tell you how much the fee is (usually 1000 or 1500 vatu). If they speak enough English (or if you speak enough Bislama), they may offer to come with you, which is an excellent opportunity to learn from them about their lives, village, and the significance of the volcano. If communication is a barrier, they may just point you in the right direction (towards the beach, then left to the river). 

The waterfall itself is a lovely warm temperature - you can stand under it and feel the warmth running through the water. Particularly given that very few places have access to warm water on Tanna island, standing under this waterfall feels like an indulgence! In the below picture, you can see my guide is climbing beneath the waterfall to grab out little worms that the village harvest and use for fishing bait.