Espiritu Santo - Millenium Cave

Millenium Cave Tours Office at the west end of Luganville	The Millennium Cave Tour is tripadvisor's #1 activity on Espiritu Santo	Map of the Millennium Cave Tour at the information centre	Millennium Cave Tour information
Traditional "nipa" hut at the Millennium Cave Tour office	Vine covered jungle of the interior of Santo	Emplus Store along the road from Luganville to the start of the Millennium Cave Tour	Interior of Santo
Jungle of Santo	Vines covering giant trees	Beleru Shop, interior Santo	Traditional Vanuatu architecture is similar to the nipa hut of the Philippines
Welcome to Millennium Cave	From where the transport dropped us, it was a short hike along the road to reach "Millennium Village"	Crossing a stream, a hint of things to come	The road to "Millennium Village"
The road to "Millennium Village"	Nambel Village, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu	The trail to Millennium Cave first passes through the tiny village of Nambel	Thatched hut, Nambel Village
Nambel Village	Nambel Village	Nambel Village	A child in Nambel Village
Saint Joseph's Church, Nambel Village	Saint Joseph's Church, Nambel Village	Nambel Village	The town pump in front of a hut with a nice hammock
"My name is ____. I leve in Nambel"	Nambel Village, Santo	Nambel Village, Santo	Hiking from Nambel Village to Vunaspef Village
Flowers alogn the trail	The Bamboo Bridge	The Bamboo Bridge	Stream beneath the Bamboo Bridge
Stream beneath the Bamboo Bridge	Crossing the Bamboo Bridge on the Millennium Cave Tour	Bamboo Bridge, Santo-Vanuatu	I'm hiking with a family from New Zealand
Jungle trail, interior Espiritu Santo	It's wet and slippery	Reddish flowers dropped from a tree carpet the trail in places	Turn right here for Millennium Cave Village (Vunaspef)
Tended palm trees at Vunaspef - Millennium Cave Village	A rooster, Vunaspef Village	Vunaspef - Millenium Cave Village	Details of the woven mats used in traditional hut construction
Vunaspef - Millenium Cave Village	Vunaspef - Millenium Cave Village	Map of the 4-part tour - walk through the forest, walk through the cave, canyoning/swimming, fish feeding	Grave monuments, Vunaspef village
Walk through the forest - Millennium Cave Tour	Palm trees around Vunaspef Village	The vines used on the nearby island of Pentecost for land diving, the precursor to bungee jumping	Jungle Walk - Santo
Jungle Walk - Santo	Tropical Flowers - Espiritu Santo	Sunlight pierces the canopy, Santo	Our cave guide giving details of the local flora
Bamboo forest, Santo, Vanuatu	Giant bamboo, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu	Rest spot at a clearing with a view over the forest of Espiritu Santo	Fern tree, Vanuatu
Boundary between the traditional lands of the villages of Vunaspef and Turturniu	Hut along the trail to Millennium Cave	Hut along the trail to Millennium Cave	Junction in the jungle, Vanuatu
Jungle trek - Millennium Cave Tour	Eventually it became impossible to avoid the mud...be ready	Flowering plant	Jungle flower, Vanuatu
Jungle flower, Vanuatu	Face painting before descending into the cave	Ready for the descent to Millennium Cave	The mouth of Millennium Cave
The mouth of Millennium Cave	Jungle-clad hillside at the mouth of Millennium Cave	Descent to Millennium Cave	The mouth of Millennium Cave
Millennium Cave	The mouth of Millennium Cave	Wooden steps leading to the cave entrance	A hole in the earth - Millennium Cave
Wooden steps leading to the cave entrance	The guides lend a helping hand	The entrance to Millennium Cave - time to put the Nikon D700 in the waterproof bag	Millennium Cave is wet so I'm using the dive camera
Rock wall at the entrance to Millennium Cave	Looking back at the entrance to Millennium Cave	The guide shows us a cave dweller	Descending into Millennium Cave
The guide caught (and released) a small bird which lives in the cave	The light at the end of the tunnel	It takes around 30 minutes to hike along the underground river through the cave	The exit of Millennium Cave
It is a wet tour	The Hidden World behind Millennium Cave	To me, this rock looked like a large carved head	The stream through Millennium Cave joins a larger river
Waterfall upstream from the exit of Millennium Cave	The Hidden World, Millennium Cave	The Hidden World, Millennium Cave	The Hidden World, Millennium Cave
Relaxing by the side of the river after the cave traversal	The beginning of the Big Swim	Wading towards the Big Swim	Moss covered walls of the Hidden World
Canyon swim	I found this section more spectacular than the cave itself	Jungle of the Hidden World	A tight squeeze in places
Swimming, crawling and climbing through the Hidden World	Canyoning	A very tight squeeze in places - watch my camera!	Not a trip for the unfit
The Hidden World beyond Millennium Cave	Slippery when wet	It's nice with just a small group	They've hung a chain at one of the more difficult spots
The Big Swim continues	Tropical canyoning	Hidden World, Santo	A river runs through it
The start of one of the most beautiful sections	Swimming through the narrows	A bamboo bridge crosses the narrow canyon	The Big Swim
The Big Swim	The Big Swim	Swimming beneath the waterfall	Waterfall - Millennium Cave Tour
Waterfall - Millennium Cave Tour	Waterfall - Millennium Cave Tour	The waterfall from the brochure	Waterfall
Waterfall	The Nikon out of the dry bag for a shot	Waterfall	Downstream from the waterfall
Canyoning Vanuatu	A very wet tour	Falling behind	A last look at the waterfall
The diving spot	One of the guides	Resting for a bit at the diving spot	A slippery scramble to get up the rocks
Canyoning Vanuatu	Soaked to the bone, but the dry bag protected the Nikon	The end of the Big Swim...maybe	The gorge narrows
He had so much patience with me	The tour is long and varied, definitely a work out	A slip	He can't bear to watch me!
Another stretch...that's why they call it the Big Swim	At least it's not cold	Wait for me!	So worth it!
One more scramble	Erosion at work	A welcome sight	A huge challenge
Up the slippery slope	Banana leaf	Climb the rope	Climb the ladder
A look back at the jungle clad gorge	A little hut at the top of the cliff	The Vine That Ate Vanuatu	I don't think it's a food crib
A bit like kudzu, the vine that ate the South	Crossing a pink bit	Back in Vunaspef village	They really laughed at me for taking photos of a chicken
Vunaspef village, Vanuatu	Vunaspef village, Vanuatu	Vunaspef village, Vanuatu	Vunaspef village, Vanuatu
Cutting wood blocks to line the jungle trail	Village dog, Vanuatu	Vunaspef village, Vanuatu	Vunaspef village, Vanuatu
A western volunteer working in the village supervised the building of an outhouse	Western toilet, Vunaspef village, Vanuatu	Vunaspef village, Vanuatu	Vunaspef village, Vanuatu
After a break, back on the trail to reach the road	Palm trees, Vanuatu	Fern trees, Vanuatu	Thankfully, our transport was waiting in Nambel Village to take us back to Luganville