Champagne Bay, Vanuatu cruise port guide
As world famous beaches go, Champagne Beach is one of the big hitters. In 2003, CNN ranked it number nine in its list of top 100 beaches and independent travel specialists permanently include it on their list of 50 best beaches worldwide. It’s one of the world’s greatest natural beauties: picture-perfect beach white sand, turquoise water and nothing – save for the occasional cow or curious turtle - around. With only coconut plantations and a few friendly locals to keep you company, this might just be the island of your dreams. The glorious name “Champagne Beach” was given to the island in the 17th century, when Pedro de Quirós believed he had reached the famous unknown southern land or the “Tierra Australis Incognita” (or Australia as we now know it). He believed the effervescent bubbles of volcanic origin that bubble up from the crystal clear waters were reminiscent of the bubbles of Champagne. Additionally, the coastline is shaped like an art deco Champagne saucer, so the name stuck! The beach is located on the largest yet least populated island in the 40-island Vanuatu archipelago, near the village of Hog Harbor on Espiritu Santo Island. If you want to venture beyond the beach, then Espiritu Santu is also famed for its blue holes. The island is home to some of the clearest waters on Earth, benefiting from natural filtering from underground limestone caves. Ride or paddle your way through emerald green rainforest amid the sound of birdsong for an experience that will make your soul sing.
About Champagne Bay, Vanuatu
Champagne Bay is a beach destination on Espiritu Santo, the largest island in Vanuatu, located in the Pacific region of Melanesia. The island is renowned for world-class wreck diving, including the SS President Coolidge — described as the largest accessible wreck dive in the world — as well as unique natural attractions such as Millennium Cave and the iconic Million Dollar Point. Luganville, the island's only true town and the provincial capital of Sanma Province, serves as the main service hub for visitors.
The SS President Coolidge anchors Espiritu Santo's reputation as a premier dive destination — a converted luxury liner and wartime military transport sunk after striking a sea mine, it is widely cited as the largest accessible wreck dive in the world, complete with evidence of both its civilian and military lives. The wreck demands experience in deep and penetration diving. Million Dollar Point offers a more accessible dive and snorkel experience above the vast array of tanks, jeeps, aircraft, and 1940s Coke bottles that American forces dumped into the sea after World War II. Inland, Millennium Cave — only discovered in 2000 — combines trekking through bat-filled limestone caverns with a relaxing river tube back to the trailhead. Additional bush-walking and multi-day trekking routes are accessible from Luganville through tour operators and local guides. Beaches including Champagne Beach and Lonnoc Beach round out the offering for passengers seeking sun and sea.
Quick facts
Cruises visiting Champagne Bay, Vanuatu
Prices per person · incl. taxes & fees.
Sailing soonest
The Three Oceans
Silver Dawn · Worldwide · 149 nights
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Lautoka to Brisbane
Silver Dawn · Oceania · 11 nights
from $10,600
$963 / night
Lautoka to Singapore
Silver Dawn · Oceania · 29 nights
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The beauty of the South Seas - Lautoka (Viti Levu/Fiji) to Hong Kong
MS EUROPA 2 · Oceania · 22 nights
from $10,982
$499 / night
Darwin to Lautoka
Silver Cloud · Oceania · 18 nights
from $24,400
$1,355 / night
Darwin to Papeete (Tahiti)
Silver Cloud · Oceania · 29 nights
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