Millennium Cave

The Millennium Cave trip starts inland from Luganville on Espiritu Santo with a walk down through village gardens and rainforest on bamboo ladders and muddy steps, then through the cave itself in the dark with water running through it and bats overhead, and finishes by floating and scrambling down a canyon between high walls with waterfalls coming in from both sides. It takes most of a day and is run entirely by the villages.

What you actually see

• The cave passage - a dark walk through running water with bats overhead.
• The canyon - the gorge floated and scrambled down on the way out.
• The bamboo ladders - the village-built descents on the approach.
• The community operation - a trip run by the villages that own the land.

When to go

May to October is the dry season and the practical window. Heavy rain closes the trip entirely because the canyon floods. The cave is cold in any month.

Honest expectations

This is physically hard: several hours of walking, wading, swimming and scrambling with no easy exit halfway. Rain cancels it and can do so mid-trip. Footwear that can be soaked is essential.

Nearby

Luganville is south, and the Blue Holes are east.