Ambrym with Trek Vanuatu
As the plane taxed down the runway, Bauerfield pulling away behind us, a surge of excitement united
with the acceleration of the aircraft as we lifted off the tarmac.
We were off on our first tramping adventure outside of Efate. The clear weather provided an excellent
birds-eye view of Efate’s coastal areas followed by a series of islands leading us north up the
archipelago towards our destination, Ambrym. This island is renowned for its mysterious Nakamas
(black magic) in the North East, temperamental volcanco’s Marum and Benbow and its expansive Plaine
de Cendre (Caldera).
Our 4-day adventure had come to fruition through the guidance of Trek Vanuatu – with Abel and Kathy
Nako’s careful networking of local guides and
villagers hosting travellers into off-thebeaten-track areas of Vanuatu’s cultural and
environmental significance. One of the
aspects of Trek Vanuatu that impressed us
was their transparent method of distributing
the costs for the trip; after we paid the fee we
were handed back the money in several
named envelopes to then been given directly
to those that hosted us along our trip. The
other aspect that convinced us to go with
Trek Vanuatu was their flexibility in tailoring
our trek; we looked at the map of the island and decided we would like to cross over from the west
coast to the east, so our traverse of the island became a first for Trek Vanuatu to co-ordinate.
The first sign of our destination was signalled by the view of the steep symmetrical conical form of
Lopevi and its smoking crater to our right. Ambrym shortly came into view with its distinctive yawning
caldera, fringed by tropical forest and coconut plantations fanning out to the island’s coast. We skirted
above the south west coast before turning back south over Craig Cove anchorage to land on the grass
strip.
As we climbed out of the small aircraft a woman in hand with a toddler warmly greeted us – Innette
was our host and first point of contact. We retrieved our back-packs and climbed into the waiting truck
(one of three on the west side of the island) to take us to Port-Vato where we would spend our first
night. The truck packed with produce and locals made slow progress along the coastal track deeply
rutted and winding through the bush and occasional village.We arrived at Port Vato just on dusk and
where were welcomedwith fruit and cool drinksat the Guest House.
The accommodation provided was modest and clean with 3 small bedrooms and a living area for eating
and relaxing. We enjoyed the remaining light of day with our host down on the beach watching the sun
set over Malekula and the piikinini’s playing futsal. With the knowledge of an early start and long walk
ahead the following day we turned in early but not before gazing in awe inland toward the following
day’s destination - Benbow; the volcano’s intense glow– a molten aura reflecting against a velvety black
night sky.We bedded down with mixed feelings of both excitement and trepidation – soothed by
acoustic ramblings of a local musician who’s haunt happened to be right outside our guest house door.
We woke to Vanuatu’s synonymous morning chorus – the roosters, and the murmuring of our host
organising our breakfast and lunch. Keen to get moving before the heat of day kicked in we got up to
meet our 2 guides, Walter and Hendry, and prepared for departure. The process of distributing the
weight of food, water and sleeping gear equally between our guides and ourselves was overseen by a
small group of bemused village people.
We began our walk at around 7am as elongated
shafts of light illuminated our track up through the
village and heading first along the coast towards
Lolinda before turning inland. Then we began our
ascent up the gently stepped formation of lava
terraces leading to the caldera.
We became acutely aware of geological
magnitude of this volcanic island as we made our
way along short dry riverbeds that would lead us
to a terminal face onto the next lava terrace. At a
distance these 15 metre vertical walls seemed
impassable, however at each step a quick duck
into the bush our guides would find a small and
steep track leading up to next terrace.
Closer to the caldera the topography changed as
we entered narrow winding valleys swathed with
the soaring palms and dappled light. Under foot
beneath the mat of palm leaves we noticed
colourful mosses and delicate orchid’s.
The base of a 20 metre sand face signalled the
caldera was at the top of this final pitch; a 2
minute plug up the shifting black sand (one step
forward and two steps back) and we found
ourselves on the lip of the caldera. At this point I
expected to see a couple of Ni-Vanuatu in kustom dress laughing and talking on Digicel phones.
However what we found was a desolate moonscape – as far as the eye could see rolling black sand
dunes with occasional ‘oasis’ of vegetation shimmering in the distance and to our left the smoking
craters of Mt Marum and Mt Benbow.
We set up camp at a camp site nestled into the edge of the bush line with an open tarpaulin shelter
housing drums of water and boxes of cooking utensils. This is one of a few campsites in the area that
geologists/volcanologists have made as their bases.We ate lunch and took a small spell before
beginning our climb up towards the craters.
Without the weight of our packs we enjoyed the walk up the volcano towards the smoking crater of Mt
Marum. For what looks like a landscape void of life the mosses and orchards that grew along the lava
flow valleys and planes was surprising and we became acutely aware of our footfall and the necessity to
protecting this living fragile environment.Traversing the remains of the seismic activity was fascinating
as we passed through various areas approaching of the crater. Needle slim shards of volcanic glass
glinted against the black volcanic ash. One terrace we navigated was the remains of a lava flow that on
cooling had formed a 100 metre wide bed of what looked like hokey pokey and these strange anthromorphic miniature volcanic forms fired the imagination.
We walked as far as Mt Marum, we had left it too late in the day to climb the steeper walls of Benbow
(MalupLia). The wall of sulphur hit us before we saw the edge of Marum’s pikinini crater. Our narrow
path between steaming vents and dry cracked mud pools reminded us that we were very much walking
across a living entity capable of incredible force and destruction. Meanwhile the omnipresent towering
column of smoke from Benbow cast its shadow over us as the sun retreated west and we made our way
back to camp.
Spending anight on the caldera was very atmospheric – the wind dropped and the starlight illuminated
our surroundings. The steady glow of Benbow’s crater, now closer than the night before, filled a larger
circumference of our view, and again reiterated our precarious relationship withthe volcano.
The following morning we began a full day walk along the eastern side of the ash plane skirting the
lower flanks of the mountains where the bush line meet the caldera. We were grateful for cloud cover
and a steady breeze that without would have made a gruelling walk.
After 3 hours walk we reached our exit point off the caldera and began a steady descent along stepped
dry riverbed terraces before reaching a bush ridge that steeply descended to the coast. We enjoyed the
change in topography and the lush and varied tropical forest of the east in contrast to the barren terrain
we had been in. On reaching the coastline we all discarded our shoes and cooled our feet in the surf.
We arrived in the village of Endo Pohakol earlier than expected however the village has been preparing
to greet us so we were meet up the track by a group of excited children who then led us to a table
covered in colourful kaliko, cut fruit and coconut drinks decorated with flowers… this unexpected
surprise was gratefully received.
The following day we rested at
Sameo Village with Mary Hopa
visiting the beach and villages in
the area. We were looked after
with the same level of modest
accommodation and friendly
hosting as we had received on the
west coast.
When the plane arrived early to
pick us up at Ulei we didn’t bat an
eyelid when the pilot announced
that we were to be dropped off
back at Craig Cove and then
POSSIBLY picked up again after he
had to drop off passengers to
Santo – providing it was light enough to land! On the short flight from the east coast back to the west
coast of Ambrym we mused over the terrain we had just spent 3 days traversing and realised that if our
return flight to Efate was delayed a few days it would be a gift - a gift to further explore the rich
environment and culture we had just only just begun to experience on our journey with Trek Vanuatu
on the island of Ambrym.
Ana Terry