We arrived at Tanna, Vanuatu. We were all ready to go, but just as we were about to leave the ship, Mother Nature had other ideas. It didn’t take too long for the thunder and lightning to stop, and the dark clouds rolled away. We were able to go ashore and meet the friendly locals. The village had gone to a huge effort to put on a presentation for us, which involved singing and dancing. Some of us couldn’t help ourselves and joined in. After this, we were invited to explore the village. We returned to the ship for lunch and a quick rest as we had a huge afternoon ahead of us.

After a great lunch onboard National Geographic Orion, we returned to the island. Here we found four-wheel drives waiting for us. We loaded up and started our adventure towards the famous active volcano. The scenery on the way was breathtaking to say the least. We saw the extensive damage from the recent cyclones firsthand.

When we arrived at the volcano, we enjoyed a fantastic presentation and learned a lot about local culture. We had a wonderful time exploring the village. When the weather delayed some of our travelers from getting back to the ship immediately, we were overwhelmed by the kindness of our generous and accommodating hosts.