Millennium Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Fwimatal, Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. (-15.438491553622397, 167.05647492911618)
Open:	All year daily. [2023]
Fee:	yes. [2023]
Classification:	Karst Cave Gorge Karst Spring
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=432 m, VR=25 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Bernard Lips, Franck Bréhier, Denis Wirrmann, Nadir Lasson, Stefan Eberhard, Josiane Lips, Louis Deharveng (2011): The Karst of Santo: Geological Setting, in P. Bouchet, H. Le Guyader, O. Pascal (Eds), The Natural History of Santo. MNHN, Paris; IRD, Marseille; PNI, Paris. 572 p. (Patrimoines naturels; 70). DOI researchgate
Address:	Millennium Cave, Fwimatal, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, Tel: +678-547-0957. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1987	cave first crossed by Serge and Renee Andikar.
1997	Michele and Samuel Andikar, the current owners, opened the cave as a tourist attraction.
1998	visited by German film crew guided by historian Glen Russell.
2000	cave trekking tours opened to the public and thus renamed Millennium Cave.

Description

Despite the name Millennium Cave Tour is a mostly hiking and canyoning trip, there is a cave, but it takes only 30 minutes, the rest of the full-day-tour is hiking And there is another 30 minutes of canyoning though a spectacular gorge with quite narrow walls. There are even some sections where it is not possible to see the sky through the narrow and winding canyon. The cave and gorge are located in the middle of tropical rain forest, about 15 km northwest of the capital Luganville on Espiritu Santo island. However, it's in the middle of nowhere and there are actually no trails. So it is essential to book a tour which includes the guide, the walk to the gorge, the visit of the cave and gorge and the walk back. The tour requires some physical fitness and takes a full day.

Many sources say this is Vanuatu's largest cave, and actually, the cave is quite spacious, but according to a 2011 publication, it is only on rank 13. The rocks are limestone, and there once was a big karst cave system with a large main passage. However, over time the ceiling became thinner and collapsed, and so most parts of the main passage are now a gorge. But the remaining section is of enormous size, and has stalactites at the ceiling, so it is obviously a karst cave. Some say the ceiling is 50 m high, but there is so much false info about this cave on the web, so we are actually not sure.

There are different versions if the locals actually knew about the cave, Some say they knew it for a very long time and hunted bats and swallows in the cave entrance, but they feared ghosts and never entered the cave behind. Others say they discovered it only in the 1970s, and yet another story tells it was discovered in 2003. The son of the local chief and another villager first created a path through the jungle to the cave. They made it easier to navigate by adding handles, ladders and ropes. It takes half an hour through the river cave, which is entered down a pothole on a wooden ladder. Be careful, the ladder is slippery, and as far as we understand, there is no security line. Then the group walks through the 432 m long river cave to the resurgence. They follow the canyon another half-hour and then return to the village.

This site is definitely not an average tourist site, it requires surefootedness, physical fitness, and appropriate equipment. While the visit with the guides is more or less safe, this depends massively on the weather. We suggest taking this tour only during dry weather, during rains or immediately after rains it is very slippery and not very nice.

A local villager, Glenn Russell, discovered these caves earlier this year (2003). The caves vary from 5 to 10 m in width and are up to 50 m high with plenty of speleothems. A through trip takes about half an hour. The cave is a two and half hour walk to the nearest village. From the village it is a half-hour walk to the bus stop, and then a 30-minute ride to Luganville.

Text by Tony Oldham (2004). With kind permission.