Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
3,956km²
Area
396km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
1,879m
Highest point
Mount Tabwemasana
29°C
Warmest sea
March
1,806km
To the mainland
When to go to Espiritu Santo
Best for the beach from January to February and from July to September.
The sea is warmest in March (29 °C) and coolest in August (27 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Largest island in the nation of Vanuatu
Espiritu Santo is an island in Vanuatu. It covers 3,956 km², with 396 km of coastline. Its highest point, Mount Tabwemasana, rises to 1,879 m. The nearest mainland is 1,806 km away.
Getting there
- Santo Pekoa International Airport (SON)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at VLI airport (Port Vila)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesAore Resort Ferry Route
- 1,806 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to February and from July to Septemberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Espiritu Santo.
- 2beachesChampagne Beach, Lonnoc Beach
- 1viewpoints
- 1ferry terminalsAore Resort Ferry
- 4named peaksMount Tabwemasana, Pic Santo, Mount Lolohoe and 1 more
- 1dive centresAllan Power Dive Center
- 25hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 26restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Espiritu Santo in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Espiritu Santo, each with its own numbers.
21beaches and covesCoastya
85mountainsPeakyas
Highest point
1,879m
prominence 1,879 m · according to Peakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.4°C
Plage Lacharel
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
21 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Plage Lacharel29.4°C
- Yarcove29.3°C
- Lonock Baycove29.3°C
- Baie Dehaakorcove29.3°C
- Baie Arouboubécove29.3°C
- Baie Arebcove29.3°C
- Baie Woulaécove29.4°C
- Baie de Wasaléacove29.4°C
13 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
85 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Mount Tabwemasanaprominence 1,879 m1,879m
- Naenpoé1,566m
- Voutmélé1,446m
- Lolohoé1,423m
- Cotamtam1,345m
- Balitsololo1,309m
- Laïriri1,298m
- Voutména1,274m
77 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 359 m above the sea. 39 % of it is below 200 m.
- 15 %0–50 m
- 24 %50–200 m
- 35 %200–500 m
- 21 %500–1,000 m
- 5 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
100 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Luganville13,397 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| Night low (°C) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 |
| Sea (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| Rain (mm) | 272 | 274 | 271 | 272 | 183 | 162 | 116 | 104 | 109 | 151 | 175 | 170 |
| Wet days | 22 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 20 |
| Sun h/day | 7.5 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 8.5 |
| Wind (km/h) | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 17 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.6 | −0.2 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.2 |
| 2021 | +0.6 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.5 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.7 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.3 | +1.5 | +1.5 | +1.7 | +1.7 | +1.5 |
| 2023 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.6 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +1.3 | +0.9 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Malo Island
Vanuatu182 km²163 m41 km away
Aoba IslandVanuatu404 km²1,496 m100 km away
Malakula IslandVanuatu2,048 km²879 m113 km away
MaewoVanuatu303 km²795 m134 km away
Pentecost IslandVanuatu492 km²617 m142 km away
GauaVanuatu309 km²797 m144 km away
AmbrymVanuatu674 km²1,334 m160 km away
Vanua LavaVanuatu334 km²549 m190 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q337524) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit