Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
2,048km²
Area
398km
Coastline
879m
Highest point
20,000
People
29°C
Warmest sea
March
1,797km
To the mainland
When to go to Malakula Island
Best for the beach from June to October.
The sea is warmest in March (29 °C) and coolest in August (26 °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.
Island in Vanuatu
Malakula Island is an island in Vanuatu. It covers 2,048 km², with 398 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 879 m. About 20,000 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1,797 km away.
Getting there
- Santo Pekoa International Airport (SON)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 89 km in a straight lineCar hire at VLI airport (Port Vila)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- 1,797 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From June to Octoberbest 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 Malakula Island.
- 6beaches
- 3marinasVao Landing, Litzlitz Warf, Urpiv Warf
- 2ruins and archaeological sites
- 4hotels, guesthouses and apartments
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
Malakula Island in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Malakula Island, each with its own numbers.
8beaches and covesCoastya
59mountainsPeakyas
Highest point
373m
Ménélam
according to Peakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.1°C
Baie d’Ounoua
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
8 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Baie Wihètcove29.1°C
- Baie de Wessocove29.1°C
- Baie Vouivouicove29.0°C
- Baie d’Ounouacove29.1°C
- Baie de Matobangcove29.0°C
- Bongorcove29.1°C
- Baie d’Assencove29.1°C
- Baie de la Malouacove29.1°C
59 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Ménélam373m
- Lowébati373m
- Fanavat373m
- Arroboua373m
- Mogues Bouang
- Lobormouas
- Yang'abalé
- Vindrémal
51 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 215 m above the sea. 55 % of it is below 200 m.
- 17 %0–50 m
- 38 %50–200 m
- 37 %200–500 m
- 8 %500–1,000 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.
50 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Norsup2,998 people
- Lakatoro705 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 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 |
| Night low (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 |
| Sea (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 221 | 229 | 249 | 248 | 174 | 138 | 95 | 88 | 107 | 140 | 154 | 163 |
| Wet days | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 18 |
| Sun h/day | 7.7 | 7.3 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 6.1 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.6 | 8.2 |
| Wind (km/h) | 19 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 20 |
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 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.6 | −0.2 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.4 |
| 2021 | +0.6 | +0.5 | −0.1 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +1.1 |
| 2022 | +1.1 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.2 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +1.6 | +1.7 | +2.0 | +1.7 |
| 2023 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.1 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +0.4 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.9 |
| 2025 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +1.5 | +1.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Ambrym
Vanuatu674 km²1,334 m68 km away
Malo IslandVanuatu182 km²163 m73 km away
EpiVanuatu444 km²833 m95 km away
Pentecost IslandVanuatu492 km²617 m95 km away
Espiritu SantoVanuatu3,956 km²1,879 m113 km away
Aoba IslandVanuatu404 km²1,496 m104 km away
MaewoVanuatu303 km²795 m143 km away
EfateVanuatu897 km²647 m185 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q618594) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| 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
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