Visiting the Rarru Cascades is the perfect day trip for anyone looking for something to do while exploring the beautiful island of Efate. We'll prove it to you!
There are many places on the island of Efate to spend your afternoons, but the Rarru Cascades have slowly become one of our ILP volunteers' favorite places to check out. The local feel, nature walks, and, of course, the unreal waterfalls are bound to make you want to visit this place a time (or two!) while you're here.
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We collected everything you need to know about the Rarru Cascades from our ILP Vanuatu volunteers and want to give you the inside scoop on how to make these memories your own.
Imagine this: lush greenery, crystal clear water, running rivers, multiple falling cascades, and mango trees ... and that's just what you can SEE while visiting the Rarru Cascades.
Efate is a little hidden island tucked between big destination names like Fiji and Australia. It's become a favorite stop for cruise liners who are touring around the South Pacific. Because it was such a remote (but beautiful) island, some outsiders have come in and turned their natural wonders into cruise stop sites that they can make a profit from.
Luckily, the Rarru Cascades doesn't fall under that category! We love the Rarru Cascades because it is locally owned and the price to visit these falls goes straight back to the community. We're big fans of supporting the locals first and know you are too.
On Efate, there is actually another area that's pretty similar to Rarru Cascades where you can also swim with waterfalls, known as Mele Cascades. Both cascades are beautiful places to visit, but our ILP volunteers have found that the Rarru are not only locally owned but also cheaper and less touristy than the Mele Cascades. You might want to experience both for yourself while you're in Efate — if you're interested in learning more about the Mele Cascades, click here!
The Rarru Cascades are located on the south end of Efate near the infamous Blue Lagoon, which is another must-visit spot.
Because Efate is such a small island, everything is within driving distance, so you'll just need to book your transportation to get there. Taxis and mini buses are the most common form of transportation (unless you have access to a local driver). Mini-buses are the more affordable option by far, but they won't always drop you off exactly where you want to go. Taxis are very expensive but will take you directly to your needed designation, which is convenient.
From our experience, mini-busses with the letter "B" on the license plate are the way to go. The buses with a "T" on the license plate are taxis too, but tend to be more expensive. Taxis are much less common to come by, but are a good thing to stay aware of.
If you are an ILP volunteer, definitely take advantage of your connections and use a local driver! Our past volunteers mentioned, as a heads-up, that your driver won't be able to barter the price of the falls to the "local price."
There are lots of ways to spend your time at the cascades! Speaking of time, our ILP volunteers said that around three hours is a good portion of time to carve out for this activity. You totally could easily stay longer or cut it shorter though, just depending on how much time you have for the day.
You can't visit the Rarru Cascades without taking a dip in to the water! Not only can you swim around in the pool surrounding the falls, but you can also swim as far as under the waterfall! This is such a perfect area to cool off from the heat.
Since you will be playing in the water a lot, you most likely aren't going to want your valuables on you. Now, there technically is a place that the owner has set up for visitors to hold their belongings, but it isn't monitored.
We recommend keeping everything with you. We love using waterproof bags (dry bags) because they are reliable and are a much safer option than setting your things down somewhere and not monitoring them. Here's a link to a waterproof bag that many of our ILP volunteers have used in not only Vanuatu, but also our other tropical countries like Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.
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Surrounding the cascades and the pools of water are lush cliffs that are at the perfect height to use as nature's diving boards. Time to show off some cannon balls and compete on who can make the biggest and smallest splashes.
If cliff jumping isn't your thing, maybe swinging in on a rope is more your style? Hopefully both! The ropes are tied to some nearby trees so you can embrace your inner Tarzan and swing off of the short cliffs into the water!
Now when we say hiking, we're using that term lightly. Our ILP volunteers describe it as more of a walking trail. Above the Rarru Cascades is a secluded forest area that you can check out. Maybe you will find some views of the cascades that you wouldn't have been able to see otherwise!
After a few hours of messing around in the Rarru Cascades, you're bound to work up an appetite. Lucky for you, sitting down in the dirt won't have to be where you feast. Scattered around the cascades are picnic tables that are a perfect place to sit, chat, and refuel.
There aren't any places nearby the cascades to get food, so you'll want to pack in your own lunch, snacks, and drinking water.
Ready to visit the Rarru Cascades (and more)?
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