#Visit south pacific airpass free#

It is more expensive than 'nearby' South-East Asia, but the payoff is the chance to discover a dazzling array of spectacular countries that combine desert-island fantasies with a dose of adventure. The South Pacific is far less commercialised and crowded than the Mediterranean or Caribbean there are well-defined traveller's trails but also abundant opportunities to escape to islands that haven't seen a tourist in years. In the South Pacific there are no troublesome visas to be obtained and advance bookings are rarely necessary - visitors will always find somewhere to stay. The hospitality and friendliness of the islanders is legendary, and virtually all are happy to share their customs, traditions, and beliefs. Otherwise, head to a church on a Sunday morning to hear sweet choral harmonies flowing across the palm trees, hop on an open-sided Fijian bus - an experience in itself - or pop to the local market where island life seems to come together amid stallfuls of breadfruit, papaya and coconuts. Though put on for travellers, these food-and-festivity-filled evenings - often including drumming, dancing and fire-juggling - are an excellent taster. One of the best ways to experience this side of the south is at an Island Night. From the enigmatic moai of Easter Island to the Polynesian traditions of Samoa, the region is a fascinating cultural melting pot. It's not all action though - the social scientist will be intrigued by the South Pacific's diverse customs and cultures. If you want action, there are countless opportunities: you could scuba dive with sharks and manta rays snorkel with more technicoloured fish than you can wave a flipper at surf waves with gnarly names such as Cloudbreak and Frigate's Passage, which remain unbroken since Antarctica kayak around mangrove-edged lagoons and rocky shorelines pedal among mysterious statues from ancient cultures hike up volcanic rises and down verdant valleys and sail on that seemingly endless ocean. The islands of Polynesia and Melanesia offer a vast amount of variety. But don't just stopover, invest in a regional air pass or hop on the local boat network and properly dip into the Pacific.

#Visit south pacific airpass free#

Getting around the area used to be an expensive and time-consuming business but now international flights stop regularly at many of the main islands, with the major airline alliances offering free stopovers at Polynesian paradises on round-the-world tickets. So where do you start? The Pacific Ocean covers more than a third of the planet's surface and these tiny specks are scattered thousands of kilometres apart, separated by vast expanses of uninhabited - by humans, at least - blue. From volcano-dominated wildernesses to wave-lapped shores to small humps of sand barely peaking above the waterline, there are around 7,500 islands to explore in the South Pacific.