Vanuatu offers as much or as little French immersion as desired by teachers for students. For the fluent, the whole trip can be undertaken with no English spoken at all. Vanuatu sort of runs in parallel universes with the French and English expatriate communities and 40% of ni-Vanuatu people are Francophone.

For French study tours we use French owned/managed accommodation, French speaking drivers for transfers, French guides for activities and tours, French restaurants for dining, visits to French schools and the excellent Alliance Française de Port Vila for language lessons.

If students are 'debutante' level, an itinerary may include beginner level lessons with Alliance Française, some immersion at French schools, basic French required for ordering meals and activities with French/English speaking guides. We work personally with each school to create the best itinerary to suit.

As an example, here is a review of the itinerary undertaken by Anglican Church Grammar School Brisbane ('Churchie') September 22 - 29 2007 (Years 8/9/10).

Saturday

• Arrive Port Vila 2:05pm - met by Harry Atisson with other drivers to collect group and luggage. To town to Café Deli where chicken or ham and salad rolls and freshly squeezed lime juice are waiting. One lad announces that he is vegetarian (despite having had a form requesting dietary requirements). No problem - they prepare a salad only roll.
• Walk to 7/11 store for money exchange and then through town for orientation ending at Vanuatu Holiday Hotel where bags are waiting in the foyer. Manager Leila Levasseur allocates rooms and the students ask for, and receive, their keys in French.
• 6:30pm Pascal Guillet arrived as scheduled for an informal chat about Vanuatu and Bilsama in French and English (he had to use English as well as French with this group as some were only 13yo and very 'debutante').
• 7:30pm walk to l'Houstalet for pizza/pasta/salad dinner (in own room in a new air-conditioned section) with French speaking waiters. After dinner a few boys had a game of pool before all walked back to accommodation.

Sunday

• Breakfast and 8:00am pick up for Coongoola Cruise.
• After crossing Havannah Harbour visited the turtle sanctuary on Moso Island before going to the other side of the island for snorkelling and beach BBQ (morning & afternoon tea also included).
• Returned to accommodation just after 6:00pm - shower and change before walking to l'Houstalet for a 'real' dinner (choice of beef, fish or chicken - plus one vegetarian meal - with ice cream for dessert). Same restaurant chosen so students might 'open up' in French with familiar staff/host. They are still shy in French at this stage.

Monday

• To Alliance Française 8:15am for hot chocolate and croissants and to meet tutor, Gilbert. Lessons finish 11:30am and students are obviously tired through having to concentrate on lessons.
• To El Gecko for a hearty lunch (whopper burgers/fish & chips etc) with French waitresses.
• Pascal arrived at the allocated time and group is transferred to the private Catholic Museum to view artefacts collected by Pere Rodet (he is in France at this time following a heart attack but is recovering). Students have an hour at the museum and traditional nakamal.
• An hour of R&R (swim/rest) before the 3:45pm pick up for the Ekasup Cultural Village Tour followed by a Melanesian Feast and dancing etc in the village.
• 7:30pm return to accommodation.

Tuesday

• Breakfast at accommodation followed by AF lessons.
• From Alliance a walk through the women's markets (fruit/vegetables and other produce) and to contrast, lunch at Chill restaurant (white table cloths and harbour view). Again, classes have exhausted them so a change of itinerary - they now have the afternoon free for shopping and the planned visit to Eraptap village school will be Thursday afternoon. This also makes sense as there has been some rain and the planned soccer game may not have been possible.
• Dinner this evening at Le Rendezvous restaurant.

Wednesday

• Breakfast at accommodation and pick up for a French immersion day with Pascal Guillet as main guide.
• To Montmartre school for two hours lessons in classroom
• Lunch with the boarders, games of soccer and volleyball, a bush walk to private Lololima Cascades waterfall and swimming hole
• A special dinner on the deck at Les Alizes restaurant (chef Paul Alexandre and his wife/host speak very little English but he sure knows how to cook!).

Thursday

• Breakfast and Alliance Française lessons followed by lunch harbourside at Nambawan Café.
• Weather perfect so proved a good move rescheduling the Eratap Village visit. To Eratap Village where the pikininis give a warm welcome to the group - some Churchie students seem shocked at the poverty and lack of resources. There is a donation of stationery and sporting equipment and a few speeches. Each student is given a 'buddy' to take them around the school. This is followed by a free-for-all soccer game and fruit provided by the ladies in the village. When the buses return 2 hours later not one of the students wants to leave. The pikininis follow the bus all the way down the hill shouting and waving. Surprisingly, this is the highlight of the trip for most - a big impact considering there is also an active volcano, river kayaking and snorkelling a marine sanctuary on the itinerary!
• Dinner tonight at l'Houstalet again in the private dining area - rather than dessert, an entrée of prawn cocktail with choice of chicken, beef, fish (plus one vegetarian). Students now more comfortable to order in French and attempt simple conversation. Prior to dinner the group went to the annual Fest Napuan for an hour or so (annual music event with groups from all around the Pacific - Solomon Islands, Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia as well as local bands).

Friday

• One group to the airport for the 7:00am flight to Tanna island for the volcano safari, staying at Friendly Bungalows. The others have a Big Day in Vila - in the morning to Hideaway Island Marine Sanctuary for snorkelling followed by a picnic lunch on the beach before heading to Blue Water Island Resort for kayaking up the Rentapao River.
• Evening dinner at the Waterfront Bar & Grill with live music (and the thrill of singer, Alcina, dedicating a couple of songs to 'the boys at the back').

Saturday

• For the Vila group, a morning at leisure for shopping/swimming and meet up at Au Peche Mignon for lunch before the transfer to the airport to re-join the Tanna group who return looking pretty dusty. The volcano was very active and the group was rewarded with some spectacular fireworks.
• Depart 3:05pm to arrive Brisbane 5:10pm

Email us for more information on how we can create a French-based package to suit your needs or for details on an obligation-free Expression of Interest afternoon/evening.

For a comprehensive list of what to see and do, plus some history and quirky personal observations on Vanuatu, visit Vanuatu A to Z.