Whitegrass Airport

Whitegrass Airport is about as far from a bustling international terminal as you can get, and that's precisely its charm. The airport's modest footprint means there's no sprawling food court or competing chain restaurants to navigate — what you'll find instead is a small refreshment area near the single terminal building where staff and locals occasionally set out fresh coconuts, seasonal fruit, and simple snacks for arriving and departing passengers. It's informal, unhurried, and genuinely welcoming in a way that polished airport dining rarely manages.

If you time your departure well, look out for women from nearby villages who sometimes sell homemade laplap — the beloved Vanuatu staple of grated root vegetables wrapped in banana leaves and slow-baked underground. It's dense, earthy, and utterly satisfying, and tasting it here, just steps from the runway with Mount Yasur smoking on the horizon, feels like a gift. Fresh pamplemousse, island bananas, and occasionally roasted corn round out the informal spread. Nothing is packaged or overpriced; it's honest food from people who grew it themselves.

The honest advice any seasoned traveller to Tanna will give you is this: eat properly before you arrive at Whitegrass. The villages around Lénakel and White Sands have small guesthouses and family-run kitchens serving flying fish, coconut crab, and root vegetable dishes that far outshine anything airside. Stock up on water, grab a piece of fruit if the vendors are around, and let the airport be what it is — a breezy, open-air passage point rather than a dining destination. The real feast is always out there on the island itself.