JH3QFL and JH3VAA will be active as YJ0AA and YJ0MN from Efate Island, Vanuatu, 4 - 11 February 2024.
They will operate on HF and Green Cube Satellite.
QSL via JH3QFL direct, LOTW.
Ads for direct QSL:
Takio Hata, 921-25 Rokujio Yasu, Shiga, 520-2412, Japan.
Previous activity:
JH2BNL, JI2UAY will be active from Efate Island, Vanuatu, IOTA OC - 035, 20 - 23 January 2017 as YJ0AA, YJ0FM.
They will operate on 160 - 10m CW, SSB, FM, RTTY.
QSL info:
YJ0AA via LOTW.
YJ0FM via JI2UAY.
Ads for direct QSL:
Shigehiko Mabuchi, 2349 Kamiishidacho, Higashiku, Hamamatsu, 435-0001, Japan.
Efate Island
Efate Island belongs to the New Hebrides archipelago, which is located in the Pacific Ocean. It is a part of the Republic of Vanuatu and attracts the greatest interest among tourists who get to this part of the globe. The peculiarity of Efate is its rather decent size (the area of the island reaches 900 km²) and the fact that the capital of this state is located here.
At the same time, Efate is a real paradise on earth, which will not leave anyone indifferent. It is surrounded by greenery and offers excellent views from its shores.
A bit of history
According to current records, the settlement of the island began more than 2500 years ago. The first European to see Efate with his own eyes was James Cook. It happened in 1774. And a few decades later, this land was favored by sandalwood traders, missionaries, as well as sailors engaged in catching whales.
As for tourism, this direction has begun to develop rapidly recently. Active visiting of the island by foreign guests started about 20 years ago. And since then the number of vacationers on Efate is constantly growing. Actually, this state of affairs is quite understandable, because amazing sandy beaches, numerous lagoons and bays, as well as exotic nature, which in many places has remained untouched, allow you to be transported to a completely amazing and unknown to the inhabitant of a modern metropolis world.
The perfect beach vacation
Efate is sure to be the perfect solution for those who enjoy a relaxing beach vacation. You can enjoy swimming here all year round. This is due to the fact that the water warms up to +22º C in the cold season and +27º C in the summer. Thus, there is no need to talk about winter or significant cold spells.
The coastline of the island is highly indented. It consists almost entirely of clear lagoons and bays, separated from each other. And what can be better for a secluded and incredibly pleasant vacation on the beach? The golden purest sand, with which the coast is covered, will not go unnoticed by tourists.
In order to fully enjoy your vacation, it is best to visit the island between June and November. The rest of the months are associated with periodic tropical rains.
Efate is sure to please divers, as well as fans of surfing and snorkeling. You can explore the underwater world in detail in Mele Bay. It is here that there is a rather large reef with numerous tunnels and caves. And the number of inhabitants of the sea depths in this area exceeds 300 species. Divers are also very interested in the ships that sank off the coast of the island at different times.
Fans of a more relaxing vacation will love sailing on yachts, exciting fishing from the boat or shore, as well as the opportunity to get away and enjoy the exceptional beauty of nature.
The peculiarity of Efate is the presence of asphalt pavement around its perimeter. Thus, every vacationer can rent a car or quad bike and independently get to all the most interesting sights of the island.
Blue Hole Beach, Efate Island, Vanuatu. Author - Arthur Chapman.
Sights created by nature itself
Many tourist destinations attract interest due to the presence of a huge number of historical sights and monuments. However, Efate deserves attention for a completely different reason. The island's main assets are the numerous creations made by nature itself. Looking at the cascade of Mele waterfalls, it is impossible to contain sincere admiration for their amazing beauty. And volcanoes Fatmalata and Mount Macdonald make you once again think about the greatness and power of nature.
There are also thermal springs on the island. The temperature of water in them is 40ºC and does not fall below this mark. The Siviri Cave is also of interest to tourists.
However, it is impossible not to notice that Efate is the place where the feeling of delight comes to people very often. There is no need to go in search of something special, because the true beauty surrounds any guest of the island from all sides every minute.
Multicultural capital
The capital of Vanuatu is located on this island and is called Port Vila. It is a marvelous city where you can find English, French, Australians, Chinese and other nationalities in addition to natives. Such a mixture gives the city a special flavor.
There is a large National Ethnographic Museum and such architectural monuments as the Sacre-Coeur Cathedral, the Town Hall, the Presbyterian Church and the Parliament building.
In the very center of the capital there is a monument to the Russian navigator V. Golovin. He successfully circumnavigated the globe twice and spent a lot of time exploring and studying the island.
Efate is sure to please even the most sophisticated tourist and will give not only vivid memories, but also a great desire to come here again.