Lifo, Loyalty Island, New Caledonia

Lifou is the largest island in the Loyalty Islands group in the Pacific Ocean (Loyalty, or Ouaiote - a group of coral islands). It is part of New Caledonia. In the past, Lifou was a coral atoll that formed part of an underwater volcano. About 2 million years ago, the island’s surface rose to its present level. The island has an irregular shape. Lifou is about 81 km long, and its width varies from 16 to 24 km. The island is flat, with no hills and no rivers. The central part of Lifou is a plateau covered with dense vegetation. In the southern part of the island, there are many caves. In the western part of Lifou is Sandal Bay, named after sandalwood traders on the island.

Lifou was discovered by the French explorer Dumont d’Urville in 1827. Later, Catholic and Protestant missionaries arrived on the island. In the 19th century, trade in sandalwood flourished on Lifou, as did the slave trade. In 1864, the island was annexed by France.

Tourism is the main industry in Lifou. The island has an environmentally friendly shoreline and beaches with white sand and colorful cliffs. The island’s main attractions include its rocky terraces, cliffs, numerous caves, an emerald sea, and long stretches of white-sand beaches. The south coast is also dotted with caves; here you can find Vavea Bay with its famous beach, where sea turtles lay their eggs. Sandal Bay, located on the west of the island, takes its name from the many sandalwood groves that once grew here. In the north of the island lies the unusual village of Docking, built in ancient times on top of a 40 m-high rocky cliff overhanging a magnificent bay with crystal-clear water and extremely beautiful coral reefs teeming with fish. Between August and September, from the cliff top you can observe seasonal migrations of whales passing right by these rocks. Many whales even come very close to the rock to rub against the stones (this is how these animals get rid of the many parasites living on their skin). You should also visit Devil’s Cave (“Devil’s Cave”) in Tingeting (descent is allowed only with a guide!), the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes in Izo, the church in Kuanono, and the Jewel’s of Lunkoni cave. And of course, the reefs-reefs and once again, reefs. Surrounding the island on all sides, they are literally teeming with life and make fascinating dive sites.

New Caledonia is an archipelago, an overseas special administrative-territorial entity of France located in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of a large island of the same name and a group of smaller islands in the south-western Pacific, in Melanesia. To the south-west it borders Australia’s economic zone; to the north - Vanuatu; to the south-east - Fiji. The largest island of the archipelago is Grande Terre, where its capital is located.

Tropical trade-wind climate: hot and humid. Temperature changes very little throughout the year: in winter (from April to August) the average is about +19-23 C, and in summer (November-March) +24-26 C. Annual rainfall ranges from 3000 mm in the eastern part of the archipelago to 700 mm in the west. Rain mainly falls from December-January to March, during the passage of cyclones. This period is characterized by cloudy weather and powerful tropical hurricanes. From September to November-December, the trade-wind season lasts, when the weather is very windy but the sky is clear.