On Joking Cliffs

The Isle of Lifou, in the Loyalty Islands archipelago

The lagoon is beautiful, but it's also two hundred feet down... make sure you spend at least three nights with the Kanak tribe up on top of the cliffs.

The Joking Cliffs are located in the north of the Isle of Lifou. The area in inhabited by the Joking tribe. When you arrive there, make sure you follow the local custom of exchanging gifts with the tribe. The son of the chief of the tribe, Georges, will be there to greet you.

Georges is wonderful! You will also surely meet William who will tell a lot of wonderful stories about Kanak life.
In this tribe, everything is peaceful. The people are extremely friendly. You can't walk 100 yards before someone invites you in for a cup of coffee and a little chat.

This is a very emotionally moving and interesting place. Down at the base of the cliffs, you can admire the beautiful seabed and the imposing cliffside and the funerary caves where the Chiefs of the tribe are buried. In the middle of the tribal village, there is a Protestant temple (the Holy Wars made it all the way there!...) and the Chief's headquarters, surrounded by a wall of black stones.

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