Fiji Travel Vision
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Fiji Backpacking Guide
Overview
Cheapest destination in South Pacific
Over 30 islands to visit with budget accommodation
Adventure travel, beach resorts and village environments
Extensive transport network
Hospitable and entertaining hosts
budget accommodation
budget beach resorts
camping in Fiji
Backpackers will find the Fiji Islands to be a fantastic destination to explore. Fiji is easy to get to, being the main stopover between North America and Australia / New Zealand on the 'around the world' ticket. Fiji is cheap for travelling, safe and easy to get around. The people are extremely warm and friendly and most speak excellent English. The beaches are exquisite and the snorkelling is usually excellent right off the coast. For the adventurous, the rainforest offers numerous trails to vistas and refreshing waterfalls. And the weather, though tropical, is rarely too hot and humid (exception from Dec - Feb). What's more, there are plenty of idyllic budget resorts set amongst coconut groves with simple thatch bures for sleeping and shade for camping.
The Fijian people are on the whole excellent and very proud hosts. Most have an enormous reserve of energy and encourage backpackers to explore the region and join in with village activities. At night, they sit around the grog bowl drinking Yaqona and playing music which they excel at. Backpackers are commonly invited to visit the local village to experience the traditional Fijian lifestyle of yaqona drinking and mekes. For some, invitations are extended to stay for a few nights. This is what sets Fiji apart from other destinations - the friendliness of the people and the unquestioning acceptance of visitors. In Fiji, visitors are treated with respect - please reciprocate this genuine charm.
There are eight distinct regions in Fiji. Viti Levu is the largest and most populated island and where all tourists arrive (Nadi Airport). Viti Levu has four separate regions: Nadi Area; Coral Coast; Suva Area; North Coast. All regions are reviewed below for backpack travel:
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International Airport, good base, lots of day tours and agents |
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Easy to get to, good amenities, small beach resorts, exploring |
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Capital City with nightlife, good base, adventure tourism |
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Nananu-i-Ra island for beaches, otherwise no accommodation |
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Commercial vacation islands, water sports and partying |
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Stunning chain of islands with popular backpacker beach resorts |
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Eco-travel centre, hiking, diving and backpack circuit |
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Popular backpack circuit to small islands, also adventure travel |
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Excellent dive resorts and adventure travel |
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Remote islands, small local guesthouse / homestay only |
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Remote island, excellent beaches, unique culture, homestay only |
Nadi Area
Arriving at Nadi Airport on Viti Levu, backpackers are met by a number of reps offering budget accommodation in the area. The airport also has several agents specializing in arranging accommodation for backpackers. Most offer a service and get their commissions from the resorts they book with - some will have special arrangements with particular resorts and will push these - make sure you have all the options before committing yourself. Alternatively, the Fiji Visitors Bureau has a full range of brochures for budget accommodation.
Nadi, unfortunately, is hardly what you would expect being the centre of tourism in Fiji. It stretches in a suburban sprawl along a busy road a mile or so inland from the coast. Nadi Airport is at one end. About 15 minutes south down the road is Nadi Town. Most hotels and resorts are along this stretch of road. Surrounding Nadi is rural sugarcane farmland. The nearest beach is at Wailoloa at Nadi Bay but this is a rather shabby area with rather dubious charachters hanging around for isoltaed tourists. Unfortunately public transport is limited to the Bay area so you will feel cut off if you want to go exploring in Nadi or beyond. Nadi Town is the place to arrange your travel plans and the only base for day tours to the beautiful Mamanuca Group. Most backpackers find themselves hanging around for a few days. The shops are quite good and the locals very friendly. It's just a shame that there are no good bars or street cafes to sit and watch the world go by, and nightlife is virtually non-existent. There is a large Hindu temple which is worth a visit, especially if a festival is going on. Nadi's greatest attractions are the surrounding rural countryside and mountains which can be explored by foot or bus. If you want to head straight out of Nadi, the only option is Seashell Cove at Momi Bay (30 mins south by car). Beyond is the Coral Coast.
Accommodation in Nadi Area
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Coral Coast
There are a number of budget resorts and backpacker lodges along the Coral Coast as well as river valleys and mountains which are excellent for exploring. The coastline has some good beaches but the drawback is at low tide when dead coral is exposed making it impossible to swim. The snorkelling is also not that good. However, the Coral Coast is the best and closest place to go for mixing the resort atmosphere with adventure travel - rafting trips, village visits, waterfall treks and archaeological sights.
There are a few surf resorts along the coast with access to the popular waves of Cloudbrealk (Seashell Cove Resort) to the west and Frigates Passage (Waidroka Resort) to the south. Waidroka resort has some breaks along the reef off the coast but the only beach surfing is at Club Masa, tucked behind the wild and windswept Sigatoka Sandunes. Here, the currents can sometimes be treacherous. Nearby Natadola beach is good for bodysurfing but it is someway down a dirt road from the highway and public transport is limited.
Offshore from Natadola is a tiny island popular with day trippers from the nearby large resorts. Although catering for this commercial market, the day trip is well managed for backpacker tastes. The best thing about Robinson Island is that you get all the goodies during the day and, once the day trippers have left, limited budget accommodation to soak up the true solitude of the South Pacific.
The main town along the Coral Coast is Sigatoka. It's a small but functional town with a few restaurants, tourist boutiques, banks and a post office all beside a busy market and bus stand. Buses from Sigatoka connect throughout the area including the scenic River Valley Road. Beyond Sigatoka there are plenty of budget beach resorts along the highway from self-catering bungalows to backpacker hangouts. Korotogo is a small community of resorts with several independent restaurants. The rainforested mountains east of all the way to Pacific Harbour are some of the best and most accessible spots for exploring. Several tour companies offer guided hikes to caves and waterfalls and rafting trips up the Navua river to remote traditional villages.
Coral Coast Accommodation
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Suva Area
The cosmopolitan capital of Suva is an exciting town. The population is only 100,000 or so and has a community style atmosphere with people chatting on the street. There is plenty of budget accommodation in Suva from the absolute shabby to quiet recluses and plenty of good cheap restaurants, most of which are Chinese or Indian. Suva also seems to be the only place in Fiji where you can buy traditional Fijian food - rootcrops and leaves cooked in an underground oven and fish marinated in lemon and coconut juice - keep an eye out for "The Cottage". Apart from an excellent museum set in botanical gardens, a colourful and lively market and some attractive colonial buildings, there's not much to keep you hanging around. Unless you like nightlife. Suva has some excellent bars and night-clubs and Friday / Saturday nights heave to the sounds of pop, dance, reggae and jazz music.
Inland from Suva are some fantastic mountains, river gorges, waterfalls and traditional villages. The only way to get there from Suva is by local bus along a dirt road or by car. Colo-i-Suva is a good rainforest park just outside of Suva on the verge of this remote inland region. There is an ecotourist lodge outside the park (Raintree Lodge) which helps independent travellers to explore the region.
Suva / Pacific Harbour Accommodation
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Sunshine Coast
For those who really like beaches, Nananu-i-Ra Island 4km off Rakiraki is the place to go. Nananu-i-Ra has four budget resorts all with a charming South Pacific atmosphere but no camping is allowed on the freehold island. Three of the resorts are close by in a small atmospheric community. Kontiki Lodge, which is more of a backpack hangout, is on the northern 'half' of the island which is privately owned by an American who runs a cattle ranch there. Nananu-i-Ra has several small hills with trails which offer fantastic views as well as a number of lovely beaches. It is possible to walk around the coast in a leisurely day making it one of the best destinations in Fiji for beachcombing. Apart from the island, there are no budget resorts along the entire north coast. The small towns of Ba, Tavua and Rakiraki have reasonably priced hotels for those on the road.
Sunshine Coast Accommodation
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Mamanuca Group
The Mamanuca islands directly off Nadi are renowned for their excellent beaches and water sport activities. The islands are all small, some being tiny flat coral islands, and close together. Mana Island and Beachcomber are the only islands with budget accommodation. Both take about half an hour by boat from the mainland. Their convenient location means that both are often full - book ahead. Beachcomber is a party all night tiny coral island for the young with all the fun water activities like parasailing and jet boats for those who can manage it during the day. There are two backpacker resorts on Mana Island which are more subdued and run by locals. However, sewage is not managed properly by these backpacker resorts and those with an interest in the environment should avoid them. You won't get any culture on these islands but they are great places to relax. Most of the other islands in this group have either vacation resorts or are used as destinations for day tours from Nadi. The day tours are reasonably priced and offer the chance of a cruise, a beautiful island to relax on and water sports and excellent snorkelling. Day tours include Tivua, Beachcomber, South Sea Island and Malolo Lailai.
Mamanuca Accommodation
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Yasawa Group
Extending from the Mamanuca Group is the Yasawa Group. This chain of 15 medium sized volcanic islands is the most popular backpacker destination. The islands are very traditional with small fishing villages tucked into stunning lagoons and bays. Twelve years ago, tourists required a permit to visit them and there was just one island with budget accommodation. Now there are over thirty small backpacker resorts on ten islands. None are very commercialized and most are run by locals from the nearby villages. All the islands in the Yasawa Group have excellent beaches and grassy hills with rocky outcrops for exploring and offering fantastic views. Diving is also popular and the larger backpack resorts (Waya Lailai, Octopus Club, Coral View) offer courses and equipment. Snorkelling throughout the Yasawa's is excellent right off the beaches. All resorts are quite isolated and without public infrastructure and some of the smaller resorts will not have too many provisions. Book ahead from Nadi or Lautoka. Small boats leave from Lautoka Port and take between two and five hours. Seas can be rough and boats overloaded and without adequate safety equipment.
Yasawa Accommodation
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Northern Islands
Undoubtedly the most popular island for travellers is Taveuni - it is large enough to move from place to place with over 20 budget resorts to choose from and the island has public transport, National Parks, independent restaurants and tour operators. Although the beaches are not the best, this is more than made up by the snorkelling and diving around the famous Rainbow Reef and natural beauty of the island. Taveuni is easy to get to, though its distance from Nadi International Airport makes it a little expensive to visit for a short stay. A popular route for those with at least a week to spare is to take the ferry from Taveuni to neighbouring Vanua Levu across Buca Bay. The southern coast of Vanua Levu to Savusavu is very scenic and there are another half a dozen budget resorts along this coastline all connected by public transport. For those interested in culture, don't miss a visit to either Rabi Island or Kioa Island which have Micronesian and Polynesian inhabitants respectively. However, note that accommodation on both must be arranged through the local council before visiting.
Northern Is Accommodation
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Lomaiviti Group
Off the east coast of Viti Levu is the Lomaiviti Group. There are several islands with budget accommodation that make a pleasant round-trip from the capital Suva (east Viti Levu). These include the mountainous island of Ovalau which has excellent hiking into the rainforest and natural swimming pools as well as the historical and extremely charming town of Levuka with its small guesthouses, bars and cheap restaurants. Levuka has several tour companies to show you around and offer village visits and bicycle hire. There are also public buses around the island. Offshore from Levuka are several small coral islands, Caqali and Leluvia, which both have small backpacker resorts which welcomes campers. Both have good beaches - Leluvia is more organized with activities and has more of a party atmosphere whilst Caqali is ultra laid back.
Lomaiviti Accommodation
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Southern Islands
For more of an adventure, visit Kadavu, Beqa or Yanuca in the Southern Islands. Kadavu is quite popular amongst backpackers, especially dive and snorkelling enthusiasts, and has several budget beach resorts and a few allow camping. There are daily flights to Kadavu from both Suva and Nadi. Alternatively, several passenger ferries and cargo boats visit Ono and Kadavu each week. The coast is extremely rugged and getting around can prove difficult as there are few roads - most local travel is done by small fishing boats and resorts are quite isolated. The rainforest throughout Kadavu is thick with excellent exploring potential, remote waterfalls and rich birdlife including musk parrots.
Beqa has few good beaches but there is an excellent village-stay programme run by a local for culture and hiking. Next to Beqa is Yanuca, popular amongst surfers for the fantastic reef breaks of Frigate Passage. There are two budget surf camps on Yanuca.
Southern Is Accommodation
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Lau Group
The vast Lau Group in the east of Fiji is rarely visited by tourists. The islands are small and scattered over a large area making many of them difficult to get to. The only accommodation is at several guesthouses on Vanua Belavu and Lakeba, both of which have twice-weekly flights from Suva. A cargo boat visits the larger islands in the region each month and will take you island hopping. The round trip from Suva takes about six days. It is a good way to get a glimpse of the islands as they stop for anything from a few hours up to a day at each port. Otherwise, local fishing boats will take you from island to island but this will be expensive unless the villagers are making the trip themselves.
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Rotuma
Rotuma is a gorgeous remote Polynesian island in the far north of Fiji. It is so isolated that it becomes expensive to get to. A return flight from Suva or Nadi costs US$300 and the monthly cargo boat which takes two days costs almost US$100 one way. Once there, however, the Polynesian island lifestyle is so laid back that you probably won't want to leave. The are a number of quaint coastal villages each with an elaborate church. The twenty or so beaches on the island are all outstandingly beautiful, and there are several unique sights like the split rock of Hofliua and Kota stone bridge. There's a sand road around the island making it easy to get about and several trails into the coconut plantations and rich farms of the hilly interior. Accommodation is homestay and a few families will allow you to pitch your tent by the beach. In Rotuma you are unlikely to come across other travellers.
Getting around the main island of Viti Levu is fun and easy. Local and tourist buses are extremely cheap and run frequently between Nadi and Suva along the Coral Coast. Local buses also serve the North Coast and most rural areas including the mountainous interior. There is a more limited bus service on the islands of Vanua Levu, Taveuni and Ovalau.
Regular ferries connect Suva with Kadavu (Southern Islands), Ovalau (Lomaiviti), Savusavu and Taveuni (Northern Islands). Less frequent services go to the Lau Group and Rotuma. Fast Catamarans run most days to Mamanuca and Yasawa groups from Denarau Marina in Nadi.
There are two domestic airlines flying to 15 islands in the country and fares are quite reasonable (most destinations between US$30 to US$100 one way). Awesome Adventures offers fast ferry transfers to the Yasawa Group of islands taking between 2 and 4 hours. Distances between most islands is not far (most flights are under an hour, Rotuma takes almost 3 hours) and the birds-eye view of the islands is really spectacular. Flights from Nadi and Suva go to following islands:
Mamanuca (Malololailai and Mana); Northern Islands (Savusavu, Labasa and Taveuni); Lomaiviti (Ovalau, Koro and Gau); Southern Islands (Kadavu); Lau Group (Vanua Belavu and Lakeba); and Rotuma
Local Airlines in Fiji
Being an island nation, cargo boats and local fishing vessels regularly go to and fro between the islands and it's easy to get passage. Local fishing boats are very buoyant wooden crafts but many are without sufficient lifejackets and can be dangerously overcrowded. When the seas are rough and even during the height of a storm, these boats insist on making the journey to get backpackers to and from the mainland. Make sure boats have more than one engine as there have been several calamities in the past. Most backpacker resorts on the smaller islands offer boat transfers from either Nadi (for Mamanuca), Lautoka (for Yasawa), Rakiraki (for Nananu-i-Ra), Navua (for Beqa) or Suva (for Lomaiviti). Several large passenger ferries have twice weekly services from Suva to Savusavu and Taveuni (Northern Islands) and Ono and Kadavu (Southern Islands) as well as a daily service from Suva to Ovalau (Lomaiviti). Some cargo boats offer cabin or deck passage to the outlying islands in the Lau Group and Rotuma but journeys can take several days or more.
Car hire is quite expensive and its not much of an advantage having a car except for comfort as buses do go almost everywhere.
Car Hire Companies in Fiji
fiji travel vision has provided a simple suggestion of where you can go depending on time available. For more information about the suggested destinations go to the Where to Go section in the options above.
1-3 days
beaches - Mamanuca or Coral Coast
diving / snorkelling - Mamanuca
exploring / hiking - Nadi Area
culture - Nadi Area
4-10 days
beaches / islands - Nananu-i-Ra (Sunshine Coast), Yasawa or Lomaiviti.
diving - Yasawa, Taveuni or Kadavu
exploring / hiking - Nadi Area, Suva Area or Lomaiviti
culture - Lomaiviti
10-21 days
islands / beaches - Yasawa and Lomaiviti
exploring / hiking - Taveuni and Vanua Levu or Kadavu
diving - Combination of Yasawa, Taveuni and Kadavu
culture - Beqa (Southern Is) or Ovalau (Lomaiviti) and Rabi or Kioa (Northern Is)
21+ days
remote travel - Rotuma or Lau Group
remote exploring - Koro or Gau in Lomaiviti
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