 Fiji Backpacking Guide Fiji backpackers are spoiled with choice. The Mamanuca Islands are the closest islands to Nadi Airport and offer several budget beach resorts with a party-style atmosphere. The beach resorts of the Yasawa Islands is the most popular backpacker trail and is the place to meet fellow travellers. To escape the crowds, head around the main island of Viti Levu which offers spectacular scenery, several lovely secluded beaches and undiscovered offshore islands with small locally owned village resorts - a great place for adventure. The Northern Islands are less travelled and are great for nature lovers and scuba diving enthusiasts. The really adventurous head to the Lomaiviti or Lau Group where travel is governed by spontaneity. There are Fiji backpacker hostels all around the islands - most of them disguised as budget beach resorts, others as guesthouses. Some are lively and others laid back - prices start at about F$50 for a dorm bed with meals, F$100 for private bungalow - some allow you to pitch a tent for F$10 but the sweltering early morning heat can make this an uncomfortable way to go. Camping in the wild is not encouraged and should not be considered unless first consulting with the local Fijian chief - permission may be given in special circumstances only as it is considered culturally insensitive. Some of the more popular backpacker routes are described below: Circle Viti Levu best for adventure, villages and beach combing The main island of Viti Levu has some good varied attractions. It takes an entire day to go all the way around the island by car without stopping so you want at least three days to see the island properly. Heading south from Nadi, it's about an hour to the Coral Coast, a popular holiday destination with several large hotels and a couple of good backpacker resorts including The Beachouse and Mango Bay Resort. There are also several small beach bungalows and budget hostels to spend a few days relaxing on picturesque beaches, although neither snorkelling or swimming is much good here. Leaving the Coral Coast, it's about an hour to Pacific Harbour, the activity centre of Fiji with river rafting, white water rafting and vibrant tropical rainforest, waterfalls and traditional villages in the highlands. Forty minutes further along the coast is Suva, the capital of Fiji. Suva is a vibrant cosmopolitan city with excellent restaurants, lively bars and nightclubs, a good cinema but no beach, although the harbour setting is attractive. There are several budget hostels in town or slightly inland (15 minutes from downtown) is Colo-i-Suva Forest Park where you can visit the rainforest and stay at the Raintree Lodge. The road north from Suva travels slightly inland through low lying forest all the way to Rakiraki Town on the north coast. There are a few attractions along this scenic route including the offshore island of Caqalai about 20-minutes by boat from Waidalice Village. Caqalai Island Resort is a small coral island with lovely beaches and great snorkelling. From Caqalai, you can take a 50-minute boat ride to Ovalau Island and the old capital of Levuka (colonial heritage trail, lush rainforest with hiking trails, natural swimming pools) - you can also fly to Ovalau from Suva (the flight takes just 15 minutes). The sunny north coast of Viti Levu is dominated by sugar cane fields and mountains. Most of the coast is mangrove forests but off Rakiraki is one of the nicest holiday islands in all of Fiji - Nananu-i-Ra (can be reached by road from Nadi in under 3 hours). This small island with rolling hills is good for exploring, has lots of lovely beaches and several budget cottages including Charlies Cottages and Safari Beach Lodge. The atmosphere is very laid back and there are no Fijian villages and therefore no restricted protocol to follow. Heading back towards Nadi, about 50-minutes inland from Ba Town is the delightful Navala Village, Fiji's most picturesque village with over 200 traditional thatch bures and not a single cement building except for the church and school. About 30 minutes north of Nadi is the Sugar City of Lautoka. There are few attractions here except for the colourful market Some boats depart Lautoka Port for the Yasawa Islands. A 30-minute rough trail inland from Lautoka leads to Koroyanitu National Park with several nice walking trails with waterfalls and a lodge style accommodation that is barely used. The short trail takes only about 2 hours - however, is possible to walk for days with a guide staying in mountain villages along the way. Search for Viti Levu Accommodation Mamanuca Islands best for easy access and partying These offshore island off the west coast of Nadi are the stuff of tropical dreams. It's possible to go island hopping all the way through the two groups of islands. The nearest coral island is South Sea Island which takes 30-minutes to reach by boat and just 5 minutes to walk around - a day here is more enough unless you want to do nothing more and watch the world go by. Beachcomber Island Resort, just 1 hour by boat, is a similar style tiny island but with a bit more of a buzz to it - there are lots of organized activities and the 100-bed mix dormitory encourages a beer-drinking party animal crowd. Funky Fish Resort on Malolo Island is a little more laid back. Mana Island is a stunning island surrounded by beautfil beaches with good snorkelling and hill walks. There are three backpacker resorts within a rather shambolic village, the pick being Ratu Kini's or Mana Lodge, both on the beachfront. Search for Mamanuca Accommodation Yasawa Islands Hopping best for beaches, meeting other travellers and chilling The well trodden Yasawa Islands comprises a chain of about 20 islands with about 30 budget beach resorts amongst them. The chain is split into four main clumps - Kuata, Waya and Wayasewa at the southern end of the chain are the closest to Nadi taking about 2 hours to reach by fast catamaran. These are all high islands with fantastic hiking trails, glorious scenery and lovely beaches, with great snorkelling offshore. Waya Lailai Resort is popular with backpackers, Sunset Resort is a bit run down but on a gorgeous beach and sand spit and has fantastic walking trails and hill views. For those looking for absolute peace and quiet, try Bayside Resort on its own secluded beachfrnt with just two bures and gorgeos views to the steep crater across the bay. Naviti, the largest island of the group, clumped together with several smaller islands, are in the middle of the group and takes another 50 minutes travelling time. At the southern end of Naviti is Manta Ray Resort on the small island of Nanuya Balavu - this is a lively backpackers resort with lots of activities and well organized accommodation - it is just five minutes from the famous Manta Ray snorkelling spot (season from May to October). About twenty minutes north of the Manta rays is a lovely sweeping beach (not good for swimming) with three resorts including Whitesands and Korovou. There are several nice hikes to secluded beaches and into the hills. The third section comprises of Matacawalevu, with the intimate Long Beach Resort on a gorgeous white sandy beach, Tavewa Island with down to earth Otto & Fanny's and Nacula Island with the slightly more upmarket budget resorts of Oarsman's Bay and Safe Landing as well as the distinctly budget Navua Lodge. All the later are another hour travelling time to the north of Naviti island. The furthest island, Yasawa, a long thin island, is in the far north, and has no backpacker resorts. The majority of the beach resorts throughout the group are run by local Fijians and they will take you on village visits and snorkelling trips to outer reefs. The standard of resorts varies greatly. Search for Yasawa Island Accommodation The Northern Islands Tour best for hiking, nature and scuba diving Vanua Levu and Taveuni in the north are large islands with a focus on Eco-tourism, the rainforest and scuba diving. Vanua Levu is the second largest island although tourism is centred around the southern town of Savusavu with its surrounding rainforest and nature reserves. Savusavu is the most charming of Fiji's towns with a beautiful marina, lots of good restaurants and cafes and scuba diving, kayaking and game fishing tour companies. the best of the budget accommodation is at Savusavu Hotsprings Hotel which offers dorm beds. Neighbouring Taveuni has some of the country's best scenery and the largest National Park - Bouma. Here you can experience over 30 waterfalls, several maintained walking trails, lots of bush hikes and a marine park with outstanding snorkelling. Basic accommodation in the National Park is located at Lavena Village Lodge, or otherwise budget cottages are available near the airport at Bibi Hideaway. The diving here is of world recognition (soft corals are unbelievable) and for those looking to dive the world famous Rainbow Reef, excellent dive packages are offered by Garden Island Resort, a rather ordinary but reasonably affordable hotel just 15-minutes boat ride to the dive sites. These islands are less developed than the Yasawas and the local Fijian villages tend to be a lot friendlier and welcoming to outsiders. |
