Fiji

Bula! In this episode of The Travel Bug I’m off to the friendly islands of Fiji. Only a third of its hundreds of isles are inhabited, so there’s plenty of traditional culture and pristine environments to be explored. Plus of course, there’s the rich local history, fantastic people and no end to the fun you can have while discovering this Pacific jewel.

This south Pacific nation is made up of 322 islands, with a population of a bit under a million people, the majority of which can be found on the two biggest land masses – Vanua Levu, and Viti Levu. First stop was Nadi, where it took me all of about five minutes to fall into the pace of life. It’s a pretty chilled out place, full of smiling faces and friendly folks. Leaving the city it was a short drive, past the mountain of the sleeping giant, to the garden of the sleeping giant. Sitting at the foothills of the Nausori Highlands, about 10 minutes drive north of Nadi, these incredible gardens are full of Fiji’s native plants, as well as housing thousands of orchids. Even if you’re not into gardens, it’s a fascinating and beautiful place to spend a morning. Plus, it’s on the way to another awesome place I checked out, the Sabeto Mud Pools.

Heading out of Nadi I flew to the island of Kadavu. It’s one of the least developed areas of Fiji, so it’s free of much of the noise and pollution you find in Suva or Nandi. The island is the fourth largest in Fiji and sits alongside the spectacular Great Astrolable Reef, with several smaller islets surrounding. The environment is lush, with rainforest growing down to the shoreline.

Here I went on a trip to one of the nearby villages to buy some cava and see how villagers lead their lives. Thevillage was beautiful and the kids were a lot of fun, and after swimming beneath a huge waterfall I headed back to the resort for the cava ceremony.

Still feeling the effects of the kava, the next morning I had an early start. First was a 40 minute boat ride, followed by a flight to Nadi, before boarding another plane for the short hop to Taveuni Island.

 Being a Sunday, my first stop was a local church, not because I was overdue for a confession, but to observe how the locals practice their religion. I also paid the international dateline a visit.

The following morning I hopped in a car and went across the island to the tiny little Lavena village, where I hopped onto a boat with a couple of guides to head around the coast to see one of the many huge waterfalls that cascade down the steep mountainsides. The trip there was an adventure in itself! Entering a river mouth we wound our way through the jungle to the base of a three-tiered cascade. You could hear the roaring from a distance, and the guys thought it would be funny to watch me squirm as they moved the boat under the foamy waterfall.

After drying off I made my way back to the airport, if you could call it that! It’s more like a strip of tar in the middle of a paddock, surrounded by coconut palms. Leaving the peaceful and gorgeous Taveuni it was a bumpy 45 minute flight to the big smoke of Suva. The traffic and noise wasn’t what I came to Fiji to experience, so I caught a bus out of town and made my way west, towards Pacific Harbour.

Before I arrived at the coast I swung by Zip Fiji, which is dubbed as the wildest adventure you can have on the island. The zipline is an unreal way to get the adrenalin pumping and see the rainforest of the Namosi Mountains from a bird’s eye view.

Arriving in Pacific Harbour the clouds began to part, and after a short bus trip I found myself in the middle of town, at the Arts Village. Here you can have a glimpse of the past, to when Fijian’s still practiced the old, darker religions. On the arts village site there’s also really good backpacker accommodation, restaurants, shops and cafes. It’s also where you can find information on other activities available in the area, like an amazing kayak tour that I couldn’t resist having a look at.

It was called the Luva River adventure and it’s run by Rivers Fiji. It all starts with an overland journey into the Namosi Highlands, which took me through the islands mountainous and rainforest-cloaked interior. After unloading the kayaks and other gear it was short walk down a muddy slope to the ‘luva River. While the rapids were pretty exciting at times, it’s the sort of tour suited to those that love to see nature under their own power, and get a glimpse of the lush island interior.

The last thing on my trip to Fiji was a dive that has been labelled the world’s best shark dive. The operators are called Aqua Trek and the dive is known as the ultimate shark encounter.

People come from all around the world for this amazing experience, but it’s a lot more than just an adrenalin fix for thrill-seekers. The operator created the dive with the goal of educating people about shark conservation, and to dispel many of the myths that surround these apex predators. This was a life changing experience where I saw dozens of huge sharks being hand fed. Though the most amazing thing I saw was a four-meter tiger shark!