Fiji Itinerary

In this itinerary, Julie and I took a tropical vacation during the holiday season between Christmas and New Years in Fiji.

Something really quirky about this trip was that we flew out on the evening of Christmas Eve and we landed in Fiji on Boxing Day.

That’s right, we completely missed out on Christmas Day as we crossed over the international date line while we were asleep on the plane! Speaking of the plane, it was also one of the emptiest flights we had ever been on as there were quite a few empty or sparsely populated rows throughout the cabin.

Anyways, our trip covered three islands – Viti Levu, Matamanoa, and Taveuni. We were able to go waterfalling on the first and last islands. The second island was purely a resort on its own island. When we were on the main island of Viti Levu as well as Taveuni, we self-drove though there were some smaller organized tours as well.

The one thing that struck Julie and I most about this trip was the friendliness of the Fijian people. I think it still stuck with us to this day the level of hospitality we were extended when visiting local joints as well as a local village that we toured as part of a river excursion.

And finally, since we were just west of the International Date Line, we were one of the first people to welcome the New Year, which was kind of cool!

Here’s a brief summary of the trip highlights and logistics from this trip…

Trip Map

Abaca and Koroyanitu National Park – This remote village inland from Lautoka required a 4wd transport to reach. It was unlike anything we had ever done before so the uncertainty of outcome here made us question what we were getting ourselves into. But when we got there and hiked to the Savu-i-one Waterfall as well as the Vereni Falls while getting views back over bures towards the ocean, we knew we were in a spot that most foreign visitors don’t get to see which made it all the more special.

Rivers Fiji Excursion – This could very well be the highlight of our time in Viti Levu because we got way more than our waterfalling goal of visiting the Wainuta Falls. Indeed, we not only got to visit a local village in the Namosi Highlands (called Nakavika) where we participated in a kava ceremony as well as enjoyed some views from such elevations, but we also self kayaked to some other waterfalls as well as cruised in a river boat ride past more waterfalls before the full day tour was over. It was certainly one of the more enlightening and unforgettable adventures we did and we highly recommend it.

Biausevu Waterfall – We self drove and self-hiked to this waterfall after paying the owners. And this ended up being a refreshing hike with several minor stream crossings before reaching this attractive falls with a waterwheel. Perhaps the only thing we had to be mindful of was the mosquitoes so we had to keep moving in the hike.

The Fijian People – We’re calling this a highlight because we really were blown away by how friendly they were towards us. I felt the warmth when Julie and I dined at Villisite’s (twice), when we rented a car in Taveuni, on the Rivers Fiji excursion, and even when we weren’t sure how to get to view Uru’s Waterfall some kids showed me the way.

Matamanoa Island – This was technically a resort, but when we were upgraded to a beach bure which didn’t even need AC due to the ocean breeze, we knew we were temporary living in that stereotypical tropical paradise where we had nothing to do but to relax, get fed (especially the kokoda or raw Spanish Mackerel), and enjoy the scenery as well as the other people we shared the island with. Plus, the reefs surrounding the island made for good snorkeling as well as possible diving opportunities. And the sunsets here were surreal as we watched thunderclouds turning deep shades of purple.

Tavoro Waterfalls – This was actually a series of three main waterfalls in a bit of a slippery and rough jungle hike after the first waterfall, but it was probably the waterfalling highlight of Taveuni Island. Not only were each of the waterfalls impressive, but watching the colorful bird life as well as some of the panoramas really made this back-to-nature experience indicative of the Garden Island reputation that this island was known for. And if we made a day out of it, we probably could have continued hiking past the third waterfall to get up to a lake where the Fijian national flower (Tagamucia) is said to thrive.

Wainibau Falls – This attractive waterfall right at the end of the Lavena Coastal Walk basically made us get very familiar with the beautiful coastline that also was a filming area for the original Blue Lagoon movie. As for the waterfall itself, as you can see in this photo, it was idyllic, and we were even able to swim up to its secluded plunge pool where there was a second bonus waterfall that was hidden from view.

Julie and I actually cheated on this hike as we were taken by boat to the Savulevu Yavonu Waterfall along the rugged Ravilevu Coastline before being dropped off at the mouth of the Wainibau Stream. So that cut the overall hiking in half, and it made for the perfect half-day excursion.

Days 1-3: Fly from Los Angeles to Nadi, then drive to Coral Coast

Overnight: Hideaway Resort (Coral Coast, Viti Levu, Fiji)

This was a travel day where we missed Christmas Day. Once we arrived on Boxing Day, we picked up the rental car, then drove to Lautoka for an impromptu 4wd transport up to the village of Abaca. At that point, we did the hike to Savu-i-one Waterfall and Vereni Falls.

When we were done with this excursion and had a lunch back in Nadi, then we drove all the way to the southern end of Viti Levu to get settled in our accommodation at the Coral Coast.

Day 4: Rivers Fiji Excursion

Overnight: Hideaway Resort (Coral Coast, Viti Levu, Fiji)

This was a day dominated by a guided tour of the Namosi Highlands and the Luva River through Rivers Fiji. This Luva River Tour took us to the Nakavika Village, a self-kayak to the Wainuta Falls, and witnessing other waterfalls along the Luva River by motorboat.

Day 5: Circle Island self-drive of Viti Levu Island

Overnight: Hideaway Resort (Coral Coast, Viti Levu, Fiji)

We had an entire day to drive all the way around Viti Levu, but given the size of this island, we had to get an early start. So we started off with a hike to the Biausevu Waterfall then headed over to Suva to visit Waisila Falls. Heading north, we drove past Lautoka onto the King’s Road where we visited Uru’s Waterfall, then we spent the remainder of the day finishing the circle island drive eventually making it back to the Coral Coast in time for dinner at Villisite’s for our last night on this island.

Day 6: Drive from Coral Coast to Nadi, then transport to Matamanoa Island

Overnight: Matamanoa Island Resort (Matamanoa Island, Fiji)

On this day, Julie had to do some work so I was pretty much in the bungalow blogging and taking it easy.

Day 7: Day at leisure on Matamanoa Island

Overnight: Matamanoa Island Resort (Matamanoa Island, Fiji)

This was pretty much a do nothing day (though I almost got lost at sea attempting to windsurf without proper guidance by staff).

Day 8: Transport from Matamanoa Island to Nadi, then transport to Waiyevo on Taveuni Island

Overnight: Garden Island Resort (Waiyevo, Taveuni, Fiji)

This was mostly a travel day where we took a helicopter ride back to Nadi Airport, then we caught a flight to Taveuni Island where we were picked up and dropped off at our accommodation. We still had time to check out the Waitavala Water Slide though the conditions were muddy due to the rain.

Day 9: Day trip to Eastern Taveuni Island

Overnight: Garden Island Resort (Waiyevo, Taveuni, Fiji)

I picked up a rental car near our accommodation, then we drove it to the eastern side of the island, where we visited the Tavoro Waterfalls. After the hike, we then had time to take a boat ride to Savulevu Yavonu Waterfall and the Ravilevu Coastline before being dropped off near Wainibau Falls. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking the Lavena Coastal Walk back to the village where we parked our car.

Day 10: Fly Home

We had the morning to still do some activities before catching the red-eye flight back home. So we spent that time doing a plantation tour, which took in Waibula Falls as well as views towards Qamea Island.