Encounter Gods and Gardens in the Lesser-Known Islands of Fiji

A warm bula welcome awaits as you step off the plane in Fiji. Perhaps you’re here for a family vacation, a romantic honeymoon, a couple’s getaway, or a culture and adventure-rich island escape you’ll be talking about for years to come, but the welcome is always the same.

Bula!

One of the world’s most welcoming groups of islands, Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu is home to its capital, Suva, its largest airport at Nadi (pronounced Nandy), and its longest resort strip, the Coral Coast. Just outside Nadi lies Denarau Island—actually a peninsula and resort spot that also serves as a launch point for boats heading to Fiji’s leading honeymoon archipelago, the Mamanuca Islands.

Now, go further still.

The Yasawas: An adventure seeker’s Emerald Paradise

Follow the islands’ natural curve past Waya and its little sister, Wayasewa until you reach the Yasawa Islands, a corner of Fiji that’s easily reached but seldom explored by tourists. In fact, a high chief’s decree kept this string of 20 volcanic islands off limits to visitors until the late 1980s. The result is a spectacular time capsule of natural Fijian beauty and culture.

Often called Fiji’s Emerald Paradise, the Yasawas preserve the wonder early Europeans must have felt when they first arrived in Fiji. Though humans have inhabited the Yasawas on and off for centuries, a scarcity of fresh water meant that settlements here have only lasted over the last century or so. Against that backdrop, nature thrived, alongside Fijian imagination.

To swim inside (literally the only way in) the Sawa-i-Lau Caves is to visit the final resting place of Fiji’s gods. Several of the islands—Navati, Drawaqa, Naukacuvu and Nanuya Balavu, are said to been formed from a single island, divided to protect their native creatures from the snake god Gata. Turtles, manta rays, octopus and even ants play key roles in that story, and diving or snorkeling alongside them to write your own is a highlight of visiting the Yasawas between May and October, Fiji’s cooler dry season. In fact, the shallow channel between Navati and Drawaqa is one of the few places in the world you can swim or snorkel alongside manta rays without the PADI certification required in deeper water.

Removed from the developed hum of Fijian tourism for so long, it’s no surprise the Yasawas initially carved their niche as a popular backpacker or adventure-seeker spot. But in recent years, more luxurious resorts have begun to dot the islands, while working hard toward the sustainability and protection of that authentic Yasawas experience.

Exploring gardens on land and underwater in Taveuni

From the western edge of Fiji to its far east, Fiji is full of exceptional dive spots. Still, few rival the Rainbow Reef, located between the country’s second and third largest islands, Vanua Levu and Taveuni. A living gallery built on volcanic rock, strong currents bring vivid soft corals to life, with clearest visibility being in February or March. It’s just one of numerous dive sites near Taveuni, however, and these range from the aptly named ‘Fish Factory’ to the Purple Wall. Those same strong currents that animate the corals however, can make this region a better choice for more experience divers.

Taveuni’s influence on Fijian culture reaches far beyond its modest reputation with travellers. It’s only here that Fiji’s national flower, the Tagimoucia, grows naturally on the shores of its namesake lake. Taeveuni is known as Fiji’s Garden Island for countless good reasons, available to explore along the trails of Bouma National Heritage Park. The Tavoro Waterfalls are another highlight with cascades to suit a variety of hiking levels. If you’d prefer an ocean view, follow the Lavena Coastal Walk. This route weaves through a landscape of black and white-sand beaches, streams, rainforest and mangroves, offering the chance to interact with the locals at Lavena village, whose community is partially supported by trail fees.

Taveuni is found at the eastern end of Fiji’s islands, and as such is crossed by the international dateline, so if you’re really missing yesterday, you can step back across to it—or straddle the line to stand a foot in both days. Matangi, a small island off Taveuni’s east coast offers travellers seeking even more seclusion the beach day of their dreams, with an adults-only resort offering exclusive bure and treehouse-style accommodation.

Getting to, from, and around the Fijian Islands

A member of Oneworld Alliance, Fiji Airways flies nonstop services from Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Honolulu, with connections throughout North America via its partner airlines. Once you land in Nadi, smaller aircraft operated by Fiji Link offer connections to Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Koro, or even Lakeba Island if you really want to get out there on the country’s fringes.

At present, there are no regular commercial flights to the Yasawa Islands (which might be a good thing for their preservation). Instead, they’re an easy high-speed catamaran ride away from Port Denarau, or you can charter a seaplane or helicopter flight if you like your bula a bit bougie. Either way, you should plan on at least 2-3 full days in each island location you set down.

The duration of the catamaran ride will vary depending on your resort’s location, lasting anything from 2 to 5 hours. Fiji Time is a real thing, and it’s great for melting the stresses of life away, but it does mean you should give yourself some buffer time when planning your connections.

Whether you’re immersing yourself in a familiar favourite or doing a deep dive on the lesser-known, Fiji, that bula welcome remains the same, bringing visitors back time and again for another chapter of Fiji’s story.