THE GUIDE - Rough Guide to Fiji - page 123

SEA TURTLES IN THE MAMANUCAS
Three of the world's seven species of sea turtle can be found in Fiji and all three lay their
eggs on the small coral islands of the Mamanucas. The green and hawksbill are very simil-
ar in appearance and average around 1.2m in length whilst the endangered leatherback can
reach over 2m. Female turtles reach sexual maturity around the age of 25 and return to the
same beach where they hatched to lay their eggs, burying them deep in the sand in batches
of up to two hundred. This happens at night, some time between September and January.
After sixty to seventy days, the eggs hatch en masse, again at night, and the hatchlings
make their way to the sea. As few as one in a thousand reach full maturity, and the odds of
survival are being reduced further by light and noise pollution from resorts.
Despite a national ban on hunting turtles for their meat - which for Fijians is both a
delicacy and an essential ingredient in ceremonial feasting - locals in the outlying islands
continue to do so. In an effort to revive populations and promote ecological awareness,
Treasure Island Resort has set up a small turtle sanctuary to nurture baby sea turtles for
a year before releasing them back into the ocean. If your timing's right you may be able
to participate in their feeding and release which generally occurs between November and
March.
ACCOMMODATION: TREASURE ISLAND
Treasure Island Resort 666 6999, treasureisland-fiji.com . Accommodation is in 66 a/c
family rooms set 30m back from the beach. There 's a fa ntastic all-day kids' club, plus mini-
putt golfing. Same-day transfers from the airport. F$750
Beachcomber Island
Facing Treasure Island, less than a kilometre to the west, is Beachcomber Island , home
to the hedonistic Beachcomber Island Resort . Organized party nights with pumping music,
limbo dancing, crab races and lots of young gap-year travellers may not be everyone's idea of
fun but the island raves past midnight, something of a rarity in Fiji. There are also plenty of
activities to fill the days, including parasailing, sailing, waterskiing, jet skis and banana-boat
rides, all of which can be sampled on an action-packed day cruise.
ACCOMMODATION: BEACHCOMBER ISLAND
Beachcomber Island Resort 666 1500, beachcomberfiji.com . Accommodation is in
two stuffy 84-bed dormitories and 22 more comfortable bures with en-suite hot-water bath-
rooms. Not for nothing is it known as the party island - it's loud, raucous and you don't come
here for a good ni ght's s leep. T he rea sonable rates include simple meals, but beware: drinks
are pricey. Dorms F$126 ; rooms F$385 ; bures F$506