Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
small signpost for the Church of the Latter-day Saints. There's a small track on the opposite
side of the road which heads out to a lovely
viewpoint
from a cliff overlooking the bay. Thir-
teen kilometres on is
Bureiwai
, where the daily bus from Suva terminates.
Nataleira
South of Bureiwai, the road cuts slightly inland for 10km passing over gently rolling hills in-
terspersed with pine forests and grasslands towards the pretty village of
Nataleira
, a lovely
base for visiting one of the area's great attractions,
Moon Reef
, forty minutes away by boat.
As well as offering fantastic snorkelling, the reef is one of only a couple of reliable places in
Fiji to spot and swim with bottlenose
dolphins
. Other local activities, which you can organ-
ize through your accommodation, include a two-hour hike through light forest to the summit
of
Mount Tova
(645m), a volcanic plug with panoramic views.
South to Natovi Landing
Heading south from Nataleira Village the countryside becomes more densely vegetated,
passing the scenic riverside setting of Dawasamu and Lawaki and eventually emerging to
semi civilization at QVS boarding school, one of two prominent schools in the region set up
in the early twentieth century for sons of Fijian chiefs. Ten kilometres south is
Natovi Land-
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: THE TAILEVU COAST
By car
Access to the Tailevu Coast road is easy to miss if travelling along the Kings Rd from
Rakiraki: less than 1km south of Barotu, turn left onto the badly signposted Nakorotubu Rd.
Shortly afterwards turn left again at Luci's Shopping Centre, the last store you'll see until you
reach Korovou. The steep road to the coast is best tackled by 4WD, although in dry weather
it can be comfortably driven in a car with good tyres and high clearance.
By bus
You can reach Nataleira by public transport from Suva, but not from Rakiraki. Lodoni
Transport ( 339 2888) has two buses departing Suva on weekdays at 1.30pm and 2.30pm,
and one bus on Saturday at 1pm, heading to Korovou, Natovi Landing and beyond Nataleira
as far as Bureiwai (3hr), where both buses spend the night before returning early in the morn-
ing to Suva.
By minivan
Buses run regularly from Suva and Nausori to Korovou, where you can hire a
minivan to Nataleira or Takalana Bay Retreat for F$50.
By boat
From Natovi Landing, passenger and car ferries operated by Patterson Brothers (
666 1173 in Lautoka, 881 2444 in Labasa) depart for Ovalau (3.30pm, daily though not
always on Sun) and Naubouwalu on Vanua Levu (7am on Tues, Thurs & Sat). Bligh Water
Shipping ( 885 3191 in Savusavu, mobile 999 2536,
blighwatershipping.com.fj
)
de-
parts three times a week for Savusavu on Vanua Levu.
