Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION: WAKAYA
Wakaya Club Resort
344 8128,
wakaya.com
.
You'll need to cough up a pretty vast
sum to stay at this fabulously opulent resort, with just ten luxurious bures. The resort has
its own small aircraft flying in guests from Nadi and Nauso
ri airpor
its (transfers US$960 per
couple). Packages include meals, alcohol and scuba diving.
US$1900
Koro
The triangular-shaped island of
Koro
lies 70km northeast of Ovalau and less than 50km south
of Vanua Levu. Rising to a peak of 560m, this volcanic island has splendid views from its
inland road, with bush tracks,
waterfalls
set among tropical forests and herds of wild horses
in the grassy inland plains. The largest village is Nasau, midway along the east coast about
5km north of the airstrip, home to a hospital, post office and government headquarters. The
women of Koro are renowned for their finely woven
handicrafts
, particularly mats and fans.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: KORO
By plane
Northern Air Services ( 347 5005,
northernair.com.fj
)
fly to Koro from Nausori
every Sat (F$190 one-way).
By boat
Consort Shipping ( 331 3266; F$50 one-way) departs Walu Bay in Suva at 6pm on
Mon and Fri, calling in at Muanivau Landing on the south point of Koro around 2am before
heading off to Savusavu on Vanua Levu.
ACCOMMODATION
Dere Bay Resort
331 1075,
derebayresort.com
.
Located on Dere Bay on the northwest
coast, Dere Bay Resort primarily sells private beachside real estate to wealthy investors.
There are
three
bures though (each sleeping four) and you have access to the restaurant, bar
and pool.
F$200
Koro Beach Resort
368 3301.
These six simply furnished bures adjacent to
Dere Bay Re-
sort
have en-suite hot-water bathrooms facing a narrow be
ach,
and a c
asual
beachfront res-
taurant. Bure rates include meals. Camping (with own tent)
F$20
; bures
F$150
Gau
The substantial 140-square-kilometre island of
Gau
lies 60km south of Koro and is charac-
terized by dense rainforest on its high ridges, grasslands in the lower hills, sandy beaches
along the south coast and mangroves in the north. There is
no accommodation
but you can
visit with the UK-based organization, Frontier (
frontier.ac.uk
; minimum four weeks £895),
either working as a volunteer school teacher and staying in one of the eighteen local villages
around the coast, or conducting research on the Reef Conservation Programme. The largest
village is Qarani, home to internationally acclaimed rugby superstar
Waisale Serevi
. Qarani
has the safest anchorage for yachts and the island's only doctor. The disused road around Gau
has long been overgrown so travel between villages is by small boat or bush track. The vil-
