Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
though there are few opportunities to land the highly prized bone fish, prolific in other parts
of the South Pacific, and you'll definitely need to bring your own gear. Fishing in the
rivers
is seldom practised as a sport, although a couple of lodges along the south coast of Vanua
Levu are idyllically set up for this.
Hiking and horseriding
Compared to its South Pacific neighbours, Fiji stands out as a great
hiking
destination. There
are fine tropical rainforest walks in the Namosi Highlands, mountain treks on Viti Levu and
Kadavu and stunning coastal walks on Waya island. Of the national parks, Koroyanitu and
Bouma on Taveuni are the best for hiking. For less avid walkers, there are usually short trails
leading to hilltop lookouts overlooking islands and lagoons. Resorts offering excellent local
hikes include
Matamanoa Island Resort
,
Botaira Beach Resort
,
Naveria Heights Lodge
and
Horseriding
hasn't really developed as an attraction, although the potential is excellent.
You can hire saddled horses along the wild beachfront at the
Sigatoka Sand Dunes
.
River rafting and adrenaline sports
River rafting
is a fun way of exploring the remote regions of Viti Levu, with the Grade III
rapids of the upper Navua River on the south coast of
Viti Levu
the only place with estab-
lished operators.
For adrenaline seekers there's
skydiving
available from Nadi Airport,
waterskiing
from
Port Denarau (see
Adrenalin Watersports
),
canopy zip lines
in the rainforest at Pacific Har-
bour (see
Navua and the Namosi Highlands
)
and just north of Nadi at the
Sleeping Giant
and
paddleboarding
in the Mamanucas (see
Namotu Island Resort
) and off
Ovalau
.
Golf
Fiji is beginning to establish itself as a major
golfing
holiday destination, thanks to its great
year-round weather and affordable green fees. There are championship golf courses at
Dena-
rau
and
Pacific Harbour
.
Ecotours and village visits
Fiji is well positioned as an ecotour destination, with
village-based cultural visits
and
mar-
ine biology
the main focus. There are no specific ecotour holiday packages but most resorts,
especially those in the outer islands, can organize village visits, plantation tours and guided
hikes.
Visiting a village
is more often than not an overwhelmingly positive experience. Apart from
relishing the tourist-orientated
yaqona
ceremony (see
Visiting a Fijian village
)
, travellers can
usually visit people's homes, sample foods, learn to weave, go fishing and generally immerse
themselves in daily Fijian life. Several villages have set up
community resorts
, usually loc-
