Lonely Planet Fiji

Paul Clammer

Description

#1 best-selling guide to Fiji* Lonely Planet Fiji is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Say bula to the locals at a dance ceremony; trek to hidden waterfalls on 'Garden Island' Taveuni or ride a bamboo raft through the Namosi Highlands -all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Fiji and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet Fiji: Colour maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, environment, culture, traditional lifestyles Over 35 maps Covers Nadi, Suva, Viti Levu, Mamanuca Islands, Yasawa Islands, Ovalau, Lomaiviti Islands, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Kadavu Islands, Lau Islands, Moala Islands and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Fiji, our most comprehensive guide to Fiji, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled. About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, gift and lifestyle books and stationery, as well as an award-winning website, magazines, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) *Best-selling guide to Fiji. Source: Nielsen BookScan. Australia, UK and USA

Sujets

• Fiyi
• Fiji
• Fidji

Informations

• Publié par: Lonely Planet
• Date de parution: 01 novembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781786576828
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 44 Mo

Extrait

Fiji

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Fiji
Fiji's Top 15
Need to Know
If You Like
Month by Month
Itineraries
Which Island?
Diving
Travel with Children
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

Nadi, Suva & Viti Levu
Nadi, Suva & Viti Levu Highlights
Nadi & the West
Nadi
Denarau Island
North of Nadi
South of Nadi
Naisali
Uciwai Landing
Momi Bay
Natadola Beach
Yanuca & Around
Coral Coast
Sigatoka
Korotogo & the Sunset Strip
Korolevu & Around
Pacific Harbour
Around Pacific Harbour
Offshore Islands
Suva
Eastern Viti Levu
Nausori & the Rewa Delta
Korovou to Rakiraki via Kings Road
Korovou to Rakiraki via the East Coast
Rakiraki & Around
Nananu-i-Ra
Lautoka
Lautoka to Rakiraki
Ba
Nadarivatu, Navai & Koro-Ni-O
Nausori Highlands
Navala
Bukuya
Tavua
The Mamanuca & Yasawa Groups
The Mamanuca & Yasawa Groups Highlights
Mamanuca Group
South Sea Island
Bounty Island
Beachcomber Island
Treasure Island
Vomo
Navini
Mana
Matamanoa
Modriki
Tokoriki
Castaway Island
Wadigi
Malolo
Malolo Lailai
Namotu Island & Tavarua Island
Yasawa Group
Kuata & Wayasewa
Waya & Around
Naviti & Around
Matacawalevu & Yaqeta
Tavewa, Nanuya Lailai & Nacula
Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group
Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group Highlights
Ovalau
Levuka
Lovoni
Rukuruku
Arovudi & Silana
Other Lomaiviti Islands
Naigani
Yanuca Lailai
Moturiki
Caqalai
Leleuvia
Wakaya
Koro
Vanua Levu & Taveuni
Vanua Levu & Taveuni Highlights
Vanua Levu
Savusavu & Around
North & East of Savusavu
Offshore Islands
Labasa
Around Labasa
Nabouwalu & Around
Wainunu Bay
Taveuni
Waiyevo, Somosomo & Around
Southern Taveuni
Matei
Eastern Taveuni
Offshore Islands
Kadavu, Lau & Moala Groups
Kadavu, Lau & Moala Groups Highlights
Kadavu Group
Lau & Moala Groups
Lau Group
Moala Group

Understand

Understand Fiji
Fiji Today
History
The Environment
Culture
Village Life

Survive

Directory AZ
Accommodation
Customs Regulations
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Food
Gay & Lesbian Travellers
Health
Insurance
Internet Access
Legal Matters
Maps
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Shopping
Telephone
Time
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Volunteering
Women Travellers
Transport
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers

Special Features

Celebrate Fiji
Welcome to Fiji

Set your internal clock to ‘Fiji time’: exploring the archipelago’s exquisite beaches, undersea marvels, lush interiors and fascinating culture shouldn’t be rushed.


Beachy Keen
Dazzling sands, perfect palm trees and waters so blue they glow – Fiji’s beaches look airbrushed. While stunning stretches abound, it’s on the islands of the Mamanucas and Yasawas that you’ll find heavenly heavyweights. These beaches are the poster-child for paradise, luring thousands of visitors keen to discover their own South Sea idyll. The appeal of the islands stretches beyond holiday snaps; the reefs, bays and sublime sands have provided cinematic eye candy to films including Cast Away with Tom Hanks and 1980 teen-dream classic The Blue Lagoon .

Subsurface Showstoppers
Fiji’s calm seas belie the riot of life going on within. With seemingly endless stretches of intensely coloured reefs and more than 1500 species of fish and colossal creatures Fiji’s underwater world is worth the plunge. Seasoned divers and snorkellers will find plenty to excite them, while first-timers will be bubbling excited exclamations into their mouthpieces. Anywhere a fin flashes or coral waves, you’ll find a diving or snorkel day trip and there are excellent live-aboard journeys for those after a truly immersive experience.

Dry-Land Drawcards
While it’s easy to spend your holiday in, on or under the water, those who take the time to towel off will be rewarded by a wealth of terra firma treats. Fiji offers ample opportunities for hikers, birdwatchers, amblers and forest-fanciers, particularly on the islands of Taveuni – known as ‘The Garden Island’ for its ludicrously lush interiors – and Kadavu, a less-travelled slice of prehistoric paradise with almost no roads to speak of. If urban wildlife is your thing, Suva boasts a surprising nightlife scene, while towns like Savusavu entice with rollicking taverns and meet-the-locals haunts.

A Warm Welcome
Fijian life revolves around the church, the village, the rugby field and the garden. While this may sound insular, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more open and welcoming population. Though the realities of local life are less sunny than the country’s skies – many regions are poor and lack basic services – Fijians are famous for their hospitality and warmth, which makes it easy to make friends or immerse yourself in Fijian culture on a village homestay.

Local woman, Tokoriki, Mamanuca Group | BLAINE HARRINGTON III/GETTY IMAGES ©


Why I Love Fiji
By Tamara Sheward, Writer
What makes Fiji exceptional isn’t any must-see sights or unforgettable experiences (though those are pretty thick on the ground): for me, it’s the people. Whether I’m visiting a village, dodging coconuts on the beach or walking through the big cities, nary a moment goes by without being dazzled by genuine smiles, bombarded by greetings of bula or having a shower of smooches land on my baby daughter. I get goosebumps recalling traditional, eerily beautiful songs of welcome and farewell. Even though we’re just passing through, I always come away feeling like a member of a big family. Fijians greet guests with a rousing ‘Welcome home!’…and they mean it.
Fiji's Top 15

Mamanucas & Yasawas
The 50-odd islands of the Mamanuca and Yasawa Groups are Fiji’s come-hither call to paradise-hunters from across the globe. Ringed by reef and surrounded by impossibly blue seas, the chains each have their claims to fame. The Mamanucas , a quick hop from Viti Levu, offer water sports galore, resorts for all budgets and unforgettable day trips taking in celebrity islands ( Cast Away was shot at tiny Modriki) and further-flung islets considered sacred by locals. Up north, the Yasawas beckon with crystal-clear lagoons, handsome volcanic landscapes, remote villages and heavenly beaches.

MATTEO COLOMBO/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Diving and Snorkelling
With warm, clear waters, friendly fish and ravishing reefs, underwater Fiji lures divers and snorkellers of all skill levels. Billed as the 'soft-coral capital of the world', the archipelago is home to such attractions as Rainbow Reef – home to the famous White and Purple Walls – and the huge Great Astrolabe Reef . The Nasonisoni Passage drift dive is a thrill-seeker's delight. Snorkellers will find bliss around the Mamanucas, Yasawas and the southern end of Taveuni; for something different, snorkel the oyster lines at pearl farms on Vanua Levu and Taveuni.

PETE OXFORD/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Hiking Taveuni
Lush, ridiculously green and humid, Fiji's 'Garden Island' of Taveuni is heaven for hikers, where even the shortest trails lead to rare endemic birdlife, gargantuan trees and bizarre rock formations. About 80% of the island is protected by the Bouma National Park, home to the Lavena Coastal Walk , which takes trekkers on a 5km journey past beautiful beaches and jungle villages and over a suspension bridge to hidden waterfalls. Serious sloggers can head up the steep Des Voeux Peak or to the muddy mountain crater of Lake Tagimaucia.

CHRIS CHRISTOFORO/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Navala Village
Nestled in a valley high in the Nausori Highlands, stunning Navala village is the best place in Fiji to witness authentic, age-old indigenous life up close. It’s the country’s last bastion of traditional architecture: from the chief’s home to the outhouses, all of its 200 buildings are constructed using ancient techniques that make use of woven bamboo walls, thatched roofs and ropes made of fibre from the surrounding bush. Visitors are welcomed with a kava ceremony and stuffed full of locally caught, picked and harvested food cooked over an open fire.

DANITA DELIMONT/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Sawa-i-Lau Cave
A lone limestone island among the volcanic Yasawas, Sawa-i-Lau hides a mystery within its hollow caverns: carvings, paintings and inscriptions of unknown age and meaning. They’re accessible with a torch and a guide (and a shot of courage) by swimming through a short underwater passage from the cave’s main chamber. If your breath has already been taken away by the gorgeousness of the grotto, there's more placid paddling to be had in a clear pool beneath the cave's domed ceiling.

MATTHEW MICAH WRIGHT/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Local Life
'Bula' , Fiji’s ubiquitous greeting is more than a simple hi: it literally translates as ‘Life’, an apt salutation from a spirited people who seem to live theirs to the fullest. Fijians are genuinely friendly, and visitors are assured of a warm welcome – often with open arms and song. The best place to experience this hospitality is at one of the villages that dot the countryside: visits usually involve a kava ceremony, and possibly a meke (ceremonial dance) or lovo (feast from an underground oven), while homestays offer the chance to delve deep into local life.

DANITA DELIMONT/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Surfing and Windsurfing
Fiji is one of the best places in the world to hang ten, with brilliant breaks and tremendous tubes that draws surfers from all over the world. Its most famous breaks are the colossal Cloudbreak and Restaurants, two mighty lefts that are most definitely not for the inexperienced. Dedicated surf resorts dot the archipelago, from the Mamanucas and Yanuca island by Viti Levu, to the further-flung Qamea (in the north) and Kadavu Group (to t