Sportventurer Fiji Island Safari

FIJI ISLAND SAFARI

The Fiji Island Safari is a new and utterly amazing adventure that offers a unique opportunity to sample the varied delights that Fiji has to offer.

You can experience traditional Fijian life in remote villages, raft grade IV rapids, kayak through lush mountain rainforests, relax on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, trek in ancient volcanic highlands, snorkel with Manta Rays and even get a PADI qualification all during the course of this action packed yet totally relaxed experience.

FIJI ISLAND SAFARI DATES

2006

12th June - 2nd July
August 14th - Sept 3rd
October 16th - 5th November

2007

12th March - 1st April
11th June - 1st July
9th July - 30th July
August 13th - 2nd September
October 15th - 4th November

ITINERY

We start the Adventure at our base in Suva and after a hearty breakfast and some last minute packing we head off overland by truck to Namosi Village, part of Fiji’s unspoilt highland interior unseen by most tourists. After unloading our kit in the heart of some of Fiji’s most beautiful rainforest and a kava ceremony with the chief to welcome us to the area, we start a hike up the sacred Mt Voma from where the views of the surrounding area will astound you. We return to spend the night in the village and the next day we trek to meet the Luva River from where we begin our descent by river to the coast.

After some basic instruction we will gently glide down river in inflatable kayaks occasionally coming up against grade III rapids as we pass through some stunning canyons flanked by cascading waterfalls and stunning scenery. After a full day on the river we come to Nakavika village and are welcomed with more ceremonial kava. The next day we continue downriver until after a nice lunch on the banks of the river we reach the end of our kayak trip and take a longboat to the coast and spend the night relaxing and recharging round a fire on the beach at Pacific Harbour.

Day four and we’re off to sea but won’t stray too far from the beautiful Coral Coast. We’ll be kayaking around the mangroves taking in the breathtaking coastal scenery and admiring the wonders of the marine life below in the warm aquamarine blue water. After another night camping on the beach we head to Beqa, our first island, home to the world famous Bequ lagoon, one of the best places in the world to swim with sharks!

After more sea kayaking through the mystical mangroves including a trip through a unique mangrove tunnel only reached at low tide we’ll spend a night at the unique and exclusive Lawaki Beach House.

By day six we’re due a rest day on the beach, with optional snorkelling, scuba diving/shark diving, sea kayaking, island trekking or even sport fishing for those who have the energy or just general sunbathing and relaxing for those that haven’t. There’s an opportunity to get involved in village crafts and in the evening we’ll see some amazing fire walking and maybe a meke (traditional dance).

Day 7 we’re back to the mainland for some white water rafting on the upper Navua River! The big raft poses a very different prospect to the individual kayaks but the scenery and thrill will be similarly exhilarating with more grade III rapids and the occasional grade IV through the narrow black volcanic rock gorges carved by the river. A night and a lazy morning in a nearby lodge is a welcome break before getting back on the road and heading west to the glorious Natandola beach, arguably the best beach on the Fijian mainland. You can snorkel, get a massage or ride horses through the surf whilst waiting for our barbeque to cook until a warm Fijian sunset marks the end of the first stage of our adventure.

After an opportunity to sample the nightlife in Nadi, or just relax in the pool with a cocktail at our lodge we begin day 9 heading into the protected Koroyanitu national park, Fiji’s volcanic heartland. We’ll trek through the park, maybe getting a ride on some of the horses belonging to local families and after plentiful stops to cool off in the glistening plunge pools and waterfalls we’ll camp for the night under the stars. The next day we head by bike through the nicely contrasting dense forest and rocky outcrops to the village of Navilowa where we will spend the night with the local villagers learning about their customs and handicrafts.

Koroyanitu is home to Fiji’s highest peak Mt Batilamu (3450ft) otherwise known as the Sleeping Giant for its resemblance to a slumbering man of mountainous proportions and on day 11 we’ll hike up it! We might catch a glimpse of Fiji’s native flying fox but the breathtaking panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the volcanic landscape will be guaranteed. With the option spend night 11 at the very top of Mt Batilamu in a traditional Fijian Bure the next day we trek to Abaca village again we’ll have the opportunity to rest our legs and ride on horseback to our destination through rivers and forest. After a night in Abaca we head out of the park on foot back towards Nadi and an evening of cocktails beside the pool - but not before we visit the thermal springs and natural mud baths to get some unique relaxation therapy.

Day 14 marks the beginning of the final stage in our Adventure. We’ll spend it recharging in Nadi with the option to visit the shops and buy some new swimming trunks or just chill out on the beach. For those still hungry for that extra adrenaline rush there is the option to go skydiving over the South Pacific from upto 14,000ft or go jetboating in a superfast purpose built speed boat; all these activities can be arranged locally.

We then have the option to catch a late afternoon boat to one of the nearby islands that are part of the famous Mamanuca group of islands, with Beachcomber, Bounty, Castaway and Treasure Island among the most famous. Surrounded by crystal clear warm waters, these low lying coral islands are idyllic and it’s no wonder they were chosen for a variety of recent TV shows and Hollywood movies. Alternatively we can spend another night in Nadi and visit the Manaucas the following day, after all we’re all operating on Fiji Time by now.

Depending on whether we arrived the day before or set off today there’s the chance to visit more of the famous Mamanuca islands and lap up the sun and laze on the beach, go snorkelling, diving or even parascending!

Day 16 and we catch another boat and head north to the more remote and even more beautiful group of Yasawa islands. These islands are volcanic in their origins and therefore much bigger, more rugged and rising higher out of the sea than the low lying coral islands of the Mamanuca islands. The beaches are all stunning, set against a backdrop of steep forested hills and fringed with palm trees.

We’re heading to Manta Ray resort for the final stop on our Adventure, so named for the massive and beautiful manta rays that gather off the beach to feed in a coral channel which you can swim with in season. Here you are blessed with not one but three separate beaches with sunrise on one beach and sunset on another and some of the best coral gardens for snorkelling you will ever see just off the shore.

We’ll be here for five days which will give you the opportunity to achieve your PADI open water scuba diving qualification in an absolutely perfect location with one of the best dive schools in the region and with the newest equipment.

For those keen to spend more time above water than below it you can enjoy any of the three separate beaches or for the more active go out to the coral channel with glass bottomed sea kayaks, play volleyball, learn to climb coconut trees, go game fishing, visit local villages and make Fijian handcrafts, or take part in any number of watersports including wake boarding, waterskiing, skurfing (surfing pulled by a speed boat!)and tubing. This final part of the Adventure allows you to do as much or as little as you want, set in an island paradise, by day 21 when the boat arrives to take us back to Nadi for the end of our Adventure you won’t want to leave.