Over 300 islands, pristine beaches, lush tropical jungles, and a welcoming people who greet you with a ‘bula!‘ For many Fiji sounds remote, exotic, and unattainable, but with a little flexibility you will find that cheap flights to Fiji are within reach.
The southwest side of the Viti Islands is home to some of the best beaches in all of Fiji. A coral reef runs the length of the beach before dropping into the South Pacific. This provides ample opportunity to snorkel in the shallow areas, or go scuba diving a bit further out at sea.
These impressive sand dunes range from twenty to sixty meters in height. What is perhaps more impressive than their size, however, is that just beneath these sand dunes lies one of the biggest burial sites in the Pacific. This area is a World Heritage listed site.
Located on the foothills of the Nausori Highlands just a short 10 minutes drive north of Nadi, the Garden of the Sleeping Giant is an impressive garden that showcases over two thousand different kinds of orchids.
This temple is perhaps best known for the fire walking festival which takes places every summer during July or August. Over one third of Fiji’s population is of Indian descent, so many Hindu festivals and celebrations play an important role in this culture. The 10 day long festival takes places during the full moon, and during this time you can expect to see men dance on fire without so much as a flinch.
Located in the tropical island of Suva, this is exactly the kind of setting where you would expect Indiana Jones to be wandering in. Colo-i-Suva Forest National Park has played an important role in eco-tourism in Fiji. The two and a half square kilometer park has natural trails and pools where you can go for a dip to cool off during the hike.
The Coral Coast is definitely a great option; Fiji was the last stop on an 8 month backpacking trip for me last year and needless to say the cash pot was a little empty…. I couldn’t afford the expensive Yasawa Islands at the time so instead relaxed at the comparatively inexpensive Coral Coast and had a wonderful time. I stayed at The Beach House which offered good rates and an excellent standard of accommodation – they had free activities on every day and had free canoes etc to hire. They have kitchen facilities for backpackers on a budget who don’t want to pay the restaurant prices.