Fiji Popular Places to Visit

Garden of the Sleeping Giant Nestled in the cool shadows of the big man himself, the Garden of the Sleeping Giant is one of the more pleasant discoveries you'll make during your visit to Fiji. In fact, this garden could well be one of the best kept horticultural secrets in the whole of the South Pacific.

The Garden, which contains a vast collection of 30 to 40 varieties of magnificent Asian orchids and Cattleya hybrids, was once the private collection of the late American actor Raymond Burr.

Now open to the public, the garden is a wonderful spot to spend a day just wandering along the canopy-covered boardwalk, through gorgeously landscaped lawns, across calm lily ponds complete with trickling fountains and croaking frogs and finally into the heart of a dense rainforest.

But the highlight of the tour has to be the orchids themselves. Carefully tended and well displayed, these fragile flowers are breath-takingly beautiful when seen in the golden light of early morning.

While flowers are the focus of the garden, this is not a place enjoyed only by the horticulturally inclined. The walk along the path cut through a tropical rainforest at the base of the Sleeping Giant Mountain is alone worth the trip and kids of all ages will love the romp across the expanse of manicured lawns. 

Navala is a village in the Ba Highlands of northern-central Viti Levu, Fiji. It is noted for its thatched buildings, amounting to over 200. It is one of the few settlements in Fiji which remains fully traditional architecturally. Navala is actually three settlements put together. It is protected by mountains and ridges. Navala is on the other side of a river. The river floods often and is the main reason for Navala's isolation from the other towns. It is also a popular tourist site. Navala is very special because all their houses are the same size. All the bures have a metal post also known as a Bou (in Fijian). Bous are mostly placed in a chief's house. This shows Navala's equality, and is one reason why Navala is a special village.

Mago Island is a volcanic island that lies in the northwest sector of Fiji’s northern Lau Group of islands. One of the largest private islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the pristine island consists of 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi) of land.

Mago is located 166 statute miles ENE of the Fiji capital of Suva and 14 miles SW of the tiny island of Namalata, near Vanua Balavu, where descendants of original Mago inhabitants still reside. Mago Island is relatively undeveloped at present and inhabited only by a few caretakers of Indo-Fijian descent. The island is also privately owned by Mel Gibson.

During the 1860s a cotton plantation established by the Ryder brothers of Australia flourished there. In 1884 there was a well established sugar cane plantation plus a sugar mill on the island. The Mill was shut down in 1895 and it was dismantled and used to enlarge the Penang Mill in Ra. The Ryders were succeeded by the Borron family.

In early 2005 Mago Island was purchased by Hollywood actor/director Mel Gibson for $15 million from Japan's Tokyu Corporation. Descendants of original native inhabitants of Mago, who were displaced in the 1860s, have protested against Gibson's purchase.

Satellite images of the island dating from 2008 show a dirt airstrip of 1100 metres. There is no port on the island; a short stone pier is located on the island's north side. There is only one loosely arranged village on the island whose appearance is more indicative of a resort. Agriculture consists of only a few small areas of fields.

Nestled on the banks of the Navua river, the town of the same name is on the seaward side of the Queens highway, 1 hrs drive west of Suva.

Navua is located within Serua Province in the Central Division of Fiji. During colonial times it was a sugar growing area, but the closure of the sugar mill in Navua  in 1923 led to a decline in economic activity in the district. The construction of a resort at Pacific Harbour  in the 1970s and an influx of tourist related activities has led to increases in economic activity in the area.

This is a quiet riverside town, where villagers from upriver arrive to sell their produce in the markets. If you have some time to spare, ask one of the punt operators about a trip up the river. It's a great experience, and not to be missed in my opinion. Navua is the starting point of a lot of inland river tours. However, you will generally need to prebook.

Vatu Vara Island lies in the northwest sector of Fiji’s northern Lau Group  of islands, 32 km west of Mago Island and some 60 km  south-west of VanuaBalavu at Lat: 17° 26'00 S Long: 179° 31'00 W.

The island is 3 km  in diameter at the base of its 305-metre-high  summit and is also referred to as "Hat Island" due to the summit's shape. The limestone  cliffs, some 60 metres  in height, of the guyot  and the rest of the island are covered in dense tropical jungle.

The volcanic and limestone island is nearly 2 miles  in diameter at its base. Its 1973 305-metre  summit, the highest in Lau, is a massive truncated pyramid bounded on all sides by almost perpendicular cliffs up to 200 feet  in height. The crest of the pyramid is some 40 acres  in extent, and is generally flat, although pitted with holes and depressions from 6–30 feet  deep, some of them filled with water. At its base there is in most places a wide belt of gently sloping land, standing not more than 25 feet above sea level and forming the brim of the hat suggesting the island’s profile. On the northern and eastern edges of the island the sea breaks against the limestone cliffs, which are deeply undercut; but elsewhere the island is circled by a broad fringing reef, which, off the western coast swings sharply away from the shore to enclose the lagoon. The precipitous sides of the central mass are scored by three shallow terraces, marking pauses in the uplift of the island; but these are not readily observed, being smothered under the dense vegetation that clothes the whole towering structure.

It is a former atoll, specifically called a “Guyot”. This is an extinct volcano that has become overgrown by coral reefs to form an atoll. The flat top was once at sea level, which is why the summit is flat. Its unmistakable shape, and its massive peak like that of a vast stone hat, dominates the surrounding skyline and is recognizable over a radius of thirty-five miles (56 km) from nearby islands such as Kaibu, Yacata, and  VanuaBalavu. The island is privately owned by James Jannard .

The traditional guardian of Vatu Vara is a sea goddess (or nymph) by the name of Sakulawe. Not much is now known of the stories about Sakulawe. However, in Yadrana, Lakeba, the Turaga Vaka family have one of their elderly matriarch named after the goddess as a token of respect to one of their late blood relatives and a chief of Vuna: Ratu Masiwini.

Kaibu is an island in  Fiji’s Lau archipelago. A 22.4 kilometer-long reef encompasses Kaibu and the neighbouring island of Yacata, from which Kaibu is separated by a Lagoon. The island, which has an area of about 2 square kilometers, is located 56 kilometers west of Vanua Balavu. Fishing, snorkeling and water sports are among the tourist attractions of the island.

The island is privately owned by James Jannard, the founder of Oakley Inc. 

When James Jannard, the billionaire founder of Oakley and RED Digital Camera  first stayed on Kaibu, an island in Fiji’s Northern Lau Group the owner was the American fiberglass mogul Jay Johnson, and his resort on the island, Kaibu, was very simple. But Jannard was drawn to the setting--a remote South Pacific island with varying shades of turquoise water--as well as the privacy and the relaxed openness of the Fijian people. So he had scouts keep an eye out for any nearby islands that came up for sale. Then, in late 2009, artist Hiro Yamagata  listed Kaibu and neighboring Vatuvara, so Jannard bought both with the plan to build another, more luxurious resort. Named Vatuvara although technically situated on Kaibu--Jannard's dream property.

The islands small airstrip that is the entry point via the resort's Twin Otter, which ferries guests in from the international airport in Nadi. The island's 800 acres were landscaped, and roads were built--although on a hilly island, those roads require a four-wheel-drive vehicle and steady nerves.

Leleuvia Island is a relaxing 35 minute cruise from Viti Levu, and a world away from the hustle of the mainland and the rest of the world. Romantic and completely refreshing, Leleuvia offers you the chance to experience your very own private island. Explore Leleuvia's bush trails watching native birds fly overhead, or sway to the slow beat of the island in a hammock. Try your hand at beach volleyball, kayaking or explore the Cannibal Pot. Get wet snorkeling our majestic reef or dive the Daveta Levu Passage. Go fishing or break out the kite on our kilometre long sand bar at low tide or skim the break as you catch the South-Easterlies in your sail.

Leleuvia invites you to discover the rich culture and history of the area, with trips to nearby Levuka, the island of Moturiki and the Chiefly island of Bau. Take a step back in time, walking the very tracks that the first settlers, missionaries, tribal warriors and the high-chiefs of Fiji once trod.

In 2003 Dietrich Mateschitz , head of the Red Bull  energy drink company, bought the island from Forbe’s heirs.Dietrich contracted Lynne Hunt London to turn the island into a private retreat for celebrities. The resort now includes 25 Bures, each unique from one another with differing themes. The projected cost per night ranges from $7,000 to $36,000 USD.Laucala can be reached by boat, but the reef can be a challenge to navigate. Most guests arrive via private plane on the island's airstrip.