Rough Guides - The Rough Guide to Fiji

This Rough Guide is one of a new generation of informative and easy-to-use travel-guide ebooks that guarantees you make the most of your trip. An essential tool for pre-trip planning, it also makes a great travel companion when youre on the road.

From the section.

Detailed area maps feature in the guide chapters and are also listed in the , accessible from the table of contents. Depending on your hardware, you can double-tap on the maps to see larger-scale versions, or select different scales. There are also thumbnails below more detailed maps in these cases, you can opt to zoom left/top or zoom right/bottom or view the full map. The screen-lock function on your device is recommended when viewing enlarged maps. Make sure you have the latest software updates, too.

Throughout the guide, weve flagged up our favourite places a perfectly sited hotel, an atmospheric caf, a special restaurant with the author pick icon . You can select your own favourites and create a personalized itinerary by bookmarking the sights, venues and activities that are of interest, giving you the quickest possible access to everything youll need for your time away.

Sun-drenched beaches, turquoise lagoons, swaying palm trees Fiji supplies all the classic images of paradise. No wonder, then, that every year thousands of travellers come to this South Pacific archipelago for the ultimate island escape. With over three hundred islands to choose from, Fiji is a versatile destination. Whether youre after a luxury honeymoon retreat, a lively backpacker island or a family-friendly resort, you wont be disappointed. Youll also find a warm, hospitable people, an intriguing blend of Melanesians, Polynesians and Indians.

With a reliable tropical climate, a good tourist infrastructure, English as its main language and no jabs or pills to worry about, travelling in Fiji is as easy as it gets. As the hub of South Pacific tourism, the country attracts almost a million visitors a year, mostly from Australia and New Zealand, its largest neighbours lying over 2000km southeast. Of the northern-hemisphere travellers, many are backpackers from Europe or surfers and scuba divers from North America.

While it can be tempting to spend your whole time in Fiji sunbathing and sipping cocktails from coconuts, there are plenty of activities to lure you away from the beach. Within a ten-minute boat ride of most resorts you can find yourself snorkelling over colourful reefs, sometimes amid dolphins and manta rays, or scuba diving at pristine drop-offs covered in soft corals and sea fans. In addition, at the exposed edges of the reefs are some of the worlds finest and most consistent surfing breaks . Nature lovers are also spoilt for choice, both underwater and on dry land, and wildlife-spotting opportunities are plentiful, whether youre seeking turtles, exotic birds or 3m-long tiger sharks.

Away from the beach resorts is a land of stunning mountains, rainforests and remote villages . Here youll find big-hearted and hospitable Fijians living a similar lifestyle to their tribal ancestors. Staying a night or two at a village homestay will give you an authentic insight into the ethnic culture as well as the chance to sample yaqona or kava , the national drink. Fiji is also home to a large Indian community and their influence is seen in the delicious Indian food served in almost every town, Bollywood films showing in the cinema and vibrant Hindu festivals celebrated throughout the year. While Fiji is not renowned for its towns or cities , three are definitely worth exploring: quaint, colonial-era Levuka, yachting hotspot Savusavu, and Suva, the lively capital city and the best place to party in the South Pacific.

However long you spend in the country youll notice an unhurried, good-humoured lifestyle. This is the essence of Fiji Time an attitude that can be both inspiring and infuriating. Away from the organized upmarket resorts, life runs at a different pace; bus and ferry timetables serve more as guidelines and a simple meeting in a village can last for days. Its best to leave your inner control freak at home you never know, you may come back a calmer person.

SEVEN OF THE BEST RESORTS

Fijian resorts range from simple beachside bures (traditional thatched huts) with cold-water showers to opulent villas with private spa pools. Out of almost a hundred resorts throughout the islands, weve picked our seven favourite.

Luxury , Savusavu, Vanua Levu.

Budget , Yasawa Islands.

Backpackers , Lomaiviti.

Romance , off Taveuni.

Families , north coast Viti Levu.

Divers , Taveuni.

Eco-adventure , Suva, Viti Levu.

MUSKET COVE, MALOLO LAILAI IN THE MAMANUCAS