Fiji - Hiking, Yoga & Culture
(Ex Nadi) - Mon 6th August 2018

Max Participants:
8
Location:
(Ex Nadi) Fiji  
Date:
Mon 6th August 2018
Start Time:
8:00am
End Time:
8:00am approx
Duration:
9 Days
Meals:
8 Breakfasts 5 Lunches 2 Dinners
Non-Member Cost:
$3050.00 per person based on twin share
Member Cost:
$2950.00 per person based on twin share
Deposit Required:
$600.00
Tagged:
culture fiji hiking
MAKE A BOOKING

Join us on a genuine cultural experience with a 'real' insight into rural Fiji. Avoid the touristy spots, travel as a small group (8 Guests Only), interact with the villager's... and discover the true heart of Fiji.

Fiji is famous for its corals and coast, but we take you on a journey away from the tourist resorts, walking in a landscape of dramatic peaks, pristine forests, sparkling rivers, remote villages, exploring vibrant traditional culture and unique history. You'll return to the coast for three days of relaxation and restorative yoga overlooking the Pacific Ocean on Fiji's Suncoast.

We work in partnership with the communities you visit to reduce the impact and maximise the benefits of your trip. We believe your adventure should be great for you, and great for the communities!

Your trip funds provide a supplementary source of income to remote, largely subsistence village communities in Fiji's interior, in the form of payments for guides, accommodation and food, as well as contributions to village development funds.

Gallery

Community Meal
Cross Highland Hike
Girls on Tour
Village Life
Guest huts
Wananavu Resort
Wananavu Resort

Location

Please note map locations and route are approximate only

Itinerary

Pickup: Nadi airport Time: 4pm

Upon arrival at Nadi airport you’ll be transferred to Fiji’s Sun coast - the land of endless summer! The Sun coast is one of Viti Levu’s hidden gems - With only a few boutique hotels, you’ll soon ease into the pace of island life.

You’ll arrive in time to meet your fellow travellers for dinner on their veranda restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Meals: None included

Accommodation: Wananavu Beach Resort

Your Adventurous Women ™ Tour Manager & Guides will meet you after breakfast at 9.30am, then it's time to head inland to the rural village of Nabalesere. The drive takes about 1.5hrs. Once there you’ll sevusevu, a tradition to formally ask permission to be in the village and cross their land, and visit their stunning waterfall, where you’ll stop to soak up the ambience and go for a swim, followed by a cup of draunimoli (lemon leaf tea) and a late lunch back in the village. The walk to the waterfall is approx 30-45mins one-way but is steep in places.

Our tip: We recommend starting the day wearing clothes and shoes to walk and get wet in at the waterfall. For safety you should keep your shoes on at all times and get them wet. If you have a second pair of walking sandals or shoes, you can wear these and keep any proper hiking boots dry for the next day. You can change when we return to the village, so it’s also a good idea to have a small bag with dry clothes and a towel prepared, that you can leave in the village. As the waterfall is also a cultural site, please don’t strip down to revealing swimwear. Do as the locals do and just get wet!

After lunch and our goodbyes we’ll head back to the Suncoast arriving in time for sunset drinks.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Wananavu Beach Resort

The morning is yours to enjoy ... relax with a book, or for those feeling active, to head out for a kayak or a swim.

After check-out around 11.00am, we’ll make our way inland and head up to the picturesque village of Naga. On arrival, we’ll have lunch before taking a stroll along a farm track to learn from the women in the village about the food they grow and some of their daily challenges in getting their produce to market. You’ll have the opportunity to harvest some seasonal produce and contribute to the dinner preparations.

After our walk, we’ll sevusevu and enjoy a dinner together in Naga’s community hall, our accommodation for the evening. After enjoying a feast of local dishes we can relax with a game of cards - or try your luck learning vidividi. It’s played in pairs - and our advice is to make sure you choose a partner from the village!

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: We will be guests of the village in the community hall, mattresses and top blankets are provided

This day of walking combines a great hike with some cultural immersion. Be prepared for a rugged hike and three fordings of the upper Sigatoka river.

You’ll have breakfast around 7:30am and should be hiking by 8:30am. We’ll load your big bags into our vehicles to be driven the long way around. Remember to keep a sulu with you in your day pack. The village will provide roti parcels for lunch.

You get great views as you stride out from the village and descend down to the river, and the old, abandoned village on the opposite bank where the unfortunate Reverend Baker was eaten. Following the river you pass another old village site, and several good swimming spots. If the weather’s good, you’ll hopefully have time to jump in. Eventually you start to climb up steeply from the river for 1.5km and arrive in the village of Nubutautau, where you will spend the night.

The village hall will be yours to eat and sleep in. There’s also a traditional bure that is often available for your use. There are flush toilets and cold showers. We’ll be well looked after and following a sevusevu, and before dinner, we should have opportunity to hear the Rev Baker story in full.

You’ll spend the night on the floor of the community hall or in the bure. It’s well padded with mats over dried reeds, and as with other nights mattresses and blankets are provided to add to the comfort!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: We will be guests of the village in the community hall or bure, mattresses and top blankets are provided

Today brings a solid day of walking, but ingeniously, apart from two notable climbs, it’s “mostly downhill”! This is a full day of hiking, and you should be prepared for the hot sun immediately prior to our lunch break, but you’re rewarded with some big views in the morning and a beautiful stretch of river in the afternoon.

It’s all about the early start, and you should be breakfasting by 7am. After breakfast, leaving your big bags in the village to be taken separately, you'll get transported to the ridgeline above Nubutautau.

From the ridge you strike out westwards with your guides across a battlefield and old village sites. Taking in a couple of tops and some amazing 360-degree views you slowly descend to the Ba river. The final stretch down to the river can be hot, as the sun is high and the breeze can drop. Once you reach the river we should have time for a cooling swim before lunch provided by Nubutautau. You’ll then follow the river along the valley, with some rock scrambling and gentle winding paths, to a bridge near the village of Navala, and then a final 1.5km up the road to Bulou’s Lodge.

The facilities at the Lodge are simple, with a dorm room, flush toilets and cold showers, but a good dinner and breakfast are provided and Tui the owner is a great host.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Shared dorm room or a limited number of private huts are available

After a leisurely breakfast we load up the cars and head back to Navala village with Tui to take a look around. Navala is a beautiful village with rows of neatly built traditional bures. After soaking up the atmosphere you’ll say goodbye to the highlands and head down to Ba and the coast.

We’ll have lunch along the way and a full body massage awaits you on your return to Wananavu to ease some tired muscles. Our sunset cocktails this evening will feel very well deserved!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Wananavu Beach Resort

An early dawn yin yoga session will focus on long, deep stretches and the connective tissues in the hips, pelvis and lower spine - the ideal way to release tension in overworked joints after our hiking adventure. After breakfast, we’ll catch a boat across to Nananu-i-ra and the deserted Onei beach. It’s the perfect setting for a morning meditation session to the sound of the ocean.

We’ll enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach and an afternoon snorkelling before heading back to Wananavu feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Wananavu Beach Resort

Our dawn yoga session today focuses on vinyasa flow yoga designed to energise us for the day ahead.

The day is yours and you are free to join any of the activities Wananavu offers or to take the energy levels down again and spend a quiet day of reflection.

We’ll join together for a sunset restorative yoga session to draw our journey together to a close and offer thanks for our time together enjoying this beautiful island and its people.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Wananavu Beach Resort

After breakfast we head to Nadi to say Sota tale Fiji (see you later Fiji!) for those heading back to Australia or to your next destination for those of you keen to see more of this beautiful country. 8.30am transfer to Nadi Airport (2.5 hours) is included.

Meals: Breakfast

Includes

Dedicated Adventurous Women® Trip Leader

English Speaking Local Guides/Drivers

Fully Qualified Yoga & Meditation Facilitator

All cultural requirements & contributions to village development funds inc taxes

All accommodation (some basic, but welcoming)

All transport & transfers while on tour

Most Meals as stated in the itinerary

All Entry Fees to sites & guided walks listed on the itinerary

Free use of tennis equipment yoga mats & snorkelling gear at Wananavu Beach Resort

One Hour Massage PLUS $80FJD Credit for spa treatments (ie: pedicure), or upgrade of massage to 90 mins

8 Breakfasts

5 Lunches

2 Dinners

Excludes

Flights To and From Nadi

Visa's / Departure Tax

Travel Insurance (Compulsory)

Optional snorkelling / diving by boat from Wananavu Beach Resort

Meals & Drinks not stated in the Itinerary

Items of a personal nature

More Information

Mode of Transport

Transport is in 4WD vehicles, with four passengers in each, and a driver/guide with good English. These vehicles enable us to get off the beaten track and show you much more of Fiji than is otherwise possible.


How fit do I need to be?

Is the walking hard? The walks on this tour cover a variety of levels of difficulty. The visit to Nabalesere and their waterfall is within most people's ability. The track is 1.5km each way, with some up and down, but no time pressure.

Other walks are more strenuous, but are within the ability of most people with good general fitness and a familiarity with hiking. Our longer walks should leave you feeling satisfying tired after a good day’s walking and a sense of achievement, however there are shorter options available for those who do not wish to walk the full distance on these days.

The challenge of walking in Fiji comes from the heat, humidity, remoteness and the nature of the tracks, which are not constructed paths, are uneven and can become muddy and slippery after rain (Walking Poles are recommended)


What shoes are best to wear?

Approach or trail shoes are good all-rounders for Fiji conditions, especially those that let water in and out, have a good grip and protect the toes. But trainers/ runners with a good grip or other walking shoes will do. Avoid stylish trainers with no grip! Paths can be slippery and muddy - especially after rain.

We cross small creeks and some larger rivers, which can reach knee-high and you will get your shoes wet. Fully waterproof shoes/boots... once inundated can take a long time to dry and you can find your feet sit in water inside them.

It can go against instinct if you're used to walking in colder climates, but the best tactic is just to walk on through the water and get your feet and shoes wet. Changing in or out of shoes, or crossing in flip-flops or bare feet are not really options. We recommend keeping your shoes on at all times, whether you're crossing a river or even swimming.


What clothes are best to wear for hiking in Fiji?

Lightweight, quick-dry t-shirts or shirts and a pair of knee-length shorts are what most people choose to wear, but we recommend wearing a pair of walking trousers to protect your shins from the undergrowth. Long socks or exercise leggings are alternatives.

The advantage of quick-dry clothing is that you can happily jump in a river to cool off, and then let your clothes dry as you carry on walking! A lightweight raincoat/ pac-a-mac is good to bring in case we get caught in a shower. It might not keep you dry, but it’ll keep the wind out. And bring a hat to keep the sun off your head.

A sulu (a wrap-around piece of material, or sarong) is also an essential bit of kit for when you're in villages and should be carried in your day pack. A sulu can also double as a head covering for shade, a towel, an extra layer, or even a pillow. We will provide you with a sulu for the trip if you don't have one.

 

Bookings

We require a 20% deposit to confirm a booking, with full payment due 60 days prior to trip departure. To make a booking click on the BOOK NOW BUTTON below, fill out our online booking form and submit.  Once we receive it, we will email you with a Tax Invoice for payment of the deposit.  Once paid, your place on the trip is confirmed.  There are only 8 Places Available on This Tour

Waiver
As with many other outdoor activities providers we require you to sign a waiver of liability as a condition of participation. This form also requires you to provide us with any relevant medical information and an emergency contact number.
Travel insurance
Our itinerary takes you walking in some remote areas in the interior of Fiji. Our walks are not at high altitude and do not require specialist mountain climbing equipment. In the unlikely event of an emergency we may need to request helicopter evacuation. We require you to have travel insurance that covers you for the walking activities as specified in your itinerary and emergency evacuation.

General

We reserve the right to refuse your participation in a trip or to change an itinerary in the interests of safety whether relating to a person’s fitness, the weather conditions, inappropriate behaviour or any other factor.

Booking of Airline tickets
Please check with us before purchasing your airline tickets to ensure your trip is confirmed with the minimum number of participants required to operate or ensure you have Travel Insurance in place prior to cover you.


Common phrases

Bula! (bull - ah!)
Bula is probably the most common word you’ll hear right across Fiji and it is used to greet people or say hello.  When you say bula to someone, you're wishing them life.
Say it with gusto lol

Vinaka (vin-aka)
Vinaka is the second most common Fijian word you will hear. It means thank you. Fijians are very friendly and helpful, so remember to say vinaka after being served any food, drinks or if someone offers you help. Sometimes it is shortened to what sounds like "naka"

Vinaka vaka levu (vin-aka vaka levoo)
If you're extra grateful for someone’s help or actions, you can use vinaka vaka levu to say thank you very much. You will often hear this in restaurant's or when you have made a purchase.


No Princess Policy

Princess crossed out

This tour by it's very nature is not designed for the 5 Star Traveller. It is for the girl who has an 'adventurous spirit' and is looking for a unique and rewarding 'experience' (Once in a Lifetime)!

You should be able to adopt a "Go With The Flow" attitude, after-all we are in a foreign country and things don't always go to plan...this will help you chill out and therefore get the best out of your holiday.


Cancellation & Refunds

Notice of cancellation must be in writing, with an email as an acceptable form of communication, directly to Adventurous Women with the following conditions:

  • 60 days plus prior to trip departure - Loss of deposit
  • 59 - 30 days prior to trip departure - 50% Of The Tour Cost
  • 29 - 15 days prior to trip departure - 75% Of The Tour Cost
  • Within 14 days of the trip departure - 100% Of The Tour Cost

No refund is available after departure of a tour has commenced.


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