Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Best way to Travel to the mamanucas and yasawas islands? Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Fiji
sonia19s 19:45 UTC 03 Aug 2017 | I'm trying to get from nadi to mananucas to yasawas and to Taveuni and I'm not sure what the recommended way to get around is? Id like to book it ahead of time. Also any recommendations on where to stay? I don't want anything too fancy but still safe and clean...were on a budget |
Laszlo 22:06 UTC 04 Aug 2017 | From Nadi to the Mamanucas there are sg like 3 boats visiting all resort islands daily. To the Yasawas a different one goes only once a day, and it only stops at Beachcomber in the Mamanucas. To get to Taveuni, you must return to Viti Levu and go to a port in the North or East of the island. Sailings won't be daily, though you could go via Vanua Levu more frequently, I think. | 1
bthdth 09:11 UTC 08 Aug 2017 | Whatever your budget, it always comes down to estimating costs ahead of time, then saving up to cover expenses. Ferries to Mamanucas/Yasawas covered above. Certain Yasawa resorts might have their own boat shuttles, operating out of Lautoka. You need to do a bit of reading on the resort options. Safety isn't an issue anywhere IMO, and 'cleanliness' also isn't an issue .. with the provision that people accustomed to higher-rated facilities tend to be put off by basic level accom (judging by reviews I've read). They confuse cleanliness with cosmetic aspect of facilities. Taveuni is more problematic, in the sense that the decision is more complicated. Depending on your time, I'd consider flying at least one way. I flew there and surface (ferry/bus) back. If you start from Nadi, then bus first to Suva, then fly from there may cut cost in half. Going surface (bus/ferry combination) could add 2-3 days to your itinerary. The longer it takes, then costs will rise when you factor in overnighting and eating. It's not just the transport as such. Even going to Vanua Levu won't be much of a time saver in the long run. You still will have to get to Suvasuva (a day to get there) then overnight and take a bus (2 hours or more) to a point where there will be daily small-ferry shuttles over to Taveuni. Otherwise, you'll have to time the trip for the larger car ferries, which you could pick up at Suva or usually also Suvasuva, but they are maybe twice a week at best. It may not be easy to find up to date web info, which makes booking ahead a problem. Only guarantee would be a flight. Of my three bookmarked links to ferry companies, only one is working, and its schedule is out of date: https://goundarshipping.com/ Best to make inquiries at Nadi travel agent as soon as you arrive, and try to figure things out from there. No guarantee they will know about the daily shuttles connecting Vanua Levu with Taveuni. | 2
travelthefire 15:32 UTC 08 Aug 2017 | There is no cheap way up there. Sucks but they have a stronghold on the route. They are far from competitive. As far as ferries to the other islands, they basically run daily or at least a few times a week. I use to live in Fiji. They use the port of Suva. | 3
travelthefire 15:33 UTC 08 Aug 2017 | Best to make inquiries at Nadi travel agent as soon as you arrive, and try to figure things out from there. No guarantee they will know about the daily shuttles connecting Vanua Levu with Taveuni. This is NOT something I would suggest. Those agent work on commission and are oily used car salesmen!!!! They will scam you quicker than anything. | 4
bthdth 17:21 UTC 08 Aug 2017 | They can't scam you if you don't buy anything. Anyway, you have to ask someone if you want information, and if the car ferries (or whichever company is currently operating) are operating they'll know, so it is an easy way to find out. Anyone who can keep control of his/her own agenda doesn't need to worry about being scammed. The daily ferry shuttles from Vanua Levu won't be selling advance tickets, so there's nothing an agent can sell you ..they may play dumb on that point. | 5
travelthefire 17:56 UTC 08 Aug 2017 | I am just saying what I have seen from living in Fiji, especially at the airport. My suggestion is trust NO ONE at Nadi International Airport at all! | 6
bthdth 05:36 UTC 09 Aug 2017 | ?? If you're living on Fiji, why are you dealing with the travel agents at Nadi airport? Be cynical if you wish, I don't care. I prefer to keep my options open, and keep control over what happens, as I said. It is a business transaction. If I decide to talk to a travel agent I let them know what I am interested in. If they try to hard sell, I walk away. I'm rarely totally ignorant of the situation which gives me a basis for evaluating how honest they are (eg, ask a question I already know the answer to, etc etc). It no big deal, and I rarely have a bad experience anywhere. Anyway, my suggestion was not limited to travel agents at Nadi airport. My suggestion was to get up to date info once the OP is actually on Fiji. Maybe, in wandering around Nadi or Lautoka she might even see an agent specifically for a ferry company .. one company used to have a north route from Lautoka to Vanua Levu and it may still be operating. | 7
sonia19s 06:06 UTC 10 Aug 2017 | Thanks for all the info...im trying to figure out if it's better to do day trips to the islands or acruallky stay on them...they are pretty expensive to stay on! | 8
Laszlo 06:08 UTC 10 Aug 2017 | Mana in the Mamanucas has cheap (and obviously basic) options and can be used as a base for daytrips to other islands. | 9
sonia19s 06:11 UTC 10 Aug 2017 | Have u been to the yasawas island? Where did u stay and would u recommend It? Have u been to Taveuni? Seems like it's gonna cost us the same amount to get to both so we gotta pick one...not sure which one | 10
Laszlo 06:18 UTC 10 Aug 2017 | Been to both. Well, Taveuni is a big island with scope for independent travel. The Yasawas are smaller and you will likely be stuck in a resort, with very few chances to go anywhere without taking a paid excursion. But they are much closer to the Mamanucas. | 11
travelthefire 06:20 UTC 10 Aug 2017 | You might be better off to do a much less touristy trip. | 12
skyelovestravel 06:39 UTC 20 Sep 2017 | Bounty island in the mananucas is also cheap | 13
Thorn Tree 01:00 UTC 21 Sep 2018 | This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you. | 14