Getting to Taveuni

Hi all!

I'm headed to Fiji for ten days in April. Given my limited budget, it seemed like Taveuni was the ideal place for me...except that there's scant information about how to get there by sea. The Moon guide mentions the Suilven ferry, but their web site seems defunct; the other ferry has no contact options.

Can anyone tell me what their experience was, by boat, to Taveuni? And also, does Taveuni have any notable beaches to speak of? The Moon guide raves about the hiking, but there's a conspicuous lack of any discussion about beaches...

Thank you!
Monica

I took the Sulivan ferry back to Suva from Vanua Levu (Savusavu), a first stop from Taveuni.

A few details to keep in mind:
- it ran a few hours late
- a relatively small ferry. Have anti-motion pills if you're liable to seasickness
- you're not allowed to take large luggage up into the passenger compartments. A detail which caught me by surprise. A daypack is permitted, so fill it with what you think you need for overnight
- first class is advisable, not too crowded during my trip with enough empty seating space to stretch out and sleep. Second class was full, stuffy, and seating only.
- the AC in first class is COLD! I wasn't prepared (warm clothes in my pack).

I'm not much of a fan of beaches, so quality on Taveuni (in whatever way it is rated) is not much of a concern to me. Compared to the white sands of the Yasawas, etc, I guess the quality is on the low side. Not a lot of sand around Matei. Hiking and sea activity (snorkelling, diving) are the main attractions -- with some nice empty stretches of sandy beach around the Lavena hiking trails - but no resorts for other comforts.

If your budget is tight, consider Ovalau and small resort islands of Caqalai and Leleuvia an alternative to Taveuni. Nicer, more conventional budget island resorts (and beaches) on the latter two. Ovalau has an interesting old town (Levuka) as well as a bit of jungle hiking.

Thank you so much, oldpro! That is incredibly helpful. To me, beach and light hiking are the main attractions, so I'm still split between the Yasawas and Taveuni :)

I'm taking a 10 day trip to Fiji and also want to split my time between Yasawa (beach, drier) and Taveuni (forest, lush).

Getting from Nadi to Taveuni seems to be a costly exercise - flights are about $460 return on Air Pacific (Sun Air and Air Fiji now both defunct). This is more than my return flight from Sydney to Fiji! Are there cheaper options available from Nadi? A ferry?

I'm going to Taveuni for the lush forests and great trekking in Bouma NP, the waterfalls and the Lavena Coastal Walk. I won't be going there for the water/reefs. Is it worth paying that amount to go to Taveuni just for those? Or can I find similar on/closer to Viti Levu?

Cheers.

#3 You ought to have started a new thread. This one is over a year old; you're lucky I happened to notice ...

Is that price $AUS or $FJ? The price $460 if AUS strikes me as criminally steep. My flight one way Suva-Matei was $FJ140 (pre- defunct AirFiji days) - which is comparable to $FJ return you quote. I don't know if comparing to AUS-FIJI flights is a fair comparison - although I see your point. International holiday flights can make a profit simply by the numbers of seats filled. Local domestic flights need a larger percent markup per seat to make equivalent profit.

Cheaper options would be bus to Suva and overnight ferry to Taveuni from there, as I mentioned.

Probably still a good idea to repost your question as a separate thread. That way, people with other information will be able to answer.

I have a hard time being able to answer the "is it worth it?" sort of question. I was on Fiji for 2 months - so travel costs, even if high, averaged out over the long term. I didn't even notice it on my backpacker budget. Also, I flew one direction and ferry back via Vanua Levu. I had the time for it. Certainly I found the jungles and waterfalls etc on Taveuni worthwhile. If anything, I'd try to find the reef/beach break closer to Taveuni, rather than lush jungles closer to Yasawas. My experience was that cloud/rain did not negatively impact snorkeling. Sun time on beach is another matter.

Definitely get to Suva first if you want to head to Savusavu or Taveuni, as Oldpro said. Ferries will eventually get you there and back.

oldpro, thanks so much for picking that up! The Air Pacific website was quoting me Sydney <-> Nadi flights in AUD but Nadi <-> Taveuni flights in FJD and I hadn't noticed. It is indeed $230 FJD each way. Phew. Definitely going to Tavenuni now. I was previous considering taking a flight one way (heard it's amazing) and the ferry back. But now flights are cheap enough.

ps. Will start new threads in the future. Haven't been around these parts for awhile. I thought instead of clogging up the forum with similar threads I'd just continue this one, thinking it would get bumped to the top when a new post is made in it.

Cheers :)