self drive fiji

Hi,

We are 2 adults and a 3 year old child looking to head to Fiji on a budget. We are hoping to spend a few days at a nice resort then hire a car and drive around the perimeter of fiji (and a little bit of the interior), then another nice resort type place at the end. We have 3 weeks to spend in total in Fiji. If you have done this, can you please let me know:

• how long it took you to drive around it - what is a reasonable time frame?
• whether it was easy to get accommodation in all areas
• whether you needed a 4WD to do the whole trip or if it is ok in a car
• anything else i should know about doing this trip.

Also can anyone recommend a low cost car rental place in Fiji?

Thanks in advance for your help.

A

To drive all the way around Viti Levu via Kings Road and Queens road takes about 12 hours non stop, during ''normal'' conditions and can be done in a normal car. There is about 30km of road that is not surfaced in the NE.
Right now things are NOT normal. Roads and bridges have been damaged or washed away in the west and north due to flooding.
Venturing inland typically requires a high clearance vehicle and 4WD.

Personally I don't like the ''fine print'' of hire vehicles and I would prefer to hire a car and a driver instead.

We live in Lautoka. A couple of months ago we were spending a few days in Suva and wanted to come home via Kings Road (anti clockwise). We negotiated with a taxi driver in Lautoka. He left Lautoka at 5am, picked us up from our hotel in Suva at 9am and drove us back to Lautoka by 5pm via Kings Road. The negotiated price was F$220. We added some detours and paid him F$250. Shared by 4 people, why would you do it any other way, even if it cost double that?
All the way around is about 500km. Even on a taxi meter, that is about F$500 (plus F$1.50 flag fall for each trip and F$6 per hour waiting time) without any negotiation.

It could be done in smaller bits with overnight stops along the way at resorts or local hotels.
We have also done it by local bus over a 3 day period, but busses have the disadvantage of not stopping when you want them to, but it was pretty cheap.

The way to see the inland is via 4WD tour. The benefit is they will know the villagers and where to go. Tours operate from most areas. In VoliVoli, see Soni at the resort. Even 4WD tours will not venture inland very far if conditions are wet.

Cheers,
Peter

The OP referred to drive around the perimeter of fiji (and a little bit of the interior)
In fact this is driving around only the biggest island, Viti Levu. Fiji has many more islands than this.

While a 4WD is not necessary to drive around the island, even the main roads here are in pretty poor condition. Large potholes are everywhere and this time of year it is not uncommon to see standing water on the road after heavy rainfall. If you rent I would recommend getting something will a little more ground clearance like a SUV or crossover type car.

Don't try and venture far inland, especially this time of year as river levels come up very fast when it starts raining. Accurate maps and road signs are few and far between.

I'll just add that car rental in Fiji is not generally an economic option, even if you go with local companies (forget Hertz etc) and get locals rates (which you won't, as you're not residents) it's expensive. You're looking at FJ $450 a week for the smallest vesicle, double that for a 4x4. You'll want to add the $10 per day insurance.

If you're really on a budget, the air con buses such as Pacific, Sunbeam or Coral Sun circle the island and are fine, if boring to travel on. If you don't fancy taking a three year old on a bus, taxi's are probably a cheaper option than self-hire. I would only recommend hiring a car if you absolutely need it, and full independence every day (for those on a budget I mean). If you just want to hop between resorts around the island, other forms of transport would be better.

For budget-friendly resorts, look at places on the Coral Coast, and VoliVoli, as suggested by Peter. You could also look at Takalana / Silana, if you like dolphins. If you want to see the highlands, there are several village visits / day tours leaving for either of those places that would not cost much more, and would be much more relaxing and fun than trying to DIY.

Plenty of small operators with mini-vans or SUV's could do this for you. I agree with the above - take the time to find a car and driver. We spent a couple years in Sigatoka and it is a very good hub-point to see a lot of that part of Fiji. Some beautiful little hidden resorts along the coast, where you would be almost certain to find the vacancy sign out - and locals glad for the business. Roads are mostly shocking and you will come unstuck in a giant pothole at some point, for sure. If you're still keen - PM me and I can give you the name of a couple of people I know in Sigatoka who either day hire cars, or do car/driver set ups. I used to know a very nice young couple who had a small tarago and did nice, personalised day trips - we sent lots of people to them who were quite happy. I could look them up. Feel confident in Fiji - you won't come to much harm and it will be a pleasant surprise.