Taveuni or the Yasawas?

Hello all!
I am going in December for 9 days to Fiji arriving to Nadi at around 9:30 am so that I have no time to catch the ferry of the Yasawas, I was thinking on catching a plane to Taveuni and stay there most of the time...(is it 1h30 min enough from the international arrival to the national departure at Nadi Airport?).
I am going alone, is it easy to do the excursions there by your self? or you need to join groups and as I am going alone I would have to depend on a group to be formed to do the excursions, (Tavoro Waterfalls, Bouma national park, Lavena coastal walk...).
How reliable is the flight to Tavueni? is it very weather dependent? are there many cancellations?
Any recommendation on the island where to stay?
The second option is to catch the ferry the following day to the Wasayas,... how easy ist to hike and walk in the islands specially in Waya and Wayasewa island? can you go walking all the way from Octopus Resort to Wayasewa or from Wayalailai to Waya island?
Any suggestion is more than appreciated!
Thank you very mcuh in advance!

Antonio.

flights to Taveuni are limited, so if your plane was late you may have a problem, and you domestic flight would close 30 minutes before departure, so that leaves just one hour to get off the plane, get processed, get your luggage and walk about 100+ metres to the new domestic terminal. Have you considered doing a local island cruise, that way you would see a lot and have others around as well, there is a 7 day cruise that visits the major islands, or 4 nights for the Yasawas,

If you decide to go to Octopus Resort: the resort boat leaves twice a day from Vuda Marina. They will pick you up from Raffles Gateway Hotel across the street from the airport.
The first boat leaves at 9 am, the second one at 2 pm. Slightly more expensive (and faster) than the Flyer (if I remember well USD 80 one way, it takes around 1,5 hrs), but you can go there on the day of arrival. And Raffles has a pool to while away a couple of hours before pick up.

Octopus has good dorms, a great atmosphere, really good food (meal plan is compulsory) and a nice mix of couples, backpackers and families. Snorkelling off the beach is very nice and there are many activities to choose from. From there you can take the Flyer to other islands/resorts or back to Nadi.

Taveuni is a great location but as said it is expensive and less convenient to get there and back.
You won't be disappointed with Octopus.
Be aware that December is the wet season and anything is possible weather wise.

Cheers,
Peter

is it easy to do the excursions there by your self?

Yes. For example, you'd take a local bus to Lavena, stay in the guesthouse, and do your walking from there. No need for group excursions. However, I agree with the others that the travel logistics getting to/from Taveuni are not in your favour for such a short trip. Even a heavy rain can wash out a culvert, making the road to Lavena closed to traffic for a day or more (happened during my visit to the area).

I wouldn't trust the weather on such a short trip. The planes making the flight are small 15-seater type aircraft, and easily victim to delays/cancellations due to poor visibility. Again, happened to me and it wasn't even rainy season. But I also had 2-3 months to play around with, so a few days delay here and there was not a concern for me.

how easy is it to hike and walk in the islands specially in Waya and Wayasewa island?

Sounds like you're interested in hiking as an activity. So was I, which is why I picked Waya island to visit. "Easy" .. that's tricky. It is not physically difficult. There are steep tracks up from the coastline to the ridge tops. These can be slippy when wet. But once up along the ridge tops and more in the interior, it's a lot easier. However, the problem isn't the physical aspect (it can get hot as well!). The problem is finding the trails. In many places I was in grass well above my waist and sometimes head high. In these conditions a trail wasn't even visible under my feet. I trusted to following ridgelines (the 'logical' path in many cases), getting overviews of the terrain (paths sometimes better seen from a distance), and my sense of direction regarding where I wanted to go.

If you are mainly interested in hiking for the sake of exploring the island, admiring the views, etc (rather than getting from A to B) then you shouldn't have any problems. All of my hiking was of the day trip, circular out and back sorts of excursions. I just explored and as I learned more about the conditions, then I did more.

If I was to return and try a long cross-island hike in one go, I'd probably consider taking on a guide/walking companion, if only to save time.

can you go walking all the way from Octopus Resort to Wayasewa or from Wayalailai to Waya island?

Yes, it is possible. Based on what I did, then I'd want to reserve 2-3 days for this. I wouldn't want to consider it a day trip hike. Hours-wise, and knowing exactly where you're going, then Octopus to the south tip of Waya (and back?) in a day is perhaps possible. Not sure if it would be a pleasant way to see the island. I prefer a more relaxed pace.

If you were to follow the coast, rather than going inland, then you will have to time the hiking with the tides. Some sections of shoreline are not passable at high tide, and at low tide can be rather tedious in sections (exposed coral and/or very rocky).

You'd have to cross a sandbar at low tide to get to Wayasewa. It might be walkable. When I was there a somewhat deeper channel, even at low tide, meant that it was as much a brief 'swim' as it was a walk. I didn't cross to Wayasewa myself, for reasons/hindrances mentioned. From what I could observe, hiking conditions on Wayasewa are the same as on Waya.

Hi Antonio,

is it 1h30 min enough from the international arrival to the national departure at Nadi Airport?

I would leave a bit more time just in case, especially if you're flying Fiji Airways. We've heard one or two stories and we also had a lost luggage incident so just be on the safe side.

is it easy to do the excursions there by your self?

Absolutely. You can simply hail a bus and go along (although do ask a local for a rough timetable because they're not as regular as they could be). Ticket offices are well marked and the hikes are relatively straightforward.

Any recommendation on the island where to stay?

We camped at Beverly's Beach which also has dorm rooms and one double room. The facilities are very basic but the beach is just gorgeous. If you're looking for something a bit more comfortable, nearby Maravu Lodge is also nice but obviously a bit more expensive.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Taveuni. It is one of the most beautiful islands we've ever visited – very lush, very green, very beautiful. The Yasawas are the 'Hollywood' Fiji hence very beautiful also, but I would try not to miss Taveuni.

Hope this helps.

Kia, Atlas and Boots