Travel in and around Fiji

Hi,

I've got a month next July/August to have a look round Fiji and hopefully Tonga and Samoa. Any recommendations about how to travel this the cheapest. Also, any ideas on places to go to and avoid!

All help welcome before I start to plan.

Cheers

Fiji Airways is the main option for getting between the countries. I don't recommend Samoa, and since you only have a month I'd just limit it to Fiji & Tonga.

Fiji has a lot to offer and is as cheap as the South Pacific gets. Public buses on the mainland are cheap and efficient, but unfortunately the outer islands are much nicer places to be and more costly to get to. Nonetheless, you can still travel around places like the Yasawas without breaking the bank.

Just returned from Fiji last month. Spent all of our time on the main island, Viti Levu. We took a bus from the airport to Pacific Harbour. It was a 3 hour ride, and costs about $FJD 12 or $6 USD. We enjoyed our stay there. We also visited Sigatoka and Suva but bus. Buses are large a/c coaches with entertainment, i.e. movies or music. It is an easy and cheap way to get around the mainland.

We didn't venture out to any of the outer islands, mainly because of the costs. When I did research and found out the costs of transfers and stays on some of the islands, they did not fit into my budget. We did not go to Fiji for snorkeling or diving, and just wanted to relax. We ended up having a wonderful cultural experience just where we were.

and hopefully Tonga and Samoa.

Be aware there aren't non-stop flights from Samoa to Apia, AFAIK. You would need to change planes in Fiji.

Well, Apia is in Samoa already!
There are no direct flights from Samoa to Tonga.
However, I think 2 countries are enough to fill a month without rushing, and like #tch7, I also recommend Tonga, rather than Samoa, as a side-trip from Fiji.

There are no direct flights from Samoa to Tonga.

That's what I wanted to say. However, for some reason I had a lapsus and typed Apia instead of Tonga, sorry.

the cheapest way to travel around the main Island of Fiji, Viti Levu is by bus. It is very easy to travel by bus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHRsrj0sIgk

The cheapest accommodation would be to stay in Villages as you make your way around Viti Levu

http://www.fijihomestays.com/

Thirdworldaway - I think you are making a lot of generalizations in your posting. I found the people of Fiji to be very friendly.

I do all my travelling around the main two islands in Fiji by local bus, although sometimes I use a share taxi or minivan if I need to get somewhere fast. Unlike post #7, I've never encountered any problems. Been there 15 times already, on my own; a few of those times for extended stays. IMO, Fiji is one of the safest places in the SP.

The witch burning in PNG is dreadful, but it isn't common, nor is it a threat to visitors. Fiji has nothing like the crime in Port Moresby, that's like comparing apples to oranges.

Watsoff - I agree with you. We did all of our traveling via public buss too, and had no trouble whatsoever. We stayed in Pacific Harbor and took the bus from Nadi Airport, to Suva to Sigatoka and to Lautoka. The bus is an inexpensive and comfortable way to get around the island.

I would go back to Fiji in a heartbeat.

Ditto.
Been to Fiji several times and have never had any safety issues even in the cities at night.
More remote rural places are as friendly and hospitable as any in Polynesia.

Note that the author of that strange scaremongering post has only registered to make 2 posts of the same nature. I guess he or she has a personal grudge.