Lomaiviti Group- fiji

Hi,

My friend and I are hoping to go to Fiji next year when we are in Australia. We have been reading up about it and the Lomoiviti group+ looks far more interesting than the more popular +Yasawas Group+. We are not big on drinking or partying, and it seems that certain parts of Fiji are popular because of this! We are looking for interesting towns, beautiful beaches and maybe some hiking and diving! But we are on a +tiny budget... but luckily, we want to keep accommodation basic anyway (no fancy hotels!)

Our main questions are:
Is Yasawas area as bad as it sounds (busy beaches, lots of tourists and partying)?
And is the transport around the Lomitivi group that hard? Because if it isn't....then I think our decision is already made! However we cant find much info on this and are not sure how easy it will be.

We have thought about spending around 2 weeks here, but we are open to suggestions!

THANKS!

Is Yasawas area as bad as it sounds (busy beaches, lots of tourists and partying)?

The issue has more to do with specific resorts/islands, not with the entire yasawa chain. Waya island is quite peaceful, 'party' free, and budget to mid-range (small) resorts to choose from. Yasawas are busy because they're close to Nadi airport. Also they're relatively more expensive than other places.

And is the transport around the Lomitivi group that hard?

It depends on which islands you have in mind. Between Ovalau and the mainland (Viti Levu) there is a daily ferry. To the satellite resort islands you take motor boats (no ferries). I do not recall there being any form of public transport to any other islands. The overall atmosphere of Ovalau (main town Levuka) is much more Fijian than anything you'd find on the Yasawas. Leleuvia and Caqalai resorts are relatively less expensive - the're at budget end, facilities more basic, etc.

ah...interesting! Do you know of a website or anything that would tell us this exact info? It is quite a while until we go, we just wanted to get an idea.

THANKS

This website has some basic "how to get there" info. Flights and ferries will have fixed schedules. I don't know how up to date it is: the basic ferry schedule seems to have remained the same for years.

You arrange the private motorboats with the small-island resorts directly. They can shuttle you to and from Levuka, or bring you to and from a pickup point on Viti Levu, (and you make your own way to and from Suva from there, using public transport). There's no schedule, except the tides and when they plan to go do some shopping themselves.