Things to do in Viti Levu
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Wilderness Ethnic Adventure Fiji
Offers several tours on the Navua River that pick up from Suva hotels. There are rafting and canoeing tours, half- and full-day tours to Nasilai village and city tours of Suva that take in the Fiji Museum and bushwalking in Colo-i-Suva Forest Park. See website for more details.
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Mariamma Temple
The South Indian fire-walking festival is held here during July or August. Of all Fiji's cultural rituals, the extraordinary art of fire walking is perhaps the most impressive. Watching men display the poise of a lead ballerina while they traverse a pit of blazing embers without combusting is truly baffling. Even more mystifying is the fact that, originally, this ritual was practised in Fiji only on the tiny island of Beqa, and by two neighbouring and disparate cultures - Indigenous Fijian and Hindu - for completely different reasons.
Indigenous Fijian firewalking is known as vilavilairevo (literally 'jumping into the oven'). Hindu fire walking is part of an annual religi…
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Colo-i-Suva Forest Park
This lush rainforest park, pronounced tholo-ee-soo-va, is a 2.5-sq-km oasis teeming with vivid and melodic birdlife and tropical flora. The 6.5km of walking trails navigate clear natural pools and gorgeous vistas, with just a touch of Indiana Jones in the rope swings over water and stone steps across streams. Sitting at an altitude of 120m to 180m, it's a cool and peaceful respite from Suva's urban hubbub.
Flowing through the forest is the Waisila Creek, which makes its way down to the Waimanu River and is the water catchment for the Nausori/Nasinu areas. The creek gives rise to natural swimming holes, and there are picnic tables, shelters and change rooms as well as a su…
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University of the South Pacific
- Suva, Fiji
- Sights › University
With beautiful lawns and excellent facilities, the USP's Laucala Campus offers some picturesque strolling and fascinating people watching. The campus includes a small botanical garden and the Oceania Centre for Arts & Culture. This is the biggest of USP's campuses, and with more than 11,000 students it attracts attendees and staff from all over the South Pacific as well as the USA, New Zealand and Australia.
Mingling among Fijian students you're likely to see young academics from the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu and Western Samoa. The university itself is jointly owned by the governments of 12 Pacific countries and is a fee-paying institution. Many students rely…
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Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple
At the base of Main St, away from the commercial hype, this peaceful Hindu temple strikes a vibrant pose against a dramatic mountainous backdrop. It is a tranquil spot to reflect and distance yourself from Nadi's boisterous main drag. The prolific wooden carvings of Hindu deities travelled all the way from India, as did the artists who dressed the temple in its colourful coat and impressive ceiling frescos.
You can wander around the main temple to see the Hindu Lord Shiva's various forms, all incarnations being manifestations of the One Supreme Lord. This is a Murugan temple and worship of Lord Murugan is equivalent to the worship of nature. He is the guardian deity of th…
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Fiji Museum
This excellent museum captivates visitors with a journey into Fiji's archaeological, political, cultural and linguistic evolution. Original examples of musical instruments, cooking apparatus, jewellery - including chiefs' whale tooth necklaces - and a daunting array of Fijian war clubs and cannibal utensils offer a vivid insight into traditional life.
The growing influence of other South Pacific and European cultures on the Fijian islands is also demonstrated through exhibits on pottery, fishing methods and trade.
Taking centre stage is the massive Ratu Finau (1913); Fiji's last waqa tabus (double hulled canoe), which measures 13.43m in length and includes an enclosed de…
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Albert Park
Charles Kingsford Smith was the first aviator to cross the Pacific, flying in his little Fokker trimotor, The Southern Cross, from California to Australia. The longest leg of the flight was the 34-hour trip from Hawaii to Fiji. Suva's Albert Park, with its hill at one end and the Grand Pacific Hotel at the other, was made into a makeshift landing strip for his arrival. Trees were still being cleared after Smith had already left Hawaii.
Kingsford Smith and his crew arrived on 6 June 1928, and were welcomed by a crowd of thousands, including colonial dignitaries who had gathered at the Grand Pacific Hotel to witness and celebrate this major event. Because the park was too s…
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Old Mill Cottage
Housed (as the name suggests) in a gracious old timber cottage, this Suva institution is the city's best spot for adventurous gastronomes to dabble in authentic Fijian fare. Exotic dishes including palusami (meat, onion and lolo wrapped in dalo leaves and baked in a lovo), curried shellfish, and seaweed or fish stewed in lolo assemble themselves underneath the front counter alongside Indian curries and vegetarian dishes. You can also dig into a traditional roast.
Addicted office workers cram into the joint for lunch, parking themselves at tables on the front veranda or at the large booth seating inside. The spacious interior is filled with a pleasant cross-breeze (which m…
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Parliament of Fiji
Opened in June 1992, the Parliament Complex must be one of the world's most striking political hubs. Designed in post-1987-atmosphere, the aim of maintaining indigenous-Fijian values is apparent through the open-air corridors, traditional arts and structures and masi cloths throughout. The main building, vale ne bose lawa (parliament house), takes its form from the traditional vale (family house) and has a ceremonial access from Ratu Sukuna Rd.
It's advisable to call ahead if you want to tour the grounds, but you can also obtain a Visitors Pass from the guard at the main entrance. It's also possible to sit in on a parliamentary session by calling in advance.
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Thurston Gardens
After visiting the museum, ponder on your new found knowledge with a wander through these compact but beautiful gardens ( M032A). The dense conglomeration of native flora and surrounding lawns are less manicured and more scattered haphazardly but heavy landscaping would detract from the tropical element. The colourful vegetation will generate appreciative murmurs from the casual visitor and much of the vegetation is also labelled for the benefit of avid horticulturalists.
Crisscrossing walking trails traverse the park, and bench seating provides sensory-fatigue relief. It's a lovely spot for a picnic, particularly if you camp yourself under one of the grand and stately fi…
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O'Reillys
- Suva, Fiji
- Entertainment › Pub
O'Reillys kicks the evening off in relatively subdued fashion - relaxed punters playing pool or watching sport on the numerous TVs. But it brews quite a party as the hours tick by and come 11ish the place is generally throbbing with a gleeful crowd of locals and travellers. There's no distinct age code, and backpackers, foreign contractors, locals and expats fill the dance floor, shaking their bits to Europop, soft metal, techno, peppy country and western…basically anything that keeps the crowd moving.
Forget warm pints of Guinness; the only Irish quality about O'Reillys (aside from the name) is that it's enough fun to knock your socks off.
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Wacking Stick Adventure Tours
Based at Stoney Creek Resort, Wacking Stick Adventure Tours rents good mountain bikes and sends you off with a map to explore the cane fields and the foothills of the Sabeto Mountains and Valley.
It also offers good half- and full-day tours, including the Sleeping Giant Bike and Hike, which includes a visit to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant and a hot spring, a bike ride around the Sabeto area, and a hike to a cave and a waterfall through jungle. There are also half-day and sunset tours and for the really energetic, three- or five-day tours, which include all meals and accommodation.
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Chefs, the Restaurant
One of Nadi's finest; this swanky restaurant is perfect for a splurge on taste and atmosphere. Meals match the refined surrounds with a truly global menu offering roasted duckling ravioli, Afghan chicken and excellent seafood dishes. Downstairs, the café version of this main event has a roomy and relaxed interior and serves Indian and Thai curries as well as pizza, pasta, salads and burgers. The air-con will allow you to enjoy the vindaloo even in the midst of summer.
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Daikoku
Behind a fortress of ornate timber doors, Daikoku is about having as much fun as you can filling your belly. Patrons sit around large square hotplates while their individual chef performs the sometimes gentle, sometimes energetic, always entertaining art of teppanyaki. Also gracing the menu is delicate sushi and sashimi as well as traditional pickles and Japanese beer to whet the palate. The atmosphere is intimate, the service flawless and the food utterly sublime.
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Rucksack Club
- Suva, Fiji
- Activities › Hiking
Keen trekkers should contact the Rucksack Club for weekly walking adventures either inland or to other islands. Ask the Fiji Visitors Bureau for the latest contact number because the membership changes regularly, as most of the 80 to 100 members are expats on contract in Fiji. The club hosts fortnightly meetings on Wednesday nights at St Andrew's Church (on Gordon St) in appreciation of Fiji's beauty and culture, with guest speakers and performers.
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Malt House Brewery & Restaurant
Never short of a happy crowd, this bar-restaurant entertains patrons with delicious home-brew and even better food. Wood-fired pizzas go down well with the ales and lagers made on the premises but you can also treat your tastebuds to some of the most refined and creative seafood and meat dishes in Fiji. It's a bit of a trek from the centre and often filled with a boisterous din, but leaving Suva without a night here would be a crime.
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Turtle Airways
Flights over the Nausori Highlands and the patchwork farmland of the Sigatoka Valley are also spectacular. The views from flights are especially beautiful on a sunny day. Everything is pretty close on the islands, it takes only 10 minutes to fly from Nadi to the Mamanucas. The islands, coral reefs and depths of blues and greens are gorgeous when seen from above - snorkellers and divers will drool at the sight.
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JJ's on the Park
Dishing up good Western-style food and blessed with terrific harbour views from the 180-degree glass frontage, JJ's is an atmospheric place to dine. Salads, burgers, enchiladas, steak and fresh seafood dishes are served in generous quantities and the wine list is impressive. The surrounds are glossy and polished, service is attentive and a Fijian Belafonte often taps the ivory in the background.
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Fijian Islands and Snorkel Full-Day Whales Tale Cruise including Beach BBQ Lunch
9 - 10 hours (Departs Nadi or Coral Coast, Fiji)
by Viator
Snorkel the Fijian coral reefs, swim in the blue water or simply relax and enjoy the natural beauty on this Fijian full-day cruise.Your cruise includes continen…
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from USD$112.81 -
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Ed's Bar
- Nadi, Fiji
- Entertainment › Bar
Nadi's best watering hole draws local and visiting social animals and keeps them happy with cheap beer and friendly staff. There's a small dining section inside but the bar is the main event, where stool seating, pool tables and live bands dominate. Tables outside catch the breeze but they generally fill by late afternoon so you'll have to strap your beer boots on earlyish to nab one.
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Raffles Floating Restaurant
The floating restaurant attached to Raffles Tradewinds hotel is one of the most scenic spots in Suva to dine. Lunch is the best time to enjoy the harbour views, when the glass windows surrounding the interior flood the room with light. Seafood and classy steak dishes feature highly on the dinner menu, but lunch is a cheaper and more relaxed affair. The burgers here are legendary.
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National Stadium
Fijians are fanatical about their rugby and, even if you aren't that keen on the game, it's worth going to a match. The season lasts from April to September and teams tough it here at the National Stadium. The atmosphere is huge. Ask at the Fiji Visitors Bureau if there will be a match during your stay. You can also catch players training hard at Albert Park during the week.
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Korea House
The interior of this restaurant may lose its oomph once you pass the grand entrance flanked by a Korean mural but the food does not. Pungent kimchi (pickled vegetables) and sticky Korean barbecue dishes are served as well as authentic squid, pork, tofu, prawn and chicken. There's an around F$10 lunch special and many dishes attract a 10% discount at night.
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Sun Air
Sun Air flies to Mana and Malololailai. Most domestic flights are scenic, especially on a sunny day. It takes only 10 minutes to fly from Nadi to the Mamanucas and the islands, coral reefs and depths of blues and greens are gorgeous when seen from above - snorkellers and divers will drool at the sight. Confirm in advance if you wish to use a resort's facilities.
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Traps Bar
Something of a subterranean saloon bar, Traps is one of Suva's best drinking holes. Take a seat in the pub-like pool room with wide-screen TV (yes with sports) or join the happy din at the main bar, which also features a vibrant dance floor. The crowd is generally young and trendy, but not pretentious. Live music is frequent as are Bob Marley sing-alongs.
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