Should I stay on Taveuni or in Savusavu?

Taveuni puts you closest to the Rainbow Reef and the Bouma waterfalls, and it suits a week of diving and walking. Savusavu is a small town with cafés, a marina and hot springs by the water, and it's a good base for Namena, village visits and the rainforest walk at Waisali. Many travellers split their time and cross between the two by ferry.

What is diving the Rainbow Reef like?

Most dives are drifts timed to the tide. Guides drop you up-current and you drift along walls and pinnacles covered in soft coral, which opens up and shows its colour when the water is moving. The Great White Wall is the best-known site. The currents here suit divers who are comfortable with their buoyancy, and guides choose calmer sites for newer divers.

When is the best time to visit Vanua Levu and Taveuni?

The drier months from about May to October are cooler and better for walking, with fewer downpours to muddy the trails. From November to April it's hotter and wetter, with a risk of cyclones, and Taveuni's eastern side around Bouma gets heavy rain. Diving carries on year-round, since the water stays warm. In the wet season, leave a spare day around your flights.

Can I get to Vanua Levu by ferry?

Yes. Ferries cross from Natovi Landing, north of Suva, to Nabouwalu at the western end of Vanua Levu in two and a half to four and a half hours, depending on the boat and the sea, and through buses carry on to Savusavu and Labasa. Larger ferries also sail from Suva to Savusavu and on to Taveuni. Timetables change and services are sometimes suspended, so check sailings the week you travel.

Things to do in Vanua Levu & Taveuni

Overview

Vanua Levu is Fiji's second-largest island, quieter and less developed than Viti Levu, with cane fields around Labasa in the north and rainforest and coconut plantations along its southern coast. Taveuni lies off its southeastern shore across the Somosomo Strait, a steep volcanic island often called the Garden Island. The strait is the reason most people come. Tidal currents run through it and feed the soft corals of the Rainbow Reef. Savusavu, the main town on the south coast, is a small port where yachts shelter in a deep bay.

Where to dive and walk

Most of the diving happens in Cakaudrove, which takes in Savusavu and Taveuni along with the smaller islands nearby. Boats reach the Rainbow Reef and the Great White Wall from both sides of the strait, and snorkelling trips visit the shallower reefs on calm days. On Taveuni, the Bouma National Heritage Park has the three Tavoro waterfalls and the Lavena coastal walk, and a guided hike climbs through rainforest to Lake Tagimaucia. West of Savusavu, Bua is where the Natovi ferry lands at Nabouwalu, and its Kubulau villages look after the Namena Marine Reserve, a horseshoe reef that dive boats cross to when the sea allows. Macuata, on the north coast, holds Labasa, the island's sugar town, and faces the Great Sea Reef.

Getting there and how long to stay

Flights from Nadi and Suva land at Savusavu, Labasa and Matei on Taveuni, and ferries link Savusavu and Buca Bay with Taveuni. You can also come by sea from Viti Levu on the ferry from Natovi to Nabouwalu, with buses on to Savusavu and Labasa. Give yourself at least four nights if diving is the point, since wind and current can move a day's plans, and add two or three more to see both Savusavu and Taveuni. It pairs well with a week in the west, with flights back to Nadi for your connection home.

Booking on adventuro

Reef dives on the Rainbow Reef, snorkel trips and guided walks on Taveuni are the core of what's on offer here. Use the Book here tab to see live dates, then match them to a flight you can move by a day if the weather turns.

Overview