Fiji's adventure playground

Say 'bula' to an unforgettable family holiday

  • 5 June 2018

    If you’ve never been to Fiji, it’s time to put it on the list. Filled with sunshine, beauty and adventure, this tiny archipelago in the South Pacific is awash with white sandy beaches and stunning crystal blue waters teeming with coral and fish. This adventure playground is also one of the friendliest places on earth and the Fijian love for children is legendary. It’s one of the reasons why families adore it—and why so many return.

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    Snorkelling or scuba diving, swimming or kayaking—there are plenty of ways to discover Fiji’s unique marine life. Beneath its warm South Pacific waters is a vibrant underworld of soft coral and fish waiting to be discovered. Children as young as 10 can learn to PADI dive at many of the islands’ resorts while kids as young as eight can do ‘bubble-making’ classes in the resort pool. At Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, ‘sassy’ is a combined snorkelling and scuba course for kids aged eight to 10, while at Castaway Island Resort, children 10 years and over can learn to dive and head out with mum and dad to world-famous dive sites like The Supermarket, Big W and Gotham City.

    Three people kayaking in single kayaks across a coral reef near the shore of Fiji 

    Immerse yourself

    It’s easy to disconnect from modern life in Fiji. Take a hike through the birdsong-rich, lush interiors of Taveuni, visit breath-taking waterfalls or swim in a secluded lagoon. The Coral Coast, an 80km stretch of tiny beaches and bays on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu is a place where mums and dads can relax and kids run barefoot and free. For a cultural adventure, families can float down the Navua River on a billi billi (bamboo raft) to the Tavuni Hill Fort remains or jump aboard the Sigatoka River Safari Jetboat to authentic Fijian villages where a traditional lunch is served. For thrills, just outside Nadi is Zipline Fiji. Here, kids can scoot across the rainforest canopy and over gushing waterfalls and streams.

    Fijian women performing the traditional dance of Fiji 

    Island hopping

    Ditch the mainland beaches and explore Fiji’s many unspoilt islands. There are 330 in total, many of which are still uninhabited. Set sail on board the Ra Marama to Tivua Island, a private coral atoll in the heavenly Mamanuca Islands or cruise the South Pacific waters on a South Sea Cruise to the Yasawa Island Group. Fiji’s statuesque westernmost islands are remote and rugged with grassy mountain peaks that seem to rush at breakneck speed into the sea. South Sea Cruise also run day trips to the Mamanuca Islands, and the tiny Modriki Island, location of the Tom Hanks movie Castaway. For a fun outing, Cloud 9 is a floating bar off Nadi where you can swim, snorkel, sunbathe and refuel on wood-fired pizzas.

    Cloud 9, floating bar off Nadi, on crystal clear blue waters 

    Two words: Kids clubs

    Say goodbye to guilt and hello to ‘me’ time. With so many wonderful kids’ clubs in Fiji, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to entertaining the kids. Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort has one of the best kids clubs in the Pacific, with a marine biologist on hand to teach kids about the ocean plus buddies for fun activities like raft building, snorkelling and spearfishing. New mums travelling with young babies and toddlers can rest easy in your thatched bure at Sigatoka’s Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort. Their Meimei nanny service is one of the best. The Sheraton Fiji Resort on Denarau Island is minutes from the action of the outer islands. But for families who just want to drop and flop, there are six swimming pools and a fun kids’ club.

    Kids learning to build a raft at Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort 

    The warmest welcome

    Fijians have happiness in spades. In a 2014 global poll, this tiny island nation was voted happiest in the world. Famous for warmth and hospitality, you’ll be felled by ebullient smiles and friendly greetings of ‘bula’ wherever you go in Fiji. Maybe it’s all that sunshine or the endless blue sea? Maybe it’s Fiji time, the unhurried pace to island life that works its magic on holiday makers and leaves them feeling relaxed and renewed? Whatever the reason for such buoyant cheer, before long you’ll be smiling and nodding ‘bula’, too.

    Getting there:

    Virgin Australia, Fiji Airways, Qantas and Jetstar all fly to Nadi.

    When to travel:

    High season in Fiji is June to September. Summer and autumn bring fewer tourists and cheaper rates.

    More information

    http://www.fiji.travel/

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