Island hopping in the Yasawas in Fiji

Fiji was a place I always wanted to go after seeing it on telly as a little kid, so once I was over on this side of the world, I just had to get there! The main island of Fiji, Viti Levi, is lovely, but the smaller surrounding islands are the real, paradise destinations.

We booked a package trip through Awesome Adventures Fiji, but you can also book a ‘Bula Pass’, which gives you hop on, hop off for the boat that goes around the islands, and then you can book your accommodation separately. The ferry takes you from Port Denarau, Nadi, to the Yasawa and Mamanuca Islands. We stayed at Blue Lagoon on Nacula island, Barefoot Manta on Drawaqa island, Barefoot Kuata Island resort and Beachcomber Island Resort. All were incredible!

The resorts that Awesome Adventures are linked with are pretty much the only ones that exist in the Yasawa Islands. So there isn’t much choice to shop around and you do get what you pay for, so it doesn’t come especially cheap! You can choose cheaper resorts to get the price down, but for the best islands it can be a bit pricey. It is SO worth it though, every island we went to blew me away, and here’s some reasons why:

– The beaches

They are just pristine – picture perfect with crystal clear water and palm trees and coconuts everywhere you look. The locals and resort staff all take great pride in their Islands too, so they’re all super clean. Pretty much every resort is either on or just a few seconds from the beach, which means you can constantly hear the ocean. And the sand’s proximity to the bar means you can enjoy many cocktails on the beach! 🙂

– The marine life

Most of the islands are fringed with coral reef so the marine life here is incredible, which is a massive draw for me as I love snorkelling and diving! We saw cuttlefish, octopus, clown fish, clams, moray eels, manta rays and sharks – the underwater world here really is exceptional. Many of the resorts have dive shops and a few of them, for example Barefoot Manta, have marine conservation work you can get involved with. My underwater highlights were snorkelling with manta rays at Barefoot Manta and diving with bull sharks at Barefoot Kuata.

– The sunsets

Fiji is in the middle of the South Pacific and, for the most part, all you can see when looking out from the islands is miles and miles of open ocean. So this makes for some breathtaking sunsets! Nothing shouts perfection like sipping a piña colada, on a sandy beach, underneath a palm tree, while watching the sun set over the sea 🙂

– The people

Fijians have to be the most welcoming, happy and relaxed people on the planet! ‘Bula’ is their favourite word, which seems to mean means everything from ‘hello’ to ‘hooray!’ – it’s generally a very jolly term! Every time you arrive at a new island the resort staff are there waiting with guitars and ukuleles to greet you with a Bula song, it’s so cute! They can’t do enough for you while you’re there with free activities like weaving, walks, guided snorkelling, volleyball etc. And you get another song when you leave!

– The food

All of the islands that we visited had compulsory meal packages, which were between 88 and 200 FJD per day. This paid for three decent meals for each day. Breakfast was always a buffet style with cooked and continental options, and also the option to order things like pancakes, omelette and fried eggs. Lunch and dinner varied from a menu of options or buffets, and with both there were plenty of options. We had burgers, curries, seafood, soup, stir fries, traditional Fijian food… it was all great! Dinner was always three courses too. The Fijians go big on food – you won’t go hungry!