Fiji: Part 1: The Outer Islands (Yasawas and Mamacunas)

21/07: Monday

The flight from Auckland to Fiji was fine, and I finally arrived in the early afternoon. My accommodation was brilliant. It was near the airport and right on the beach (it even had it's own section). I sorted all my kit and got ready for departure to the outer islands the next morning.

22/07: Tuesday

I left the mainland for Beachcomber island early in the morning. The bus took us all to the marina, and from here we boarded a ferry to the islands (1 hour).

Beachcomber island was a tiny circular island, just 100 m in diameter. There was an amazing sandy beach around the island and a rainforest in the middle. I stayed in the large wooden bure dorm in the middle of the forest and a few meters from the beach.

During the day I stayed on the beach and went snorkelling. The evenings were great fun too, with an active bar and late nights watching the reef sharks swimming in the surf next to the beach! The stars were also incredible. The stars in the southern hemisphere are spectacular, and the absolute darkness meant that even the whispy milky way could be seen clearly.

I stayed at Beachcomber two nights, before taking the ferry to the Octopus resort on Waya island, two further hours from the mainland.

24/07: Friday

Octopus resort was incredible, easily the nicest place I have ever been. The beach was pristine and stretched for miles, with rainforest backing the beach the whole way. The resort itself was brand new and perfect. All the buildings were wooden and beautifully maintained. The food was also wonderful.

I spent the afternoon snorkelling, which was incredible. There were hundreds of types of fish, manta rays and massive underwater cliffs. In the evening we played volleyball, did crab racing and relaxed in the bar.

The following morning, I took a boat from the resort to a far away village with some guys at the resort. We visited the village chief, before hiking back over the mountains in around five hours. Part of the route was pretty overgrown so we ended up cutting through parts of the forest to find a route. I then had lunch and took the thee hour ferry back to the mainland.