A variety of western and local dishes such as:
Kocoda (marinated fish in lemon juice served with diced tomatoes, onions and coconut milk)
Ika vaka loco (fish cooked in coconut milk)
Lovo (traditional earth oven)
Spaghetti
Pizza
Soups
Roast chicken
Vegetarian options
We hand pick our partner villages to provide a unique village homestay.
In your village homestay, you will have your own private, comfortable room in a family house within the village. You will share a toilet and eat with the family, usually on the floor in the traditional style. You have two nights here.
You’ll spend two nights at the bohemian style surf lodge is the most modern of all your accommodation. You will sleep in a mixed, six bed bure style dorm unless you request to upgrade to a private bure.
Your final three nights are at a locally owned eco lodge deep in the interior of the mainland. Here is another authentic experience where life is simple and back to basics as it has been for centuries.
Monday – Day 1
We will collect you from the airport or Nadi town, whichever is easiest for you, and take you to wallow in the mud pools after a walk in the Garden on the Sleeping Giant. You’ll then head to the village for a traditional village welcome ceremony, sevusevu and evening meal before an early night.
Tuesday – Day 2
Learn all about village life, help to cook, go fishing with the women and relax in the slow pace of island life. You have a change to do extra local activities if you want. We can discuss this.
Wednesday – Day 3
At this idyllic hideaway nestled under palms on a pristine beach, you’ll discover the local surroundings on a jungle walk with Juta, an elder from the next door village. High tide allows you to take a kayak out to the reef of go for a snorkel. Stand Up Paddle boards are available to hire too.
Thursday – Day 4
Today, at high tide, you’ll try your hand at coral gardening then have a surfing lesson on the local break. If there is a shark snorkelling trip you can substitute the surfing for this exciting reef experience, don’t worry, theres nothing to be afraid of!
Friday – Day 5
After an early, three hour journey from the coast to a locally owned, village eco lodge deep in the interior of the mainland, you’ll settle into your quaint, traditional bure with the sound of the river and birds surrounding you. Here is where you’ll step back in time to experience life with very limited electricity, locally cooked food, simple, yet comfortable bure rooms and a real appreciation of the way life used to be.
Saturday – Day 6
Today you’ll leave early on a day hike deep into the highland jungle, a very different hike to the one you did on the coast. These are ancient footpaths still used by local villages to track pigs, carry food to trade amongst each other. You’ll have a welcome ceremony in one of the villages you have to pass on your way and eat a picnic at a huge waterfall.
“You’ll have breakfast before heading off into the jungle to start your jungle tramp. The small, local, farmers track winds into the forest towards a village about an hour away. A sevusevu is where you’ll meet the Chief and get permission to go to the secret waterfall. After a few bowls of kava you’ll head downhill to the waterfall where you can jump, wallow and relax in the cool water. The day of scrambling, slipping, sliding, getting wet and muddy is filled with roughly hour long forest based walking with half hour breaks. We crossed two rivers, started with seven people and at one point had 19 in the group! Locals come along for the chat and join on their way to their farms. A pig followed us on his muddy jungle track for about half an hour, seemingly showing us the way home!”
Children are welcome on this hike – 11 year old joined our group.
Sunday – Day 7
After breakfast hop on a traditional ‘bilibili’ raft which will take you down the river. Transport will then return you down to the coastline onto the airport or next leg of your journey.
It can be chilly at night up in the highlands
Bring lots of spare pairs of socks as the humidity means things take longer to dry than usual
Your walking boots/shoes will be wet on the second day of the eco lodge visit unless you manage to keep them dry
The double beds on the eco lodge are foam mattresses
There is no mains electricity in the eco lodge so candles are used at night. Please prepare yourself for going back to basics, this is a really rustic and beautiful experience
You may come across the odd creepy crawly. There are no poisonous spiders or snakes and no insects that can seriously harm you so don’t be afraid
