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Tel: +44 7733 265360 Email: kirsty@island-spirit.org Skype: KirstyBarnby Or Send a Message Below

Wildcrafted Traveller

Fiji

Ridge to Reef Volunteering Discovery

A co-ordinated volunteering trip to study elements of the island ecosystem and rich culture. Gain credits, boost your CV with applied international development, environmental and cultural experience
From: £2320
  • £
  • US$
Book Here
Key Activities Include:
  • Please note: Prices are from £2320 - £2695 and charged in USD$ due to Brexit

  • PADI Open water certificate (or dives of equivalent value)

  • 16 days wildcrafted island camping with reef and coastal workshops including coral gardening and mangrove planting and permaculture

  • A shark snorkel or SUP session and locally guided jungle hike

  • 6 days of island chill time

"I've learned so much while I stayed in the village. It's hard for me to put my experience into words other than it's one of those life changing experiences and it will always be in my heart".
Trine Ellehammer Christensen November 25, 2013
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Where we will take you

Route Map

Airport
Landmarks Visited On This Trip
Brief Itinerary
  • Collection from the airport
  • Two nights in a surf lodge to acclimatise and relax after your flight
  • Overnight ferry to your island home
  • 5 days for your PADI Open water certificate (or dives of equivalent value) and living in a local village
  • 5 days of planting mahogany hardwood and living in a local village
  • 7 days of coral gardening, crown of thorns clearance and mangrove planting in a remote island location
  • 3 days of mangrove planting and living in a local village
  • Overnight ferry back to the mainland
  • 5 days on a remote desert island break
Taste Of The Island

Please budget for your own bottled water ($FJD3 each) if you don’t want to drink boiled water. We recommend two per day, you can buy it together with snacks at the local town before you go to your village.

Breakfast:
Village breakfasts include lemon leaf tea, flour-based buns, banana and porridge.
Adventure breakfasts on the move consist of muesli with fruit and tea or coffee.

Packed lunches:
Village lunches will be similar to dinners and will consist of a variety of dishes made from locally grown cassava, dalo (both root crops), fish and local spinaches. Lots of food is cooked in lolo (coconut milk).
Adventure lunches on the move are a choice of roti (curry wrapped in a savory pancake - very filling!) or tuna or cheese and pickle sandwiches or soup with bread (food requests other than vegetarianism can not be catered for).

Dinner
Village dinners are similar to the lunches

Prices And Availability
  • Start Date
    Price
    Availability
  • 01/06/2019
    £2320
    Available
  • 07/06/2019
    £2320
    Available
  • 14/06/2019
    £2320
    Available
  • 21/06/2019
    £2320
    Available
  • 28/06/2019
    £2320
    Available
  • 06/07/2019
    £2320
    Available
  • 13/07/2019
    £2320
    Available
  • 20/07/2019
    £2320
    Available
  • 27/07/2019
    £2320
    Available
  • £
  • US$
Included/Excluded
Included:
  • PADI Open water certificate (or dives of equivalent value)
  • Coral gardening, mangrove planting and permaculture workshops
  • 6 days of island chill time
  • Village Sevusevu ceremony and all activities
  • Local orientation and introduction to island history and Marine Protected Areas (MPA)
  • Shark Snorkel
  • Stand Up Paddle boarding
  • Jungle hike
  • Transfers and island transportation
  • All accommodation including village homestay and cosy beach lodges
  • All meals
  • Pre-departure support and information
  • 24 hour in-country support
  • A personalised reference on departure
  • Visa
Excluded:
  • Snacks and water
  • Return journey
  • Optional extras
Accommodation Details

Village homestays are really simple but very comfortable. They have generator electricity usually run on solar energy so electric access can be sporadic.

Please don’t use devices in public except for your camera, everyone loves their picture being taken.

Storytelling, singing, jokes and riddles during kava replace TV at night. Your versions will be welcomed with open ears and huge smiles!

Activities
  • PADI Open water certificate (or dives of equivalent value)
  • Coral gardening
  • Mangrove and mahogany planting
  • An desert island based holiday at the end
  • Locally guided jungle hike
  • Shark snorkel or SUP session
  • Sea kayaking
Detailed Itinerary

Please see our brief itinerary. Our detailed itinerary for this trip is available on request and after a deposit is paid.

Perfect for students who are keen explore the cultural depths and off the radar, pristine environment of the outer islands of Fiji. This isn’t a holiday and may push your boundaries a little but will be incredibly rewarding.

Included:

  • 2 days briefing and acclimatisation
  • 16 days wildcrafted, island living with authentic activities such as: Kava sessions, weaving, church, farming, fishing, cooking and washing Reef and coastal workshops throughout including: Coral gardening, planting mangroves, hardwood and permaculture
  • PADI Open water certificate (or dives of equivalent value)
  • SUP session
  • Locally guided jungle hike
  • Optional beach camping and foraging experience
  • 6 days of desert island break
  • A shark snorkel
  • Visa
Helpful Information

REMEMBER 10% OF PROCEEDS GO BACK TO COMMUNITY PROJECTS OF YOUR CHOICE.

We advise arriving a day before to acclimatise.

Optional activities include: Pacific style wood-block printing, one hour island massage or remote island camping.

We work with local communities by taking you to them, this helps then improve their income generation options and boost eco-tourism in Fiji which is still a minority sector. All activities use local hosts and guides and ensure the environment and culture are top priority when making all decisions.

Please bring your own reusable water bottle to help reduce waste on the island. Purification tablets are also good if you don’t want to drink boiled water.

Details of your resort/lodge names and full itinerary will be sent to you once your booking is confirmed with 20% deposit.

We can tailor this trip by changing one of the activities according to your preferences, just contact us for more information.

You’ll be welcomed and remembered with open arms by our partner villages, guides, taxi drivers, cooks, fishermen, shop owners and even complete strangers. Fiji is just like that!

Thank You for Going Green in Fiji – Our little way of saying thank you for helping us preserve these stunning waters and pristine lands is to send you a hand-woven Fijian ‘voivoi’ door mat to your home. It is more than likely you will meet the women who made it and even if not, you will leave knowing that you not only gave 10% of your trip cost back to local projects but also provided direct income to local women who are continuing their traditional skills. 

Coral Gardening Summary

Coral gardening is easy to learn, very effective and a great way to learn about tropical reefs while keeping fit It is a short term, applied conservation technique which requires patience, attention to detail
and the ability to snorkel
This new programme is designed to allow you to help save and reef and help show the world that coral reefs can potentially survive into the future

Why Coral Gardening?

Mass coral bleaching started in 2014 and has seen the destruction of reefs all over the planet – including Fiji Despite Cyclone Winston which hit the islands in February 2016 and cooled the waters, there is still lots to be done to help heat resistant species flourish. This is where you come in!

Dissertation Study Summary (Optional)

Students studying subjects such as tourism, photography, geography, business, entrepreneurship, biology, marine biology, anthropology, international development will all benefit hugely. You will stay in a village homestay and get really immersed in the culture while you gather qualitative and some quantitative research data

Why Island Spirit?

We are fully insured and everything once you arrive in Fiji is included: volunteering visas, meals, accom, activities, and transfers. We are the first company in the world to be a member of the World Fairtrade Organisation and specialise in Responsible travel so you know your money isn’t going to a middle man but straight to the people you meet on the islands.

We’ve been in Fiji for over nine years so we know the locals you’re working with personally. We are a small, social enterprise which allows you to talk directly with Kirsty, the Director, you are not one of the masses, this is more personal and you are much more connected with both the local people and environment you are in.

By just travelling with Island Spirit you are already helping generate fair income for these tiny outer island villages. For example, depending on the group size, each homestay host will receive between FJD$30 (£12) each per person, per night with three home-cooked meals. Other similar organisations pay as little at $15 per person. A small example of how the smaller details go a long way.

Deal

If you get 5 friends to book together (with yourself as 6) then you go for 50% off!

Suggested Subjects

Students studying subjects such as tourism, photography, geography, business, entrepreneurship, biology, marine biology, anthropology, international development

What Next?

Pay a £50 deposit to secure your place Buy your flight ticket
Start fundraising

Pay full price at least one month before arrival

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