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Beqa Island
Travel Guide
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Beqa Island Travel Guide
If not shrouded by clouds, the roughly contoured profile of
Beqa
Island
can be clearly seen from
Suva
. It’s closer still to
Pacific
Harbour
where small boats for the island depart from, but the twelve kilometre ride in open seas can be a bone cruncher. The 439 metre high island is roughly circular in shape with steep forest clad mountains rising sharply from its meandering coastline. A massive fringing reef thirty kilometres wide is renowned for its shark feeding and deep sea game fishing as well as the hollow left- hander surfing break of Frigates Passage on the western side of the lagoon. Its most unique feature though is the gift of power over fire by some of its inhabitants - the Beqa firewalkers perform regularly at the Arts Village in Pacific Harbour as well as most of the large resorts on Viti Levu but nothing beats the real thing on home soil - Rukua, Naceva and Dakuibeqa on the south eastern side are the main firewalking villages although the ceremony is performed purely for entertainment and unlike its Indian comparison , it has no spiritual significance.
There are no roads on Beqa but several walking tracks between villages make pleasant exploring, the easiest being the route from Waisomo on the northern tip of the island and along the west coast to Rukua close to Beqa Island Resort. There’s a delightful kayak trip from Lalati Resort into tranquil
Malumu
Bay
which bites deep into the west coast almost severing it from the main bulk of Beqa. It’s possible to navigate through to the south side of the island via a mangrove estuary. Just beyond the mangroves on the south side of Beqa is
Moturiki
Island
where thousands of fruit bats live.
The main reason people visit Beqa Lagoon is for scuba diving. The best dive sites are on the western tip and north side of Beqa Lagoon which are equally accessible from
Pacific
Harbour
where accommodation is more affordable and dining more diverse. Shark dives are available through Beqa Adventure Divers or Aqua Trek Beqa. Although these dives are purely commercial with sharks being lured in by bait almost on a daily basis for the past ten years, it doesn’t negate the excitement of coming face to face with these ancient predators. On a good day you may see over a hundred sharks in the two dives, which range from 15 to 30 metres in depth, and will include Reef Sharks, Silvertip Sharks, Tawny Nurse Sharks, Sicklefin Lemon Sharks, Bull Sharks and the occasional Tiger Shark as well as schools of other large fish taking advantage of the free feed. Both operators offer PADI dive courses as well as regular daily dives to explore the soft corals and wrecks around Beqa Lagoon.
Yanuca Island
By comparison to Beqa, Yanuca is a relatively low island with light forest and gentle hills. Abutting the inner western side of Beqa Lagoon, the island has a solitary village on the east coast and several sandy beaches for exploring. Yanuca is famous for its fantastic surfing in the Yanuca Passage, assessable from the islands only accommodation, budget Batiluva Surf Camp, or from Beqa Lagoon Resort.
Southern Fiji Resort Listings
Fiji Tour Companies
Local Airlines / Ferries
Readers may also be interested in the following destinations:
Cook Islands Travel Guide
Samoa Travel Guide
Tonga Travel Guide
Tahiti Travel Guide
Hawaii Travel Guide
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