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Coral Coast Travel Guide
Viti Levu, Fiji
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coral coast pictures map |
Fiji's most popular tourism area is the Coral Coast which offers both small and large beach resorts and lots of sightseeing tours, cultural centres and historical sites to keep you busy. The Coral Coast comprises two distinct halves - the dry coast between Nadi and Korotogo with perpetual sunshine and the tropical rainforest coast between Korotogo and Pacific Harbour which is more rugged with rainforested hills, more cloud cover and higher rainfall (mostly in the afternoons).
Heading south from Nadi, the Queens Highway travels a mile or so inland through rural sugar cane farms with sweeping views of the sun baked hills of the Nadi Highlands. Just 10-minutes drive south of Nadi Town is Sonaisali Island Resort which is popular as a package holiday market with Australians and New Zealanders. The resort is located on a small mangrove island 2-minutes by boat and offers a mediorcre beach with brackish water but does have splendid ocean views, easy boat access to great snorkelling reefs, game fishing and island trips, a huge swimming pool and lots of organized activities and water sports. Sonaisali is very popular with families.
Ten minutes further south and hidden in a delightful hilly setting overlooking the ocean and offshore Mamanuca Islands is the new Momi Bay Resort development. This stunnng 1,100 acre development will undoubtably be the finest in the South Pacific. Three hotels are planned including The Fiji Marriott Resort & Spa sheduled for opening in eary 2009 with a huge lagoonarium and overwater bungalows. There's a spectacular private Thomson Perrett designed USPGA standard golf course, several picturesque landscaped beach areas and a Sea World development is planned in the future.
Beyond Momi Bay, the highway travels for 10km through Pine Forests. Beyond these plantations is the turn off for Natadola Beach, one of the best beaches in Fiji with fine white sand and body surfing. The beach remains public access but another large resort development is taking place. The only place to stay at present is the small Natadola Beach Resort which sits across the road from the beach and offers eleven Mediterranean style villas for adults only.
The Fijian Resort is about 20 minutes further down the road, sitting on a small island connected to the mainland by a 50-metre cement bridge. This is currently the largest resort in Fiji with over 400 rooms. The resort has two distinct halves, each with its own swimming pool and separated by a rocky point - one half is for couples and one half for families. This resort is most popular as a package holiday destination, particularly with Australians. Across the road from the Fijian Resort is the Kailevu Cultural Centre where you can see mock traditional houses, dances and see cultural displays. For the real thing, take a day tour to Nakabuta Pottery Village (see further down). Also close by is the gorgeous Cuvu Beach which is a good place for swimming and body surfing. There's also a restored sugar train ride along the coast to Natadola which is well worth doing if you are staying here. From the Fijian Resort, its a 15-minute drive to Sigatoka Town.
Just before you reach Sigatoka Town, you'll see the entrance to the Sigatoka Sandunes National Trust Site. Although there are other access areas where you don't have to pay the F$12 admission fee to walk around the sand dunes, this is the best way to visit the protected area. There is a great information centre explaining the rich history of the region. Guides can be provided and there are well maintained tracks leading through coastal forest to the sandunes which help preserve and protect this fragile ecosystem. Pottery sherds dating to 3000 years ago are scattered in the sand, evidence of settlement by the early lapita people. The sandunes reach heights of up to 50 metres and the wild beach with crashing surf makes an exceptional place to walk.
Sigatoka Town is a typical small market town with Indian shops and restaurants and is set on the Sigatoka River. With such tourist influence, there are several large boutique shops offering tourist handicrafts and clothing. Two roads lead inland either side of the river, and each offer great sightseeing through valleys and rural farms with two points of particular interest. On the Sigatoka Town side of the river, about 2 miles inland, is the Nakabuta Pottery Village. The village makes traditional style pottery and demonstrations are displayed in the large Meeting House bure. On the other side of the river is the Tavuni Hill Fort National Historic Site (entrance fee is F$10). A trail leads up a steep hill, the top of which an ancient Tongan Fort remains. Highlights of this historic site include the killing stone, used in the times of Cannibalism, and sweeping views across the Sigatoka River Valley.
Beyond Sigatoka Town there are about five small motels and guesthouses along the Korotogo Beach Strip, as well as the Outrigger Hotel. The Outrigger is the largest and newest resort along this stretch with over 300 rooms. The beach at Korotogo is very ordinary and the lagoon is too shallow for swimming or snorkelling - at low tide you can wade ankle deep to the reef's edge where the deep ocean meets the lagoon. There is also a dangerous rip tide in the passage beside the resort. The Outrigger's focus is therefore not the beach but in its huge landscaped swimming pool. This is one of the most beautifully landscaped resorts in Fiji with rooms set on the hill with magnificent views of the ocean. Below, in amongst tropical vegetation and coconut palms are the Fijian styled thatch bures which offer private bungalows with verandas. Other accommodations in Korotogo include Crow's Nest, with 22 split level budget duplex studios with nice ocean views set across the road from the beach on the quiet Korotogo Strip. A few blocks down, also on the mountain side of the road, is Bedarra Inn with standard motel rooms. Th4 Outrigger Resort is the Kula Eco Park, a large collection of birds, animals and plants nicely displayed in open walk through cages. About five minutes drive along the coast in a secluded location is the delightful Beach Cocomo, an excellent value retreat with one bungalow on a picturesque hidden beach.
Beyond Korotogo, the scenery changes rapidly from rolling hills to tropical rainforest. With it comes a change too in climate - here begins the gradual change over between the dry sunny side of Viti Levu and the wet tropical side. For many, this vibrant scenery with swathes of emerald green are refreshing. Here too begin a parade of traditional fishing villages along the coastal highway. The first resort encountered along the main highway is Tambua Sands, a small mid market resort aimed at couples with a quiet ambience and spread out along a thin stretch of land bordering the beach and the highway. Two miles further is Hideaway Resort, a larger more robust property packed with four lines of colourful duplex bungalows and landscaped vegetation and with themed nightly entertainment and organized day activities. The Hideaway has good snorkelling and surfing in the passage which lies about 50 metres from the beach - however, this area has unpredictable currents and is not advised for novice swimmers.
Two large hotels owned by the same foreign company are located on pleasant beaches. The Naviti Hotel is the first of these hotels and offers four large wings with rooms on two levels, each with separate ocean and mountain room views. The resort is very popular with families, especially those with young children - free kids meals and ice cream all day, and packages for their parents which include all day beer and house wine plus a nightclub and themed entertainment make this the liveliest of all Fiji resorts. Further down the coast, beyond Korolevu, is The Warwick Hotel, a 1 hour 30 minute drive from Nadi Airport. The Warwick is a more upmarket resort with its focus being couples and families with older children. The two wings each side of the main reception and restaurant are divided into the family wing and the couples-only wing, each with its own swimming pool. There's a lovely islet offshore with a cocktail bar and a protected lagoon for swimming. Ten minutes along from the Warwick is the lively Mango Bay Resort aimed at budget travellers. This is an action packed resort on a secluded cove beach five minutes off the main highway and is one of the best budget resorts in Fiji. The more upmarket Wellesley Resort is in a similar off road location on a lovely beach and surrounded by rainforest. From Korolevu, there are several tours available into the rainforest to see waterfalls, caves and local villages. Motorized river cruises and traditional bilibili (bamboo raft) tours are all available on the Navua River further along the Coral Coast towards Suva. All tours pass through rich rainforest, river gorges and traditional riverside villages.
Next Stop - Pacific Harbour and Suva City
Coral Coast Accommodation
Tour Companies
Several tour companies offer organized day tours along the Coral Coast. Rosie Holidays and Coral Sun offer tours in large 40-seater air conditioned coaches.
Local Tour Companies
Taxis and Buses on Viti Levu
Buses along the Coral Coast (the Queens Highway) depart Nadi about once every hour between 7am and 6pm and take about 2-3 hours depending on which part of the Coast you are going to. Buses also head into the interior from Sigatoka Town although timings are erratic and infrequent. The best way to get around is to hire a car, taxi or take an organized tour.
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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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