|
Sigatoka Travel Guide
Viti Levu, Fiji
back to fiji travel guide
|
coral coast pictures map |
Outrigger Hotel
Crow's Nest
Bedarra Inn
Beach Cocomo
Sigatoka
Town
is a busy market centre buoyed by the surrounding tourism industry. The town has little appeal except for some reasonable restaurants and a well stocked fresh produce market, although market vendors are known to be aggressive sales people towards tourists. The main attraction of Sigatoka is the surrounding countryside. To the west of
Sigatoka
Town
, towards Nadi, is the Sigatoka Sand Dunes, a National Park with walking trails whilst inland is the tranquil
Sigatoka
River
Valley
with historical sites and pleasant scenery.
There’s little in the way of accommodation in
Sigatoka
Town
but there are several budget motels and resorts at
Korotogo
Beach
, 10- km along the
Coral
Coast
.
Sigatoka Sand Dunes
Two kilometres before reaching
Sigatoka
Town
, the National Trust administered Sigatoka Sand Dunes makes an inspiring day out. The Visitor Centre has an informative display highlighting the ecological importance of the region and can also provide guides. The dunes cover an area of 650 hectares, stretching for three kilometres and petering out to a sand spit at the mouth of the
Sigatoka
River
and in places rise to eighty metres high with fantastic views along the beach and of the crashing surf. There are two designated walking trails from the Visitor Centre to try and preserve the fragile environment from unnecessary erosion. The Clark Lookout trail heads uphill for ten minutes and follows the rim of the dunes for panoramic views of the area. A longer one hour walking trail cuts through the flat coastal forest towards the ocean and leads along a designated path to the more stable middle section of the sand dunes ending at the beach.
Along the beachfront you’ll find plenty of driftwood and if you look carefully you’ll come across small sherds of Lapita pottery, evidence of human settlement from over 2000 years ago. There’s good surfing around the Sigatoka River mouth at the southern end of the beach although the sea can be ferocious at times with strong currents - locals can advise the safest entry points for both surfers and swimmers.
You can stay at the budget Sand Dunes Inn to explore the area fully, with direct access to the dunes and a ten- minute walk along the beach to the surfing break. Well used surf boards can be rented for $25 a day or you can rent boogie boards or sand boards for $20 a day.
Sigatoka
River
Valley
Along the banks of the
Sigatoka
River
are some of the most fertile farming lands in
Fiji
with plantations of fruits, vegetables and sugar cane. A dirt road travels either side of the river from Sigatoka Town, that on the west side, known as the Valley Road extends into the very heart of Viti Levu to Bukuya Village where the road branches off to Nadi, or continues across the centre of Viti Levu to Ba on the north coast. The road makes an excellent walking track and passes many villages and viewpoints along the way.
On the east side of the river is Tavuni Hill Fort a fascinating example of
Fiji
’s tribal past. In the 18th century, Tongan invaders begun to push further into Fijian territory and established a base on a fantastically steep hill overlooking the
Sigatoka
River
. They waged wars on their surrounding enemies until 1876 when the Tongans were subdued by native troops under British control. What remains is a well excavated and easily accessible hill fort with stone foundations, rock barricades, ceremonial grounds and the chilling vatu- ni- bokola, or killing stone, where victims’ heads were placed and smashed with a war club. The views from the hill top are worth the visit alone.
To explore the river on an organized tour, Adventures in Paradise drive up to
Tonga
village for a village visit and kava ceremony, a twenty- minute hike to the chamber caves of Naihehe and a float down river on a bamboo made bilibili raft.
Korotogo
Beach
Eight kilometres beyond
Sigatoka
Town
, past the final stretch of working sugar cane fields, is Korotogo, hidden down a dead end road from the Korotogo roundabout, known as the Sunset Strip. The beach itself is ordinary and not great for swimming but the two- kilometre long strip has a pleasant holiday feel with a few restaurants, budget motels including Bedarra Inn and the large Outrigger Lagoon Resort.
The highlight of
Korotogo
Beach
is the Kula Eco Park, Fiji’s largest collection of native wildlife. The park is arranged considerately in a temperate forest with self guided boardwalks meandering through aviary cages and past snake, iguana and aquarium enclosures. The large crested iguanas are its highlight, endemic to
Fiji
, rarely seen and limited to only a couple of islands off
Vanua Levu
and Yasawa.
search for ... Viti Levu Accommodation
find ... Fiji Tour Companies
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
