10-Day Fiji Islands, Villages & Culture
5 Good Reasons To Do This Trip!
Fiji is the perfect place for a little R&R. Get ready to feel a tidal wave of peace in this laidback island nation that embodies bula, the island’s joyful greeting and motto.
Swaying palms, intense blues, sugary sand – and it’s almost like it was made just for you and your new Patchie friends. Leleuvia Island is the stuff of daydreams and you get to spend not one but two nights here!
You’ll sit with your toes in the sand and a cocktail in hand in Fiji’s most loved spots – but there are plenty of remote villages and rarely-seen corners, too. This trip is the perfect mix of urban and rural.
From learning traditional art forms with a local artist to kayaking through mangroves with villagers and uncovering Fiji’s beekeeping practices, your days will be chock-full of special moments.
Most travellers never seem to bother learning about Fiji’s history – but not you! From the archipelago’s first Polynesian settlers to visiting the country’s old capital, put the puzzle pieces together with local guides.
Trip Details
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$1,981 AUD
Private Supplement: +$548
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Price
- 2 week cooling off period applies.
- Lifetime Deposit. If you need to cancel, your deposit is transferable to other trips.
- Twin Share: we’ll match you with a roomie if you’re travelling solo.
- Private supplement available (max 6 spots)
Please refer to our payment terms in the FAQs.
Trip length
10 days, 9 nights
Meeting point
First Landing Hotel, Nadi, Fiji
Ending point
Tanoa International Hotel, Nadi, Fiji
Group size
Maximum 14
Participation requirements
Please see our “Is this trip right for you?” section under the Participation Tab.
Included
- Arrival and departure transfers
- Meals: 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 9 dinners
- Mangrove kayaking and environmentally focused activities in Nanumi Au
- Visit to a bee farm
- Girmit Kitchen Experience in Rakiraki Town
- Afternoon sips and weaving class at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva
- Tour of Suva
- 2 days in Leleuvia Island
- Coffee farm visit and tastings
- Trip to Sigatoka Sand Dunes
- Dance performance at the VOU hub and many more…
- Private vehicle transport
- 9 nights in a hand-picked accommodation
- A top-rated and English-speaking Tour Leader
- All listed activities and more!
Not included
- International Flights
- Travel insurance (mandatory)
- Additional hotel nights & late checkouts
- Drinks and other personal expenses
- Tip kitty (See FAQs for more information)
Click the tabs to find out more
Day 1: Welcome to Fiji!
Bula and welcome to Fiji! You’ll step off the plane in Nadi, one of the country’s major hubs on the island of Viti Levu. Buckle up because the friendly face that’s waiting to greet you at the airport is one of many you’ll meet in the next few days.
Dinner tonight is a parade of new friends and classic Fijian dishes made with market-fresh ingredients. If you’re already pinching yourself, just wait for the next ten days!
Accommodation: First Landing (or similar), Nadi
Included: Dinner
Day 2: Rakiraki
Your stay in Nadi was short but sweet, and it’s time to leave the crowds in the dust as you motor north to Rakiraki. Watch as swaying palms become a blur of green out your window. Before you know it, you’ll be pulling into a local village community that’s worlds away from the city you left behind.
Break bread with the villagers over a piping hot cup of welcome tea before heading out together on a tromp through their backyard – which just so happens to be mangrove forests. You’ll have the chance to give back to the community by planting trees or going kayaking. You’ll also learn more about how Fijian culture and environmental stewardship go hand in hand.
Tonight, head for your cosy hotel and take in views of the Nakauvadra Mountains. You’ll have time to squeeze in a massage before the sevusevu, a traditional welcoming ceremony that involves sipping kava, a mildly sedative and tongue-tingling drink.
Accommodation: Tanoa (or similar), Rakiraki
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
What, exactly, is a sevusevu?
You’ll hear the term all over Fiji, and it can get a little confusing. What is this sevusevu everyone is talking about?
Sevusevu is a traditional Fijian ceremony seeking permission and blessings for use of the vanua (land and community). The ceremony itself is centred on kava, a mildly sedative drink made from the yaqona root.Proper etiquette is important in a sevusevu, but no worries! Your local guide will explain the details so you know exactly how to participate. You gather around the Kava tanoa, a large ceremonial bowl where water and the root are combined and strained, in a circle. High-ranking village members and the chief will drink first, and then visitors are offered a sip. Get ready for a little tingly feeling on your tongue and a sense of camaraderie that’s hard to find anywhere else!
Day 3: Waitika Farm
Pull on your walking shoes – you’re headed for a local farm today. Stewards for the island’s honeybees, you’ll hardly recognise yourself today, donning a beekeeping suit at Waitika Farm! Discover more about the plants the bees pollinate. (We won’t judge if you don’t want to get up-close and personal with the hives. You’re for sure going to enjoy a simple walk around the beautiful grounds.) Either way, you’ll get the chance to taste their sticky-sweet treasure over lunch.
After a short rest back at the hotel, town is calling with a chance to learn more about the island’s fascinating culture at the Girmit Kitchen Experience. It’s time to dive deep into both stories and tastes of local Indo-Fijian culture. Discover more about their ancestors – the original sugarcane plantation workers – by making dishes like roti and curry. You’ll sleep like a baby with hearts and bellies full tonight.
Accommodation: Tanoa (or similar), Rakiraki
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 4: Suva
Rise and shine, Patchie! Fuel up with a local breakfast – you’ll need the energy today.You’ll trade sweaty knees for an “ahhh”-inducing dip in the ocean on a snorkelling sidequest this morning. You can’t pay a visit to the “Soft Coral Capital of the World” without sneaking a peek beneath the waves. Stomachs will no doubt be growling after a few hours, and you’ll all gather around a beach campfire for a picnic with your toes in the sand just in time.
This afternoon, it’s time to make your way to Suva along the King’s Road. It’s a feast for the senses as you pass by colourful roadside farm stands, watching as the countryside slowly slips into city chaos as you head into the capital. Trade your flippers for sandals as you head out for a night on the town this evening.
Accommodation: Grand Pacific Hotel (or similar), Suva
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 5: Suva
City gals at heart will love exploring Suva, Fiji’s largest metropolis. Celebrate the halfway point of your trip in the buzzing markets, catching up with the locals and learning more about the country’s history at the Fiji Museum.
Saddle up to the bar of the Grand Pacific Hotel with a local artist this afternoon – which also happens to be your digs for the evening. Koto Matemosi practises tapa, a traditional art form that uses the inner bark of mulberry trees as its medium, decorated with intricate designs. You’ll get to have a go at making your very own pair of earrings under her tutelage. How’s that for a souvenir you’ll cherish forever?
Accommodation: Grand Pacific Hotel (or similar), Suva
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 6: Leleuvia Island
If you’ve been itching to see more of rural Fiji, no worries. Today you’re headed to a nearly deserted island! Grab a quick breakfast and board the boat to Leleuvia Island. Soak up the kaleidoscope of blues and maybe even a wildlife sighting or two on your 45-minute ride over.
You’re just over halfway through the trip, and it’s time for a little R&R. Go kayaking, snorkelling, or simply find a hammock to snooze away the rest of the day.
Accommodation: Leleuvia Island
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 7: Levuka town
It’s not every day that you get to wake up on an island in the Pacific, so set those alarms for sunrise. As the rays begin to peek above the waves, you might need to pinch yourself to make sure this isn’t a dream. You’re headed to Ovalau Island today – but don’t fret, because you’ll be back in this secluded sanctuary later this afternoon.
Today you’ve got a one-way ticket to the Fiji of the past. Head to Levuka, the country’s old capital, to see where European settlers first set foot in the country. Soak up those peaceful moments back on Leleuvia Island tonight. Tomorrow is a long travel day as you make your way back towards Nadi – where it all started.
Accommodation: Leleuvia Island
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 8: Korotogo
A tear or two might fall this morning as you wave goodbye to your island home. But you’re headed somewhere extra special that will hopefully lessen the blow – Korotogo. Located on the Coral Coast, you’ll break up the three-hour drive for lunch at Bula Coffee. This farm supports social enterprises, and you’ll get to meet a group of local women who are eager to share their tales of harvesting coffee.
At the end, sample the fruits of their labour, a steaming hot cup of Joe that’s the perfect fuel to keep you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the rest of the day. Pull up to Korotogo this evening, where the beach bar, an ice-cold beer, and those watercolour sunset views are calling your name.
Accommodation: Bedarra Inn (or similar), Korotogo
Included: Lunch & Dinner
Day 9: Port Denarau
Kick off your final day at an important cultural site that moonlights as a geologic wonder. The towering Sigatoka Sand Dunes were once the home of the Lapita people, Polynesian explorers and the first settlers of Fiji. Sigatoka hides the largest collection of Lapita pottery shards in the Pacific and is the burial site of over 50 people.
For your last taste of Fiji, it’s time for Port Denarau. It’s a far cry from remote villages, but it’s also the perfect welcome back from the rural reaches. Enjoy some last-minute shopping and a cocktail as you watch the hordes disembarking from their island day trips.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Patch adventure without a farewell dinner to remember – and this one is extra special! Head to the Vou Hub, a magical place where traditional and contemporary Fijian life swirl together through dance.
Accommodation: Tanoa International Hotel (or similar), Nadi
Included: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner
Day 10: Farewell, Friends!
How has it already been 10 days? It’s time to say goodbye to Fiji, so breathe in the salt air and hug your new Patchie besties close. You’ll come full circle, heading back to the Nadi Airport. There’s no doubt you’ll recognise the scenery, and memories of the last two weeks will come rushing back. Blink back the tears, because this isn’t moce, Fiji’s goodbye – it’s simply “See you soon!”
Included: Breakfast
Trip Map
Is This Trip Right For You?
You love travelling and enjoying most of your time in a country.
You don’t like being rushed or herded around B-grade attractions, but you also understand that some places are worth the wait in line.
You’re open-minded and open-hearted. You try to embrace the little things. You understand that even in the best vehicles, the air-con sometimes breaks. Even in the best restaurants, the service sometimes is a little slow. This is just part of the adventure, and you choose to be gracious.
You also know that a ‘great trip’ doesn’t have to mean sprinting from place to place. The best moments so often come when you hit the pause button, sit still, and just take it all in.
You’re young enough at heart to know that sometimes the best opportunities come when you’re least expecting it. You understand that doing things right doesn’t always mean following a strict routine.
You enjoy trying new food, visiting new places, and making new friends. You make a great travel buddy and you love to share experiences with others. You understand that to fit in with local cultures, sometimes that involves trying something you haven’t tried before, or sitting on the floor to eat with a nomad family.
Does that sound like you? We’d love to invite you to travel with us!
Frequently Asked Questions
Prior to the payment of your full balance, the final price may change if there is significant variation in the AUD: FJD exchange rate. Our trip pricing is determined by what the exchange rates are at the time of publishing the trip.
The pricing on this trip is based on an exchange rate of 1 AUD : 1.486 FJD
A deposit of 25% is required to hold your spot. Payment can be made by credit card (fees apply) or bank deposit.
There is a cooling-off period of 2 weeks. (Applicable to all bookings made at least 120 days before trip departure.)
We have implemented a ‘lifetime deposit’ guarantee. Deposits are not refundable, but they are transferable at any time, right up until the first day of the trip.
The final balance of the trip is required 120 days in advance of the departure date. Our suppliers require upfront payment well in advance to guarantee availability.
Please refer to the full terms and conditions for further information.
This is the most frequently asked question we get!
Nearly everyone is in their 50s and 60s, with some people above and below (but of course, everyone is welcome!)
Most Patchies come alone and are matched with a room-mate. Remember, you don’t need to pay for a single supplement if you come solo. We will place you with a similarly-aged roommate.
The typical Patchie has travelled a LOT, is a well-seasoned adventurer, and is not easily thrown by small things. However, many Patchies tell us that this is their first ever group tour. Many of our guests have avoided tours to this point as they’re not attracted to being herded around in large groups.
Oh, and one last thing:
Patchies are warm, generous, and kind. We knew it would be like this, but we weren’t expecting it to be *quite* like this. We’re so blessed as a business to have the customers we do; we consider ourselves to be some of the luckiest people in the world.
Level 1
So long as you have a general level of health and fitness, you’ll be fine. To enjoy this trip, you’ll need to be able to spend time on your feet and regularly walk for 2-3 hours. Daily activities might include walking on uneven and hilly ground, getting on and off various forms of transportation and occasionally climbing some stairs. You may also encounter over-the-bath showers in some of the accommodations.
All activities are optional, meaning that if you don’t feel like it, you can skip it, but it will be impossible to enjoy your trip if you’re not able to do a walking tour for a full afternoon. Unfortunately, this tour cannot accommodate people requiring walking aids.
Australian and New Zealand citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays in Fiji for up to four months.
Most of our trips have a tip kitty because many cultures have diverse rules when it comes to tips. We’ve found it to be the easiest way to combat over-tipping, under-tipping or having the tip fall into the wrong hands. Our goal is for guests to relax and know that the complexities of tipping are taken care of, on their behalf.
We’ll be updating this section with the tipping amount and how it’s distributed, soon.
This trip begins and ends in Nadi, Fiji. We recommend that you fly into Nadi International Airport, as that is where your hotel transfer will be waiting for you. The same goes for your departure flight.
You can fly to Nadi directly from all big airport hubs in Australia, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Try to arrive before midday on the start day, although earlier is recommended. If possible, come one day early to settle in.
The reliability and opportunity to do any laundry during your trip may be somewhat unreliable, however, your guide will be able to assist with this during your trip.
In the unlikely event of a health or security related incident during a trip, we’ve engaged a local partner to assist. From our experience, there is not one framework that fits all, and every incident is unique and requires a different approach. With all trips, your guides are your day-to-day support. While behind the scenes, there is an active line of communication – between your guide, the on-ground support team, and Australian Ops.
