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Fiji - A licence to thrill

21st April 2010 Print

Adventure holidays are taking over from traditional beach holidays in 2010 according to research carried out by a number of travel companies, which is good news for countries like Fiji in the South Pacific. 

As one of the main stopovers on round the world tickets and offering a high standard of affordable accommodation and stunning scenery, Fiji is perfect for independent travellers and adventure seekers alike.

Fiji’s 333 paradise islands provide adrenaline junkies with the perfect playground, offering scuba diving, skydiving, hot air ballooning, jet boating and numerous other outdoor pursuits.

Known as ‘The Soft Coral Capital of the World’, Fiji is rated as one of the world’s top ten dive destinations.  According to Jean-Michel Cousteau “The unparalleled range of quality dive sites and sheer diversity of life of Fijian reefs is overwhelming.” The country has vast unexplored regions as well as many world renowned dive sites, and offers something spectacular for divers of every skill level from breathtaking corals to wall dives, caves, and shark dives. 

Each dive site has something unique. Particularly impressive are the soft corals of the Rainbow Reef and the Great White Wall of the Somosomo Strait near Taveuni, The Beqa Lagoon off southern Viti Levu where tiger sharks are often found, and the Great Astrolabe Reef off Kadavu renowned for its caves and walls as well as coral and big fish. 

Many affordable resorts concentrate on diving such as the remote eco resort of Matava on Kadavu island - matava.com. Diving with the massive bull and tiger sharks in Beqa Lagoon is through Aqua Trek - aquatrek.com . For further information on diving in Fiji visit fijime.com/diveme.

The country’s main island of Viti Levu is without doubt one of the most unique locations in the world for ballooning and Adrenalin Fiji - adrenalinfiji.com - offer a truly memorable experience at dawn over the lush, rain forest covered Fijian highlands. And not for the faint hearted, Zip Fiji is a tree canopy zip line running from platforms up to 45m high from which thrill seekers whiz through the jungle reaching speeds of up to 60km/hr - zip-fiji.com.

Skydive Fiji - skydivefiji.com - offers both novices and experienced skydivers the opportunity to experience a freefall skydive from up to 10,000 feet over the beautiful Denarau Island.  Rivers Fiji riversfiji.com offers white-water rafting and kayaking down the stunning Navua River with its waterfalls and deep gorges.  Trips are combined with remote village visits in the lush interior of Viti Levu. 

On the same island the Sigatoka River Safari takes holidaymakers on an exciting jet boat ride through Fiji’s most beautiful valley ending up at a remote village where they are welcomed into the chief’s house for a kava ceremony - sigatokariver.com. Also for jet boat enthusiasts Jet Ski Safari - jetskisafari.com - will take them on high speed guided tours of the beautiful Mamanuca islands with stops for snorkelling.

For surfers not many destinations match the extraordinary Cloudbreak, a permanent six-metre wave found offshore at Tavarua. With good budget accommodation to be found nearby this is a popular destination for surfers from all over the world. See waidroka.com. And as Fiji has its fair share of pristine oceans, spectacular marine life and safe and accessible anchorages, it is becoming increasingly popular with sailing enthusiasts.  Several companies are now offering charters, a great way to get to some of the more remote island groups.  See fijime.com/cruiseme.

For islands and beaches nothing beats Awesome Adventures which offers affordable accommodation and cruises around the stunning Yasawa islands on a hop on, hop off basis - awesomefiji.com.  The Feejee Experience - feejeeexperience.com - provides tours by coach around the main island of Viti Levu visiting remote areas and villages.  Also the Tui Tai tallship, recently voted one of the ‘Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth’ by National Geographic, offers adventure cruises around the remote northern islands with activities including sea kayaking and scuba diving - tuitai.com. 

For further information on activities in Fiji visit - fijime.com/thrillme.