Bulla! In this post, we are going to tell you about the preparations and itinerary of our traveling to Fiji on our own.
Table of Contents
Itinerary of our trip to Fiji on our own
As we have already mentioned, our traveling to Fiji on our own could be summed up in 2 things: sharks and the beach.
For the first part, there was no doubt, that we wanted to go diving with bull sharks in Beqa Lagoon. We would have loved to dive more days there or to more points in Fiji that looked very good, but we had an expensive trip ahead of us so it was out of our budget and we did not find anything so special in any other dive that justified it. And there were several points where you could see blankets! But hey, luckily we have been able to see them in other places.
On the contrary, for the second part, we had a thousand and one doubts. Islands from here, islands from there, the main island… We had little time and we wanted to make the most of it to rest, without wasting too much time traveling. In addition, we did not want to leave an eye on the face either. Finally, we found a solution that suited us very well and we really liked it.
When to traveling to Fiji
The Fiji Islands have a warm climate throughout the year, so the cold will not be a problem. What you have to take into account is the rain. November to May are the rainiest months and, in addition, they are the months of cyclones.
On the other hand, if like us you like diving, keep in mind that between July and December is when you will have the best time traveling to Fiji in the Fiji Islands. The temperature of the water will not be a problem because even in the coldest months it is around 23 degrees. Also, if you want to dive with bull sharks in Beqa Lagoon, you have to keep in mind that November and December have less presence of these sharks because it is the mating season.
Means of transport for traveling to Fiji on your own
To move on our traveling to Fiji on our own, we use the following means of transport:
- For short journeys, we use taxis
- For long journeys, we use buses: local buses to Pacific harbor and resort buses to Nadi
- To get to our island or go see sharks, we use boats
- To move around the island where we stay, we use kayaks and paddle surf
The truth is that except for the local buses on the island of Viti Levu, the rest of the transport is not cheap, and can sometimes even approach European prices.
Visa for traveling to Fiji
You do not need a visa to visit Fiji. Upon arrival, they will ask you for plane tickets that show you have left the country and a passport valid for 6 months. With this, they will make you a visa that will allow you to stay up to 4 months in the country.
Recommendations for traveling to Fiji from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In general, before planning the trip, it is advisable to review the travel recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the chosen country. At the time of our trip, there was no special security indication, but we recommend you visit the ministry’s page to find out the latest news.
In addition, just before starting the trip, it is always good practice to register as a traveler at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thus, in an emergency, the Ministry will have certain data to try to locate you.
Vaccinations for traveling to Fiji
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travelers over one year of age arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission and for those travelers who have transited for more than 12 hours in airports of countries with a risk of transmission of yellow fever. If not, this vaccine is only recommended. In addition, if you come from cholera and/or smallpox risk area, you will also need that certificate.
In any case, as always before any trip, we recommend that you follow the advice in our guide on international vaccination.
Language in Fiji
Fiji has 3 languages: Fijian, English, and Fijian Hindi. We did not find anyone who did not speak English, so we did not have any communication problems.
Money to travel to Fiji for free
The official currency of Fiji is the Fijian dollar (FJD).
As for prices, we would say that these can sometimes be similar to European prices, so do not expect a cheap country like those in Southeast Asia.
In addition, we recommend that you withdraw or change money because you cannot pay by card everywhere. Keep this in mind especially if you go to a resort where you have to pay for something like food, drinks, or transportation, it is better to ask before you arrive if you can pay with a card, otherwise, take the cash ready.
Lastly, as always, we recommend that you bring a card that does not charge commissions for withdrawing money or for currency exchange. We use Revolut, which is the only one that applies the interbank exchange rate.
Plugs in Fiji
An adapter is needed for Fiji plugs. There they use type I plugs (three flat legs forming a triangle).
If you like to travel, we recommend buying a universal adapter with all the plugs. We travel with this universal adapter that also has USB ports.
However, in this case, we needed to have other methods to charge our devices since more than half of the nights of our trip we would sleep in a van. Although these had plugs, to use them you needed to sleep in places with electricity, so we preferred to charge our mobile phones and cameras with the car’s cigarette lighter while we were driving so as not to waste battery. For this, this USB thief for a lighter came in handy, this USB charger for our camera battery, and this Xiaomi external battery that we try to always carry charged on any trip.
SIM card to travel to Fiji
At Nadi airport, you will find 2 telephone company stores: Vodafone and Digicel. After comparing the offerings of both, we went with Digicel as it was cheaper. We pay €20 for 5Gb of the Internet and 100 minutes of calls. The truth is that we found it quite expensive for what they offered but we needed to make a call to close the pick-up with the resort and also on the island the Wi-Fi was paid at a price of gold.
Useful mobile apps on a trip to Fiji
The truth is that for the short time we were there and the plan we had our traveling to Fiji on our own, we didn’t need any special app. We use only Maps. me and Google Maps to get around.
Gastronomy in Fiji
The most typical of Fijian cuisine is lovo. More than a dish, it is a way of cooking in which they heat stones in a campfire made with coconut shells and then throw the food wrapped in banana leaves and leave it to cook for hours. We had the opportunity to try meat and fish made in this way during our stay at the resort. Although it probably wasn’t the best lovo in Fiji, we found the food to be quite tasty and not at all dry. Locals usually do it for events such as weddings or birthdays.
Another typical dish is kokoda, which is a kind of fish ceviche with lime and coconut. In this case, we were also able to try it during our stay at the resort and we quite liked the mix of flavors.
Finally, there would be the most typical drink of Fiji, kava. It is a drink made from the roots of the plant with the same name. We had the opportunity to try it but we didn’t dare because we had a very long trip ahead of us and we were terrified of the possibility of getting sick. What we did attend was their ritual because kava is not drunk just like that. Fiji’s national day (October 10) happened to be at the resort and we were able to attend the kava ceremony. People who have tried it say that it tastes like a mixture of puddle and mud, the truth doesn’t look bad…
Schedules in Fiji
The hours are quite similar to what we would find in Spain both in shops and in restaurants. And more in tourist areas.
Another thing that we recommend you to take into account is the «Fiji Time» when they tell you it means that good, that the schedule is not very fixed and that you do not stress that they will surely tell you a time but then it will be later than the time what they told you
Supermarkets in Fiji
In this section, we cannot comment much because we only found the only supermarket in Pacific Harbor where we took the opportunity to buy something to cook for the two days we were there and water for the days we were going to be at the resort when traveling to Fiji. The prices are a little lower than in Spain but not overpriced and there is not much variety. Surely, in a big city like Nadi or Suva, you will find more things.
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Traveling to Fiji, you will be able to visit some of the friendliest islands in the world but also culture with many different tribes. You can bathe with the stingrays, explore the beaches, see the volcanos, snorkel in the ocean, and live an amazing experience.