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Lomaiviti Travel Guide
Fiji Islands
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The Lomaiviti Islands
The mountainous island of Ovalau in the Lomaiviti Group is a great destination to sample a bit of everything. Levuka, the old capital of Fiji and main town on Ovalau, is a charming historical town with a very slow pace of life. There are several good colonial style budget hotels as well as independent restaurants, coffee bars and historical sights. The mountains behind Levuka are truly spectacular and there are several nearby trails into the rainforest and to swimming pools and waterfalls. Of notable interest for hikers is an arduous day trek to remarkable Lovoni Village, isolated in the centre of the island. There is an excellent village stay operation based at Devokula in the north of the island. The beauty of Ovalau is that it is east to get around the island by both bus or bicycle.
The historic old capital town of Levuka on Ovalau was built in the early 1800's by colonising Europeans around a strategic harbour at the foot of some magnificent tropical hills. The town was a stopping point for the South Pacific whalers and other traders. It was a rowdy town of alcohol and hundreds of cheap hotels. The town lost its functionality as the country's capital in 1882 and has since become a sleepy town trapped in the past. The architecture still reflects the colonial era and there are several interesting churches, museums and monuments as well as Fiji's first hotel built in the heyday of the mid 1800's. Levuka is also a good base to explore the surrounding rainforest - Ovalau Tours.
Just offshore from Ovalau are several small coral islands including Caqalai Island which has excellent budget accommodation. The island takes only ten minutes to walk around and has excellent snorkelling off its white sandy beaches. Caqalai Island is a short boat ride from the rainforested volcanic island of Ovalau which is a small centre for Eco-tourism, hiking and cultural tours.
Toberua Island, between Ovalau and Suva on the main island of Viti Levu, is a small luxury resort catering well for eco-tourists. There are some wonderful mangrove channels nearby which are great for exploring and several small nature reserve islands with large Booby (sea bird) colonies. One of the original exclusive resorts is located a few miles off the coast from Ovalau on Wakaya Island. This is the playground of the rich and famous, with a private airstrip, superb snorkelling and diving, and a private 9-hole golf course. South of Wakaya is Batiki, famous for its oranges.
There are several other large islands in the Lomaiviti Group that are seldom visited by tourists. The largest is Koro, about mid way between Suva and Taveuni. The island has a rocky coastline and the six traditional villages are based around subsistence farming and fishing. There's an airstrip on Koro but no accommodation.
Flights to Lomaiviti Group
Air Fiji fly from Suva to:
Ovalau - 2 flights a day from Nausori Airport (Suva) - 15 mins
Local Flights
Passenger and Car Ferry
Departs daily for Ovalau from Natovi Landing, north of Suva. Takes about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Local Cruises / Ferries
Small local fishing boats
Depart from Nausori for Toberua Island and from Waidalice for Caqalai island and the surrounding islands. Takes about 30 minutes. Fishing boats are available for hire throughout the islands.
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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