Fiji Beyond the Resorts: Must-Do Experiences Around Viti Levu

If you’re planning a trip to Fiji, you’re probably picturing those postcard-perfect beaches, swaying palms, and dreamy island vibes—and you wouldn’t be wrong. But if you only stick to one spot on a Fiji trip, you’re missing out on some of the best experiences this island nation has to offer.

Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji, is not only home to the international airport in Nadi, but it’s also packed with cultural experiences, lush jungles, adventure activities, and stunning coastlines (and the underwater creatures!).

On our weeklong adventure around Viti Levu, we experienced everything from traditional village life to whitewater rafting through canyons—and it was one of the most unforgettable trips we’ve taken to date.

Whether you’re looking to learn more about Fijian culture, have a few incredible adventures, or kick back at some of the island’s most beautiful beaches, there’s something on Viti Levu for you.

Something to consider if you’re traveling around Viti Levu (or around Fiji for that matter): If you plan on hitting up all these stops independently, you may want to look into a local driver or a company like Rosie Holidays Fiji to help arrange your transfers.

Some of these experiences can tricky to reach without local guidance. Fiji travel often experienced by staying put at one resort and arranging excursions—or, like we did, and having a transfer around the island and takes you to the highlights or spots you wish to visit that can be arranged in advance.

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Unforgettable Things to do on Viti Levu

Spend a Night at First Landing

Kick off your Fiji trip at First Landing Resort, located just 20 minutes from the Nadi Airport and if you’re like us, chances are you might be arriving to Fiji on a red eye and could really use a day of relaxing and getting on a new time zone by the pool!

This spot is steeped in history and is a great base to start your trip around Viti Levu. Legend says this is where the first Fijians arrived, hence the name. The resort even has a manmade little foot-shaped island (yes, really!), if you don’t have a drone, they have an aerial photo of it in their front desk area.

Grab a cocktail or Fiji Bitter at the waterfront restaurant and relax at this beautiful resort. Our villa even had a beautiful, private, garden pool, so we had a private place to nap with our own quiet, tropical garden and cascading waterfall. It’s a peaceful, low-key place to ease into Fiji.

See an Unforgettable Show at VOU Fiji

Enjoy an evening of performing arts and Fijian culture through dance and storytelling at VOU Fiji. This cultural performing dance group puts on incredible shows blending traditional Fijian elements with modern choreography and music.

The show takes you on a journey through Fijian mythology, customs, and legend all performed with heart-pounding drums and dancing.

It’s a powerful and beautiful introduction to the culture, and one of the best ways to kick off your trip.

Go on a Farm Tour with Bulaccino

You can visit Bulaccino cafe in both Nadi and Suva, its one of the best cafes known for bringing the ingredients to the cafes from their organic farm.

Just outside Nadi, the Bulaccino Farm Tour gives you a behind-the-scenes look at a farm in Fiji how they grow fresh produce and fruits that make their way into the café’s seasonal dishes.

The best part is sampling all of the incredible fruit directly from the trees on the tour! And off in the distance you’ll spot Sleeping Giant Mountain in the Nausori Highlands. The mountain has the shape of a sleeping man and a local natural landmark.

Stay and Enjoy the Experience at Natalei Eco Lodge

If I were to name one of my favorite highlights from our trip around Viti Levu, it would be staying at Natalei Eco Lodge. This isn’t simply a stay, but an experience and a chance to learn about Fijian traditions and culture at this eco-friendly, off-the grid retreat.

Not only is it a beautiful setting, located on a black sand beach at Nataleira Village, but you’ll feel the genuine connection we felt with the local community staying here. Not to mention, this is a great place to disconnect and take a digital detox and just be in the moment enjoying where you are and who you’re around.

Located in Tailevu Province, Natalei Eco Lodge is a rustic and peaceful lodge run by the surrounding village as a sustainable tourism initiative. The accommodations are nature-focused beachfront bures where you’ll get to experience authentic Fijian village life.

You’ll want to plan at least two nights here so you can enjoy activities that support local livelihoods and conservation efforts. Some highlights:

• Traditional Lovo Dinner: Watch your dinner be prepared underground using hot stones and banana leaves, a traditional cooking method still widely used in Fiji. Then, gather for a communal feast with the village. We even greeted with a traditional meke dance under the moonlight! And you may even end the night with a kava ceremony.
• Dolphin Tour at Moon Reef: This was truly one of those “once in a lifetime” moments. You’ll head out with Jay to Moon Reef, a marine protected area just offshore, where a pod of spinner dolphins lives year-round. Because only the village is allowed to bring guests here, it’s a rare and respectful way to experience wildlife up close.
• Mangrove Kayaking: Paddle through a mangrove forest restoration project and learn how the village is bringing this ecosystem back to life. The scenery is absolutely stunning and serene.

Spend a Day in Suva with a Local Guide

The capital city of Suva might not be on everyone’s Fiji itinerary, but it absolutely should be. With a rich cultural history, colorful markets, and vibrant arts scene, Suva offers a side of Fiji that’s often overlooked.

We recommend joining a tour with Peter Sipeli, a local guide, storyteller, and poet who brings the city to life in a way only a local can. He’ll take you through bustling food markets, historic sites, and even introduce you to Suva’s famous fruit bat colony.

We really enjoyed visiting the markets and hearing about the history through the lens of a local. We appreciated the honesty and the perspective Peter brings to his tours.

Be sure to stop at Ginger Café, a stylish spot for coffee and lunch with a locally inspired menu.

Stay in Pacific Harbour: The Adventure Capital of Fiji

Continuing your way around Viti Levu, you’ll want to plan time in Pacific Harbour. Known as the adventure capital of Fiji, this coastal town is the jumping-off point for everything from diving with bull sharks to ziplining through rainforest.

There are great accommodation options here to suit different budgets—from the chill and social vibes of Uprising Beach Resort to the luxurious and serene Nanuku Auberge Resort, where you can truly unwind after a day of adrenaline-pumping activities.

Whitewater Rafting the Upper Navua River

Hands down, one of the most magical things we did was whitewater rafting in Fiji. And this is coming from someone who swore off whitewater rafting after a sketchy experience in Bali years ago that left me thinking this was NOT a sport for me!

Rivers Fiji is a social enterprise that offers guided rafting trips down the Upper Navua River—a gorgeous rainforest canyon filled with waterfalls, lush jungle, and towering walls. It truly looks like Fern Gully or a place where unicorns live.

The company partners with nearby landowning villages (mataqali) and holds a conservation lease to protect a 16km stretch of river and surrounding forest. All the guides are from local communities and are passionate about conservation and sharing their culture.

Expect a full day of adventure and unimaginable beauty. We can’t recommend this experience enough—it’s not just rafting, it’s a journey through one of Fiji’s most sacred natural areas.

Relax on the Coral Coast

After all the adventure, unwind with some beach time on Fiji’s Coral Coast. There are stunning places to stay along this stretch of coastline, famous for its beaches, coral reefs, and the first national park in Fiji!

We actually stayed at two spots on the Coral Coast, The Beachouse is where we stayed before finishing our tour of Viti Levu (we were attending a conference, so we moved hotels for that after).

The Beachouse offered a laid-back, surfer-friendly stay with charming garden cottages and a beautiful beach. This boutique hotel feels like a tropical hideaway with hammocks, outdoor showers, and an overall chill vibe to it.

Our conference was at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, which is a huge resort that can offer everything you need out of a Fiji vacation if you don’t want to move around Viti Levu like we did and have one base.

They have restaurants, an incredible stretch of beach that connects to more resorts and beachfront vendors, snorkeling, diving, pools, gardens, and a range of accommodations to choose from. This is a vacation spot for those looking for a big resort with all the amenities.

Visit the Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park

Fiji’s first national park is both a natural wonder and an archaeological site. Located just off the Coral Coast, the Sigatoka Sand Dunes are massive and dramatic, formed over thousands of years.

You can hike along the ridges, admire views of the ocean, and learn about the ancient pottery and burial sites uncovered here.

It’s a great way to mix outdoor activity with a deeper dive into Fiji’s history. We enjoyed a scenic hike, you’ll notice the coastline here is a bit more dramatic with bigger waves and stronger currents – swimming is not allowed here for safety reasons.

Walking along the coastline, around the sand dunes, and through the dry forests was incredibly scenic and another side of Fiji we didn’t know about.

Visit Bula Coffee

While Fiji might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of coffee growing regions, it’s quickly becoming recognized for its wild grown coffee!

Bula Coffee works with local farmers in remote villages who harvest wild coffee cherries by hand. It wasn’t until the past decade or so that there was really a coffee scene in Fiji as it really wasn’t a drink of choice for awhile – but that is all changing.

What’s cool is you can visit their cafe and join their cherry to cup coffee tour where they teach you all about how Fijian coffee is made from cherry to your coffee cup right here!

What’s interesting is that their methods of coffee making are so different than done on commercial levels. They also have a huge sustainability focus and help support the farmers they work with. The flavors are distinct and aromatic too. A bag of their coffee beans make for a great souvenir to bring home!

Snorkel Around the Mamanuca Islands

Either at the beginning or end of your trip, before leaving from Nadi Airport, you’ll want to check out the snorkeling near Nadi around the Mamanuca Islands.

We did this as our final activity before an evening flight out of Nadi, with our credit card we have access to the lounge in the airport that had showers for bathing and get prepped for our long flight back home!

We did a customized charger with Salty Dog Adventures, which is located right by the airport. They can customize your tour if you’re a private party.

On our private charter, we took about a 45-60 minute ride out to a coral reef where we snorkeled around one of the most active and vivid coral reefs to date. Scott even had a shark swim right up to him, which was electrifying and exciting (once we knew the shark wasn’t interested in having a snack).

Sharks are quite common to see in Fiji and there are plenty of adventures you can seek out to see them if that’s your jam. I didn’t see one, but I did see all kinds of colorful starfish, octopus, and the full spectrum of colors of fish!

Our tour didn’t actually visit any of the islands, we just spotted them and stuck to the reefs. The one thing I will say about this type of snorkeling trip is that it helps to be a bit of a confident swimmer or if you’re not ask to wear a life vest for added support.

As mentioned, we did a private charter with Salty Dog Adventures, but here are a few other options if you don’t have enough people to do a private charter (we had 4).

Just make sure to bring a bag for wet clothes if you’re going to the airport after!

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Viti Levu offers so much more than just a place to land before heading to other islands. From cultural experiences and lush rainforests to exciting adventures and stunning coastlines, a trip around Fiji’s main island is packed with incredible sustainable and unforgettable adventures.

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