Fiji

Whitewater rafting in Sigatoka, Fiji
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sigatoka_fiji.jpg
Author: Fijisparadise


Fiji is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. Its is some 2000 km to the northeast of New Zealand. It is also close to other island nations of the Oceania including Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Tonga and Tuvalu, to name some. I am including Fiji as part of AsiaExplorers due to its proximity to the Asian continent.

Fiji is an archipelago of some 332 islands, of which the major ones are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, together accounting for 87% of the nation's population of 850,000. The islands are volcanic mountains surrounded by coral reefs. The capital and largest city is Suva, on Viti Levu. The name Fiji in English is derived from the Tongan pronunciation of Viti Levu.

Fiji is a parliamentary representative democratic republic with the Prime Minister as the head of government, and the President as head of state. The population of Fiji comprises native Fijians (54.3%) and ethnic Indians (38%), descendants of contract labourers brought to the island by the British in the 19th century. The people of Fiji, collectively, are called Fiji Islanders or Fiji Nationals, whereas Fijian refers to the indigenous ethnic group.

Yalobi Bay, Waya Island, Fiji
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WayaYalobi.jpg
Author: Doron


Fiji experiences a tropical marine climate with only slight variation in temperature throughouot the year. Hurricanes do occur from time to time between November and April. Fiji is a popular island getaway for tourists seeking the sun and the beach. It is also a popular honeymoon destinations for tourists from the Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Planning your trip to Fiji

The main international gateway to Fiji is Nadi International Airport (NAN). Located on the crossroads of the Pacific, the airport serves more as a refueling stop than a destination. Australia, for example, provides both national and international carriers that offer direct flights to Fiji. Another option would be by sea, but most Australian tourists prefer by air since it is time saving and more convenient.

From the airport, you have the option of taking the public bus, the taxi or rent an car. Air conditioned airport shuttle coaches serve the major towns and resorts in Fiji. Alternatively, you might want to do the locals do and take the open-window public buses.

Planning your travel within Fiji

Taxis are plentiful in Fiji - as the locals do not usually own a car. The fare is reasonable. Metered taxis can be found in the city area. Flag fall at FJ$1.50 during the day and FJ$2.00 after 10.00 pm. (Exchange rate is approximately US1.00 = FJ$2.00 as of 1 June 2010).

The Point, Vatulele Island, Fiji
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Point.jpg
Author: Jon-Eric Melsæter

Principal Cities in Fiji

Tourist Attractions of Fiji

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About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.