Island Hopping Fiji | Paradise and Adventure

I would never have guessed that island hopping Fiji could be somewhat affordable, but a flight sale out of Los Angeles to Fiji had me googling itineraries for this South Pacific paradise. I read it’s popular among Australians to backpack a chain of islands just off the main island. Once I felt confident that I could travel Fiji safely as a solo traveler and without breaking the bank, I purchased the plane ticket and started planning my island hopping in Fiji.

Even though I love island travel, I had my doubts that Fiji would be worth the fifteen hours of flying one way. I wondered if I’d regret this trip. A little bit of fear of buyer’s remorse plagued me, but I pressed on and planned out my island hopping Fiji trip. 

Fiji far exceeded my expectations and was the perfect balance of adventure, culture, and relaxation surrounded by paradise.

Fiji (not the main island though) far exceeded my expectations and it was a perfect balance of adventure, culture, and relaxation surrounded by paradise. 

Before you dive in, I want to be transparent: this article includes affiliate links. This simply means that if you click on the link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission. Rest assured, the article includes my genuine advice and it won’t cost you anything extra. Your support is greatly appreciated. Happy reading!

Flight to Fiji

From Orlando I flew to Los Angeles and then from Los Angeles to Fiji. This was about fifteen hours of flying. Fiji Airways was having a sale out of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. With plenty of flight options from Orlando to the Los Angeles, I booked my Fiji flight and then my Orlando to Los Angeles flight. I got both flights round trip for under $1,000 USD by buying them separately.

International flights to Fiji land in Nadi and my flight from Los Angeles landed very early. I had plenty of time to make it to the Ferry for the 8:45AM departure, but opted for a chill day on the main island. I’m glad I did as I was in major need of sleep.

How to Island Hop Fiji – Yasawa Islands

Organizing the ferry to the Yasawa Islands can be done through your resort, a travel company or on your own. You can choose a helicopter which is the fastest and most expensive option, a private transfer or a larger ferry like the Yasawa Flyer for island hopping Fiji.

I organized my own trip and ultimately chose to buy the eight day Bula Pass of the Yasawa Flyer by Awesome Adventures. I thought I could just show up and purchase the day of and while I did end up doing that, I don’t recommend it. They do keep a running tab of how many passengers are expected so book the pass in advance or at least communicate the dates so they can account for you. 

You can purchase the pass on their website, which comes with a credit card fee. However, that fee will follow you around Fiji when using your credit card. Unless you are going to get cash out, just buy it online. They also offer packages where you can utilize their services to decide on the resorts and book the ferry pass as a package. I opted to plan my own trip, but this is a nice option for those who don’t want to plan. 

Book the Bula Pass on the Yasawa Flyer

Book a tour for island hopping Fiji: Yasawa Wanderer Package 8 Days| 7 Nights

Where to Stay in the Yasawa Islands

Where you decide to stay will be determined mostly by your budget and what you want to experience. Each island in the Yasawa Islands will have some similarities like village visits and snorkeling, but each of my stays had their own unique offerings.

Some resorts are luxury and won’t offer dorms, while others have a range of stays from dorms to beach side villas. It’s worth noting that these resorts impose a meal package. A lot of islands only have one resort so naturally you wouldn’t have any other option. However, even resorts that do share their island require you to purchase the meal package. In all of the places I stayed, the dining plan cost significantly more than the dorm accommodation. Just something to keep in mind when booking and budgeting your island hopping Fiji trip.

Resorts | Island Hopping Fiji

Blue Lagoon – Nacula Island, Yasawa, Fiji

When deciding what I wanted to see and do in Fiji, the Sawa-i-Lau Caves made the list. This meant choosing a resort that offered that as a tour. I chose to start my week in the Yasawa Islands at Blue Lagoon as it’s the furthest of the three stays. It ended up being the nicest dorm and best food of the three resorts and I’d probably end with it next time.

Read My Full Review of Blue Lagoon Beach Resort

During my stay, I did the village visit (extra charge), the small hike (free), attempted a snorkel but it was low tide (free) and saw the caves (extra charge)! I loved my stay here! The dorms were nice. The food was delicious and Blue Lagoon made it a point to ask solo travelers during lunch if they’d be open to sitting with other solo travelers over dinner. It was such an easy way to meet other solo travelers.

I also loved the village visit and the caves! Overall, this resort was my favorite and I definitely recommend it based on my experience.

Octopus Resort is a sister resort and sits on Waya Island. This island looked so beautiful from the ferry and would likely be a good place to stay as well.

Book a Stay Blue Lagoon

Mantaray Island Resort – Nanuya Island, Yasawa, Fiji

I booked three nights at Mantaray Island Resort, instead of two nights, hoping to increase my odds of seeing a Manta ray. However, of the three places I stayed, this wasn’t my favorite. Not to say, it’s not worth staying here, but the dorms are large and hectic and the shared bathroom is composting toilets. It was hard to follow Blue Lagoon.

I was at the end of Manta ray season and I had heard that people were not seeing them. The way they work is if one is sighted, they blow a horn, everyone interested runs to check out the snorkel gear and then you pile into boats. My first full day there, the horn sounded and numerous boats went out in search of the one Manta ray that was sighted. Well we never did see the Manta ray, but they only charge for the tour if you do see one.

Read My Full Review of Mantaray Island Resort

While it was not as nice as Blue Lagoon in terms of dorms, I did enjoy my stay. I went on a dive so I could get my first ocean dive completed before the next island. I used the paddle board (for free), snorkeled the reef right off the beach (snorkel equipment for a fee), sunset tube tour (for a fee) and spent some wonderful time napping and reading in the hammock. The hammocks at Blue Lagoon were only for the beach side villas, but at Manta ray anyone can use them.

Book a Stay Mantaray Island Resort

Manta Ray Sighting

Snorkel gear does come with a fee, but it’s good for your entire stay. It was my last day when I had checked out and came down to the beach. One of the employees greeted me and told me a Manta ray was just off the beach. I ran to grab some snorkel gear, walked up the beach (the current was so strong) and swam faster than I knew I could. I finally made it to the employee on the paddle board and for a good ten seconds saw a Manta ray! Despite not preferring the dorms and wishing I hadn’t booked three nights, I got to see a Manta ray the morning I would be leaving the island.

There are two main stays to see the Manta rays, and the other is Barefoot Manta. While I did not stay at Barefoot Manta, my third resort was a Barefoot resort and I would say it’s probably a decent option as well. The best months to see the Manta rays are June and July according to the Mantaray employee when I asked.

While the dorms are huge and hectic when fully booked, my stay was very nice and I had no issues. The bathroom experience wasn’t my favorite but I can appreciate the value of having composting toilets. The food here came in second place for me, but I did enjoy the overall vibe of Mantaray Island Resort.

Barefoot Kuata – Kuata Island, Yasawa, Fiji

Kuata Island was my favorite while island hopping Fiji. I’m not sure why as both of the other islands were beautiful, but the views here won my heart! I booked Barefoot Kuata for a specific activity and it was absolutely worth it.

Read My Full Review of Barefoot Kuata

Regarding the resort, I’d say the food was third place and the dorms were second. The bathrooms were nice but no hot water (though two of the showers were supposed to have hot water). However, the bull shark dive experience was why I stayed here and I’m so glad I did! They also have snorkeling here as well as other free activities offered but I recommend the Bull Shark Dive!

Overall this resort came in second after Blue Lagoon, but the island views were number one.

Book a Stay Barefoot Kuata

I went in September. If you don’t go during high season, the weather might be less cooperative on some days, but you’ll have less tourists around.

Getting Around

On the main island I used taxis, though you can opt for public transport or renting a car. Overall, I wish I would have skipped the main island, but if you do stay then taxis are easiest. Transport can be organized with your resort typically as well.

Island hopping Fiji is mainly done on the ferry. However, helicopters are an option for a high price. The ferry to the Yasawa Islands does not stop at docks. In fact, there are no docks on any of the Yasawa Islands. You hop on the ferry and once you arrive to your island, the small resort boats drive out to the ferry to drop off passengers and pick them up. The small boats pull up next to the ferry and the swap happens.

What to See and Do While Island Hopping Fiji

It’s paradise and perhaps all you want to do in paradise is relax. However, I travel for experiences, culture and views. While I did get in some good relaxing and reading, I loved that I could enjoy various experiences while island hopping Fiji!

Surf

Fiji has world class waves! If you’re a really good surfer then this is your playground and you’re likely coming here for a surf trip! If you would like to do lessons, I did this on the main island. Coral Coast and nearby is generally considered the best for beginners. I took lessons that were organized through my resort on Natadola Beach. There are two resorts on this beach, a very nice one and cheaper and older one. I stayed in the latter. I ended up only getting to surf on my last day.

Trying to get a beginner surfing lesson ended up being a little frustrating. I contacted two companies. One said they weren’t taking booking for October yet. The other said I had to contact them closer to the time. Due to weather, miscommunications, delays and such, I only surfed my last day. I am coming off of an injury but I don’t think I improved much at all. Regardless, I got to surf in paradise and I very much enjoyed my time. My main reason for coming to the main island was to surf and hopefully improve. If I ever return, hopefully I’ll be a much better surfer and can surf the Mamanuca Islands instead!

Caves

The Sawa-i-Lau caves are somewhat famous since a movie was made about them. Cue Brooke Shields in Blue Lagoon. I have not seen the movie but I have been to the caves and I loved the experience! Several resorts offer this tour, but I stayed at Blue Lagoon and did the tour with them. The resorts offer various tours each day so the caves is not offered daily. If you want to ensure you get to see the caves, I’d suggest staying at least two nights and/or checking with the resort regarding timing. There is a fee to see the caves, but it wasn’t bad. A couple boats took those of us who signed up in the morning, as the afternoon brings about day trippers from the main island.

The caves are beautiful! Once in the first portion which is more of a half cave, you have the option of going underwater through a small opening into another cave. Not everyone loves this idea or chooses to go, but it was very cool and they help ensure you make it through safely. I absolutely LOVED this experience!

Village Visit

Most resorts, if not all, offer a Village Visit tour. I did my village visit at Blue Lagoon. On the plane, I saw the same advertisement declaring how happy Fijians are and well I didn’t see that to be the case until I arrived to the village.

On our visit, we saw the school for the elementary aged children and the high school. Since high schools are more rare, students from several islands go there and board during their schooling. What most impressed me was seeing their garden as high school children are expected to grow their own food! Not me over here with an app telling me when to water my plants. I was so impressed!

I only really did the hike offered at Blue Lagoon, though I think Mantaray also had one. Though at Mantaray Island Resort, the dining hall was up the hill so I had a mini hike every meal. The hike at Blue Lagoon had amazing views! However, it was still a bit muddy and ended up feeling more precarious than I expected. At Barefoot Kuata, I did the guided, free tour to the cave where he explained it’s cultural significance. It was a light walk, not so much a hike. There might have been another area to walk, but I don’t recall any big hike at this island, though walking around the rocks during low tide is always fun.

Scuba Diving

I didn’t know much about scuba diving before I decided to complete my open water certification once I learned about the Bull Shark Dive. However, it seems as though Fiji has some really great diving! I absolutely recommend the Bull Shark dive that I did! The dive is run in part by marine biologists and they offer a nightly talk about sharks or reefs at the Barefoot Kuata resort.

The Bull Shark dive itself was amazing! I was nervous, so one diver was assigned to me the whole time which really helped! The pro divers way outnumbers us three tourist divers and I felt very safe. I can’t vouch for the other shark diving but I’d imagine it would be just as good and memorable.

The Bull Shark Dive was one of the coolest experiences of my life.

Snorkeling

Every resort I stayed offers snorkeling. Only Mantaray Island Resort charged an extra fee for the equipment of the three I stayed. However, all had reefs right off the beach that you could snorkel. Of the three, I think Barefoot Kuata was the least impressive, but all were worth exploring. Though Barefoot Kuata was least impressive on the reef side of things, they offered a snorkel with sharks (not Bull sharks) which is a very popular activity that I ended up missing. Overall, snorkeling is plentiful! If I had room in my carry-on, taking my mask and snorkel would have been worth it!

Sigatoka Sand Dunes

While there are things to see and do on the main island, none of it was as impactful as my time in the Yasawa Islands. I did go into Nadi for some bug spray at the start of trip which didn’t really work in the Yasawa Islands (I was covered in mosquito bites). At the end of my trip, I surfed, took a boat tour to the Mamanuca Islands and I visited Sigatoka Sand Dunes.

The sand dunes were beautiful and the hike was very enjoyable, especially since it happened to be a rainy and overcast day. The first part of the hike was very easy and straightforward. Once I arrived to the sand dunes, however, things got more difficult. I had to climb the sand dunes and thankfully my knee was able to handle it. After enjoying the view for a bit, I walked down to the beach where I was told to walk until I reached the stick teepees they make to block the wind. Living in Florida where we have both soft sand and hard sand, I expected this to be the easiest part of the walk. It was absolutely the hardest part since that beach had NO hard sand!

Sunset Tubing

This was a tour offered at Mantaray Island Resort. Someone had told me they heard it was fun, so I went ahead and signed up. They took us by boat to the other side of the island to watch the sunset. We each brought our own drink and we gathered enough tubes for each person before hopping onto the boat.

We enjoyed floating in the water and drinking the drinks we brought while watching the sunset. Then a surprising and random twist of having the boat tow us a while. This is one example how the tours can differ slightly at each resort.

 

Day Sailing Tour to Mamanuca Islands

When on the main island for four nights, I wasn’t able to surf due to some high winds impacting the beginner surf conditions. So I signed up to sail. Seemed like a good idea. It also gave me a chance to see some of the Mamanuca Islands from the sailboat. The tour I did stopped at a reef and sandbar and fed us a delicious lunch.

In hindsight, I would have stayed on the main island less than four nights or not at all. This would have freed up more time in the Yasawa Islands or allowed me to stay on a Mamanuca Island. However, I did enjoy the day sailing trip and if you are on the main island, it’s a good option for an enjoyable snorkel and relaxing day.

Fiji: Mamanuca Islands Full-Day Sailing Tour with Lunch

What to Pack for Two Weeks in Fiji

As I’ve traveled more and more, I’ve really resolved to pack as light as possible. Combine that with being a little cheap, I don’t like to pay for bags, I usually manage to get everything into a carry-on. I’ve packed for numerous two week trips in a carry-on so I felt confident. I also wanted the easiest amount of luggage possible for island hopping.

You may also like: The Ultimate Fiji Packing List: Essentials for a Tropical Getaway

For my toiletries, I bought some small containers off of amazon to put my face products and toothpaste in so they wouldn’t take up much space. I also use solids where possible. For example, I typically use a spray on natural deodorant, but I switch to a solid for travel. I also switched to shampoo and conditioner bars. I bought some shampoo and conditioner bars before this trip and they worked really well. If it was a shorter trip, I’d use the small containers for my liquid shampoo and conditioner, but knowing I’d wash my hair more often being in and out of the ocean I opted for the bars.

It’s worth noting anything you wear over your swimsuit, will be the most used and end up being the grossest clothes. Also, when I arrived in Fiji, I bought a sarong (sulu) in Nadi. I ended up using that sarong the majority of the time. Even with the sarong, all the clothes I brought to wear during the day, were gross by the end of the trip. Depending on the time of year you travel to Fiji, you may or may not need a light jacket or long sleeve shirt. I absolutely used the jacket and long sleeve shirts when I was in the shade or at night.

Since I knew I’d need a lot of sunscreen, I opted to buy that in Fiji. The other item I bought in Fiji was bug spray. I ended up not using it enough because I hate bug spray, even though it was a more natural bug spray. I paid for it as I left the Yasawa Islands full of mosquito bites. Both of these items and the sunscreen were purchased in Nadi in the same store.

I took a fanny pack for the times I didn’t need to carry much. My personal item, which was a large bag/purse was used as a beach bag.

I also bought some clothing detergent sheets off of amazon. I used them when I got to the main island where I had my own room and was staying for enough nights. I only washed my airplane outfit for the return flight. I could have used the laundry service at MantaRay as I was there for three nights. A bunk mate did this, but it’s worth noting that I’m not sure they have proper dryers. I wasn’t able to rent a beach towel due to them not being dry yet. The price for laundry wasn’t bad at Mantaray, so if I was to do this again, I’d go with that option, but still have the detergent sheets in case.

Carry-On Weight Allowance for Fiji Airways

It’s worth noting that Fiji Airways has a carry-on weight allowance and they did weigh my bag in Los Angeles. I took out my toiletries bag to bring the weight down and it was still over. The lady let it slide and I just put the bag back in my carry-on after. Keep that in mind when checking in. I was prepared for the returning flight but that wasn’t a problem at all. If you stuff your carry-on, it will probably be over the fifteen pound weight limit for Fiji Airways.