Bula all,
One of several daily landings at Matei airport
May be plane come today, may be Sunday;-)
Well, I know it is an effort to get to us and the airfare from Nadi to Taveuni is a bit pricy – BUT it is well worth the adventure and you will not regret it! You are far away from mainstream tourism, you can experience the real Fiji!
Pacific Sun is our main airline; it is a subsidiary of Air Pacific, Fiji’s National airline. You can easily book tickets on line from your international departure city, straight to Taveuni. This will safe you a couple of bucks and also will allow you to take 23kg of luggage on the domestic flights. Check in starts 90 minutes prior to the flights closing 30 minutes before AND they will kick you off even if you are just a couple of minutes late AND they will go earlier sometimes! Allow for +/- 1 hour!
Nadi-Taveuni tickets start from 300.30 Fiji Dollars with a 15kg limit for luggage and they mean it! While the overweight charges are not very high, your bag might not make it on the same flight as you. It is very important you tell the check in person that you are going off Taveuni (we are on the island of Vanua Levu) about 15 minutes BY BOAT and that your luggage MUST be on the same flight you are. They will tell you that they will deliver your bags – it is a no go since, last time I checked, they did not have a boat. If your luggage is not with you, it means you are buying Viola a glass of wine since it it a telephone hassle and then you are also paying for an extra transfer to Taveuni.
Pacific Sun has 1 flight daily from and to Suva and 2-3 flights daily from and to Nadi. Make sure you take a jacket into the plane – they remind me of my old VW van – hot on the ground – coooold in the air;-). Tickets are easy to purchase on line and you will receive an e ticket. The earlier you are – the better the rate. Also, make sure you let them know you are staying with us so they can call us in case the plane is late or if there are any other changes (there might be miracles and they actually will do it;-).
Island Hoppers just started service from and to Nadi. They might add Suva in the near future. They are also going from Nadi to Savusavu. The ticket from Nadi, one way will run you about 220.00 USD, so with the current USD exchange rate that is not so bad, AND you can take 30 kg if you are coming from an international flight. The planes are 8 seaters and brand new, very comfortable and have large windows.
Sunflower charters their planes out, so you really need to fill it up to make sense. Of course, you can also charter the seaplane which will be about 5000.00 USD, but you get to land right in front of the resort!
If this is all too expensive for you and you are adventurous, you can take the bus, any bus or Coral Sun bus which has aircon, from Nadi to Suva and then the ferry to Taveuni.
Right now, we only have 1 ferry though, the SOFE. She was in Greece for 30 years and now has been in Fiji for 11…….that really says it all. She leaves Suva every Tuesday and Friday evening and reaches Taveuni the following day (see how I am not very specific with the arrival time;-) She stops over in Koro and Savusavu, so count about 20 hours. You can buy the tickets at their office in Waly Bay or on the ferry. Check in is usually 2 hours before departure.
She is half the price of the flight, but I strongly recommend booking a cabin!!!!! Also, take food, water AND toilet paper!!!! Trust me on that one.
There is another ferry from Gounder Shipping, fairly new, the Lomaivit Princess. Check out our separate post for details.
If you are in Savusavu and you want to try the scenic Hibiscus Highway, take the bus or taxi to Natuvu (Buca Bay). It leaves early in the morning and there it connects with one of the 3 ferries which go to Taveuni (really just a larger boat) You will get to Taveuni, the Korean wharf, around midday. The whole trip is about 15-20 Dollars. From Taveuni to Savusavu, the ferry departs the Korean wharf at 9 am every morning, reaching Savusavu around noon.
From Taveuni airport to Dolphin Bay Divers Retreat it is about 20 minutes by car and 15 minutes by boat. From Natuvu count about 30-40 minutes by boat depending on the weather and tides. We can quote from both locations. PLEASE, believe us, there is no road here, we are accessible by boat only!!! The next road is either in Buca Bay or Dakuniba, both about 40 minutes by boat. renting a 4×4 or SUV will not help you unless it can swim;-).
If you still have problems finding your way to us, may be it is not meant to be;-), no seriously, send us an e mail and we will help you out! See you soon on the beach!
Pacific Sun http://pacificsun.com.fj reservations: 670888
Island Hoppers sales@islandhoppers.com reservations:672 0410
SOFE http://consortshipping.com.fj
One of 3 Buca Bay - Taveuni ferries
I agree, I am just learning how to blog;-)