About Fiji

Fiji is a romantic, exotic, fun, active, peaceful destination! Swim with manta rays, snorkel over vibrant gardens of soft coral, scuba dive amongst world renowned reefs, surf infamous breaks, or test a shade dappled swaying hammock. Hike lush mountain trails, paddle white flowing rivers, swim beneath a misted waterfall or float hypnotically in the calm turquoise lagoon waters. Dine under the stars at a candle lit beachfront table for two, or cross-legged with the local chief and villages.

Your options are endless but remember - rush nothing and enjoy everything!

Location
Fiji is located in the South Pacific, 3000km (1875 miles) east of Australia and about 1930km (1200 miles) south of the Equator. It comprises of more than 320 islands with the two largest being the extinct volcanoes of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.

Arrival
Fiji has two international airports – Nadi which is the main gateway and Nausori, near Suva. Your baggage may be examined by Customs and you must declare any prohibited or restricted goods, or dutiable goods exceeding your duty/VAT free allowance.

A passport valid for at least six months beyond intended period of stay is required by all except nationals of Fiji when holding a Certificate of Identity including a photograph of the bearer. Holders of the certificate must obtain approval from the Fiji Immigration Department before arrival.

Visas are required by all except citizens of Britain, the EU, Australia, Canada, USA, Japan and New Zealand.

For other countries and current requirements please check with the Fijian High Commission or local Embassy.

Fiji Immigration Dept, Level 3, Suvavou House, Victoria Parade, Suva (street address); or PO Box 2224, Government Buildings, Suva, Fiji (postal address) (tel: 331 2622; fax: 330 1653).

Money
Standard banking hours are from 9:30am to 3:00pm Monday to Thursday and to 4:00pm on Friday. All banks are closed on public holidays.
ANZ operates a 24 hour service at Nadi International Airport's Arrival Concourse plus ATM services in Suva, Nausori, Nadi, Nadi Airport, Lautoka, and Labasa. Bank of Hawaii offers Automated Teller (ATM) services in Suva, Nadi, Lautoka. National Bank and Westpac offer EFTPOS services in Suva, Nausori, Sigatoka, Nadi, and Lautoka.

International cards are welcomed by most hotels, restaurants, shops, tour operators, etc. American Express, Diners Club, Visa, JCB International and Mastercard have representatives in Suva.

The Fijian dollar has standard decimal denominations between 1¢ and $50. Anything below $2 is a coin and $2 and above is a note. To check the current exchange rate, use a currency converter.

Communication
Most hotels have direct dialling facilities. For inbound calls, the international IDD country code for Fiji is 679 and there are no area codes. Outbound international calls from Fiji use a dial out code of 05 followed by the country code and telephone number required.

Visitors from many countries, and subscribing to various networks, can use their own GSM handsets in Fiji. Mobile customers are advised to check with their network operators for their roaming status before travelling, as roaming capability must be 'turned on' in your home country. Some areas do not have mobile reception but increased receivers around the islands has broadened reception for mobiles.

Climate
Fiji enjoys a sub-tropical climate without any great extremes in weather patterns. Maximum temperatures are steady at around 31°C to 26°C range year round. Cooling trade winds blow from the east south-east for most of the year.

The tropical wet season is from around late November through to March. This season is characterised by heavy, brief local showers and contributes most of Fiji's annual rainfall with the different areas of Fiji receive varying levels of rainfall. The north receives the highest levels with the Yasawas and Mamanuca group the lowest.

Language
A great fact about Fiji is that everyone speaks English in addition to Fijian or Hindi.
Here are a few words to get you started:

Population
Fiji's population of around 800,000 people is made up of indigenous Fijians (50%), Indians (47%) with Europeans, Chinese and South Pacific Islanders making up the remaining 3%.

Dress
Casual for both night and day. T-shirts, shorts, light cotton dresses and swimwear. For cooler evenings or for trips out on the water, a light wind jacket is a good idea. Sunscreens and hats are a must and joggers or sandals are good protection for walking and swimming around coral.

"Sulus" (sarongs) are worn by both men and women and are tied in numerous ways. The wrap-around sulu is Fiji's most distinctive and versatile form of dress.

Visitors are asked to be careful not to offend local sensibilities. Wearing bikinis and ultra-brief swimming costumes is fine at a resort but not when visiting villages or shopping in town. This is where a sulu comes in handy as knees must be covered. Shoulders should not be shown in villages and always remove your hat when entering a village and shoes if entering a home or church.

Driving
An adventure in itself, driving in Fiji allows you the freedom to visit townships or drive at your leisure to your next resort. Hire companies operate from Nadi, Suva, Nausori and many resorts.

The Kings Road has a 50k section which is unsealed and this road joins Suva to Lautoka around eastern and northern Viti Levu. The Queens Road follows the western and southern coast of the island and is sealed.

Electricity
The current in Fiji is 240 volts AC 50Hz with three-pin power points - the same as in Australia and New Zealand. Leading hotels and resorts offer universal outlets for 240v or 110v appliances, or 110V adapters.

Tipping
Tipping is not encouraged anywhere in Fiji however you may like to donate to the staff funds many resorts establish for their employees.

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend suitable travel insurance to cover against high medical expenses which may occur while staying overseas and also to cover against loss of deposits should cancellation of reservations, or delay caused by sickness or strike, incur additional charges.