Introducing Fiji
Bula! Burn this word into your vocabulary. The brochures tell you it means Hello! Cheers! Welcome! But the only thing warmer than a sun-induced coma beneath a Fijian sky is the smile from locals as they cast a friendly bula your way. It's Fiji in a (coco) nut shell - beauty, grace, relaxation and charm. Its therapeutic resonance shifts the weight from your shoulders and the tension from your bones. Even 'Fiji time' adheres to the bula philosophy, occupying a concept somewhere between GMT and infinity.
Most visitors head here for the sublime sun and sea. Lapped by cerulean waters, this archipelago encompasses over 300 islands, so notions of cocktails on an alabaster beach aren't mere whimsy. Swim, surf, snorkel, kayak or simply wallow in the tepid waters of the Yasawa Group. Head to the Mamanuca Group for a family fling or find a remote hideaway in Kadavu or the Lau Group. Things only get hectic beneath the ocean's surface, where schools of psychedelic fish (and the odd diver) flutter amid kilometres of vivid coral. The diving is amazing; swim with sharks off Southern Viti Levu & the Coral Coast, watch out for manta rays off Nacula or just float in a coral wonderland in Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group.
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Chopping jackfruit at market.
- Tom Cockrem
- Lonely Planet photographer
