A Travel Guide to Fiji’s Main Island
The archipelago islands of Fiji might be made up of a whopping 333 islands, but it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Viti Levu is the arrival island of more a vast 97% of visitors to Fiji. That island alone has a landmass of 10,389 sq km (4,011 sq mi) split into several exciting and diverse regions to visit. Many will find the Fiji getaway they’re looking for right here on Fiji’s largest island and we’ll show you the what and the how in this complete guide to Viti Levu.
Most of Fiji’s population live on the large island, explaining the landscapes of sugarcane fields, pockets of urban areas, and scattering of Fijian villages. But despite the human manipulation of the island, Viti Levu also has a good share of natural landscapes, from sweeping sandy shores to a rugged mountainous interior created by ancient volcanic activity. Needless to say, you’ll find plenty of diversity in Viti Levu.
Fast Facts About Viti Levu
Location: Central western side of Fiji
Population: 600,000
Climate: Daily average temperature – 25.5°C/77.9°F, average rainfall 1,826mm/71.9″ – 3,065mm/120.7″
Find out more in What is the Weather Like in Fiji?
Time Zone: FJT / GMT+12/+13
Find out more in What is the Fiji Time Zone?
How to get to Viti Levu: Direct international flights from the South Pacific islands, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea land in Nadi International Airport, all of which have many connecting flights. See How Long Does it Take to Fly to Fiji? for more information. Alternatively, Viti Levu has several ports of call and ports of entry for cruise ships and yachts. Find out more in The Guide to Taking a Cruise to Fiji and The Sailing Guide to Fiji.
Nadi
Nadi is the vast majority’s introduction to Fiji, which while a far cry from the undeveloped archipelago islands that holiday dreams are made of, provide plenty of ways to jump straight into Fiji time.
Fiji’s third-largest town is spread across several sprawling suburbs, from the town centre with a colourful Hindu temple and a bustling market to Wailoaloa Beach with some of the closest beach resorts to the airport. The town has a scattering of high-end hotels to humble resorts, providing a place to stay that is on-theme with a tropical holiday should you need a place to stay between flights.
Highlights of the town range from the vibrant produce and handicraft markets of the urban centres to the Sabeto Hot Springs and Garden of the Sleeping Giant in the countryside. Alternatively, you can enjoy day trips out on the water through fishing charters, scuba diving or island excursions to the nearby Mamanuca Islands.
Take a look at more of what Nadi has to offer in The Complete Guide to Nadi.
Plan Your Trip to Nadi in Your Travel Style
Want to explore more of Fiji’s arrival town? Start planning your trip in your unique style with the following appropriate guide:
Denarau
Just a 30-minute drive from Nadi Airport, Denarau Island is the Fiji go-to for a fly-and-flop getaway at a famous Fiji resort. The manmade island from a reclaimed mangrove swampland has been polished to perfection with its manicured lawns, championship golf course, the attractive Port Denarau shopping centre and a collection of five-star resorts from some of the world’s most prestigious hotel and resort groups.
Aside from enjoying a resort getaway, Denarau Island, which is attached to Viti Levu by a causeway, is a popular spot for trips to the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands. Port Denarau Marina is the base of Fiji’s high-speed catamaran ferries, as well as day excursions via jet boat, sailing yacht, fishing charter, dive boat and more.
Learn more about Fiji’s fabulous Denarau in The Complete Guide to Denarau Island.
Plan Your Trip to Denarau in Your Travel Style
See yourself relaxing by a luxury resort pool? Plan your getaway to Denarau using one of the following guides:
Coral Coast
Boasting some of the most spectacular coastlines in Viti Levu, the Coral Coast is where you’ll find your Fiji beach holiday without having to leave the mainland. Stretching along the southern coast of the island, the Coral Coast has a scattering of resorts from affordable adult-only stays to five-star golf resorts.
Aside from lazying by the pool and sipping on cocktails, the Coral Coast offers a range of interesting attractions across the coast and inland. Sigatoka is the main hub of the area where jet boat and river cruises take you up the Sigatoka River to remote villages. Alternatively, you can get off the beaten track with off-roading tours to ancient cannibal caves or enjoy an independent visit to the Biausevu Waterfall. The region is also home to one of Fiji’s national parks, the Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park.
Find out more about the resorts, attractions and vibes of Viti Levu’s most popular coast in The Complete Guide to the Coral Coast.
Plan Your Trip to the Coral Coast in Your Travel Style
Want to relax by the beach or have inland adventures on the Coral Coast? Plan your trip according to your unique travel style with one of the following guides:
Pacific Harbour and Beqa
Dubbed the “Adventure Capital of Fiji”, the Pacific Harbour and the off-shore islands surrounding Beqa Island are a place for the traveller who wants more than just coral reefs and cocktails.
On the southern coast of Viti Levu, a 45 minutes drive from Suva and 2h30mins drive from Nadi, the Pacific Harbour might be a little longer to get to on Viti Levu but many agree the journey is worth it.
Aside from the landscaped lawns of the well-kept town centre, the highlight of the area is the Navua River where white water rafting, jet boating, river tubing and bilibili rafting are all ways to enjoy the river which leads inland to secluded Fijian villages where a traditional Fijian lunch awaits on most tours. Cascading waterfalls and dramatic river gorges await the further upriver you go.
Offshore, you can find your Fiji island holiday on Beqa Island and Davui Island, which are moments away from one of the world’s largest barrier reefs, the Beqa Lagoon. Here is a place for magnificent scuba diving, snorkelling and even shark diving for certified divers.
Learn more about the wild side of Viti Levu in The Complete Guide to Pacific Harbour & Beqa.
Plan Your Trip to the Pacific Harbour in Your Travel Style
Does the Pacific Harbour sound like your kind of adventure? Cater a trip more to your style with the following guides:
Suva
Fiji’s capital city sits on the southeastern shores of Viti Levu, a bustling harbourside city with a mix of cultures. Far from your sandy beach holiday in Fiji, Suva provides an opportunity to experience the South Pacific urban life with its array of multicultural eateries, shops and huge municipal market.
The city is awash in colonial architecture, where there’s further opportunity to delve into Fiji history through the Fiji Museum. For those seeking a more natural setting, just outside of the city is the Colo-i-Suva Forest Park, home to waterfall trails and swimming holes to cool down on this much hotter side of Viti Levu.
Find out more about visiting Fiji’s capital in The Complete Guide to Suva.
Plan Your Trip to Suva in Your Travel Style
Whether you’re a couple on a honeymoon, a young family or backpackers on a budget, we have a Suva travel guide to suit most travel types:
Suncoast
An often-overlooked region of Viti Levu, the Suncoast provides the ultimate off-the-beaten-track adventure for travellers. The Suncoast typically refers to the northern part of Viti Levu, running between Lautoka to the west to Korovou in the east, encapsulating the sun-soaked shores to Fiji’s highest mountains.
Holidays on the Suncoast range from resort getaways, luxury private islands stays, lavish private villas, budget cottages and homestays. Those seeking sun and relaxation will certainly find it at the resorts on the side of Viti Levu which receives the longest sunshine hours. Those seeking adventure will find it one of the many guided hikes into Viti Levu’s rugged interiors, whether it’s to waterfalls in the Koroyanitu National Heritage Park or to the top of Fiji’s highest peak, Mt Tomanivi.
Like pretty much anywhere in Fiji, there’s also an opportunity to get out on the water through scuba diving in the Bligh Water to dolphin cruises at the famous Moon Reef.
Start planning your trip to the sunnier side of Fiji in The Complete Guide to the Suncoast.
Plan Your Trip to the Suncoast in Your Travel Style
Plan your getaway to northern Viti Levu according to your preferred style of travel with the following appropriate article:
Accommodation in Viti Levu
Nadi
- Smugglers Cove Beach Resort
- First Landing Beach Resort
- Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay
- Nadi Nalagi Hotel
- Tanoa International Hotel
- Mercure Nadi
- Aquarius on the Beach
- Bamboo Backpackers
- Novotel Nadi
- Fiji DoubleTree Resort by Hilton – Sonaisali Island
- Landers Bay Resort & Spa
- Anchorage Beach Resort
- Fiji Gateway Hotel
- Tanoa Skylodge
- Club Fiji Resort
- Oasis Palms Hotel
- Ramada by Wyndham Wailoaloa
- Ratsun Nadi Airport Apartment Hotel
- Grand West’s Villas
- Sapphire Bay Fiji
- Bluewater Lodge
Denarau
- Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa
- The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa
- The Palms Apartments
- The Terraces Apartments
- Sheraton Fiji Resort
- Sheraton Denarau Villas
- Hilton Fiji Beach Resort & Spa
- Radisson Blu Resort Fiji
Coral Coast
- Mango Bay Resort
- Bedarra Beach Inn
- Wellesley Resort Fiji
- The View Fiji
- Tambua Sands Beach Resort
- InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
- Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa
- The Warwick Fiji
- Yatule Resort & Spa
- Shalini Garden Hotel & Apartments
- Crusoe’s Retreat
- The Beachhouse
- Namuka Bay Lagoon
- Maui Palms
- Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort
- Blue West Villas
- Shalini Garden Hotel & Apartments
- Fiji Hideaway Resort
- Robinson Crusoe Island Resort
- The Naviti Resort
- Gecko’s Resort
- Namolevu Beach Bures
- The Naviti Resort
Pacific Harbour & Beqa
- Nanuku Auberge Resort
- The Pearl Resort
- Royal Davui Island Resort
- Beqa Lagoon Resort
- Club Oceanus Resort
- Island Villas
- Uprising Beach Resort
- Matanivusi Beach Eco Resort
- Waidroka Bay Resort
Suva
- Quest Suva
- Holiday Inn Suva
- Suva Motor Inn
- Capricorn Apartment Hotel
- Grand Pacific Hotel
- Tanoa Plaza Hotel
- Colo-i-Suva Rainforest Eco Resort
- Novotel Suva Lami Bay
- Five Princes Hotel
- Siris Apartments & Hotel
- Town House Apartment Hotel
- Elixir Hotel & Serviced Apartments
- Colonial Lodge
- Tagimoucia House Hotel
- City Private Hotel
- Southern Cross Hotel
Suncoast
- Tanoa Rakiraki Hotel
- Tanoa Waterfront Hotel
- Wananavu Beach Resort
- Volivoli Beach Resort
- Dreamview Villas
- Bularangi Villa
- Golden Point Resort
- The BeeHive Fiji
- The Fiji Orchid
- Belo Vula Resort
- Dua Dua Beach Resort
- Lautoka Hotel
For some of our top picks, check out the 10 Best Resorts in Viti Levi or browse our Accommodation category for more.
Author
Laura S.
This article was reviewed and published by Laura, editor in chief and co-founder of Fiji Pocket Guide. Since arriving solo in the South Pacific over 10 years ago with nothing but a backpack and a background in journalism, her mission has been to show the world how easy (and awesome) it is to explore a paradise such as Fiji. She knows the islands inside-out and loves sharing tips on how best to experience Fiji’s must-dos and hidden gems. Laura is also editor of several other South Pacific travel guides.