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Fiji, Oceania

Escaping to Paradise in the Yasawa Islands of Fiji

August 4, 2015
Yasawas Fiji Islands

Around the World with Justin
When I booked my plane tickets to study abroad in Sydney, Australia I decided to make a few pit stops on my way back to the U.S. The last stop on my adventure was spent island hopping around the Yasawas of Fiji.

Yasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.comYasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.com
Around the World with Justin

“Happiness is only a flight away!”

With pristine beaches and the promise of paradise, this Fijian motto can easily entice any traveler to fly into Nadi International Airport (NAN) to explore the islands, especially the Yasawas.Yasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.com

Travel TipIf you have specific islands you want to visit in Fiji, put in more planning than I did and check out Tourism Fiji for tips.

Upon arriving in Fiji on Air New Zealand from New Zealand, I adopted my own mentality – “No plans, no problem!” Cue Miley…. “I hopped off the plane at NAN with a dream and my bathing suit. Welcome to the land of beach excess (whoa), I was gonna fit in!”

Alright, that’s enough before I spend too long rewriting the whole song as “Party in FIJI!” But after hopping off my plane I went straight to the travel agencies at the Nadi International Airport to figure out a game plan. I chose an island hopping pass with Awesome Adventures Fiji. My ferry, known as the “Yasawa Flyer” allowed me hop on and hop off Fiji’s Yasawa Islands as I wished.

Yasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.comYasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.com
Around the World with Justin

Travel TipBula Passes for the “Yasawa Flyer” include pre-paid transfers and range from 5 to 21 days with one hop per day.

After four months backpacking Australia and New Zealand (check out my posts on The Outback and Queenstown) ending in the Yasawas of Fiji was just what I needed. Fiji’s island living offered the perfect retreat to rest and rejuvenate before my return home. It was also extremely easy to explore the Yasawa Islands via the island hopping pass.

Yasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.comYasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.com

I spent most of my time on the Naviti Island where the locals greeted us with song and dance.

My days were lost reading in the hammock, exploring the islands, resting on the beaches and enjoying the company of fellow travelers in the Yasawas.

Yasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.comYasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.com

Every island gave me the opportunity to interact with locals, which included helping them gather food and taking part in their traditions.

Yasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.comYasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.com

As a “Survivor” superfan, my trip was also an opportunity to fend for myself by finding and breaking open coconuts to eat and drink.

Yasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.comYasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.com

Around the World with Justin
The Yasawa Islands I visited had basically two options for lodging: dorms and private cabanas. As a solo traveler I stayed in dorms, but a couple I knew from the Boston University Sydney Internship Program stayed in cabanas.

Yasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.comYasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.comYasawas Fiji Islands island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.com

Fun FactThe word “bula” is the Fijian universal greeting that’s always accompanied with a smile.

We traveled as backpackers and did not take the time to check out more resort-style accommodations, which are definitely available throughout the Yasawas of Fiji. I would recommend checking out options and booking through Agoda if you want to plan ahead.


Around the World with Justin
My experience in Fiji was a great ending to my semester abroad adventure. Was it everything I expected Fiji to be? Not exactly. And therein lies the problem… expectations. The widely held perception of Fiji – the epitome of island paradise – most likely set my “expectations” too high. It’s possible that the 3 of the 333 islands I stayed on were not as pristine as the commercialized pictures I grew up with and expected Fiji to be. But the lesson I learned is that setting expectations too high can be more dangerous than helpful. Was I disappointed in my experience of Fiji in comparison to my expectations? Yes. Was I disappointed in my experience of Fiji independent of my expectations? NO!! Fiji is beautiful, full of incredible people, offers a unique experience of South Pacific island living and is a great getaway from reality. I can’t wait to return to explore the other 330 islands of Fiji.

Yasawas Fiji Islands sunset island hopping aroundtheworldwithjustin.com

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4 Comments

  • Reply Oakley September 19, 2015 at 9:52 pm

    Hello, I enjoy reading all of your articles. I like to write a little comment to support you.

  • Reply How I Became a Solo Traveler in the Australian OutbackAround the World with Justin April 25, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    […] trekking in Tasmania, sailing through the Whitsunday Islands, bungee-jumping in New Zealand and island hopping in Fiji (all of which I […]

  • Reply J C December 9, 2017 at 1:36 am

    Your article would be more useful to readers if you captioned the images with their location. I have no idea where you went, some of the spots look really nice, but who knows where they are!

    • Avatar photo
      Reply Justin Walter January 17, 2018 at 3:06 pm

      Hi JC. Thanks for the comments and suggestion. All of the photos in this article are from Yasawa Islands in Fiji. I did an island hopping tour through the provided company and went to a few islands including Naviti as seen in the photos. Happy to help answer any questions you may have.

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