Vanua Levu
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Overview
Though it’s Fiji’s second-largest island, Vanua Levu (Big Island) is one of the tropics’ best-kept secrets. It’s another world from the bustle of Viti Levu and the more-touristed islands: many roads are little more than rutted dirt tracks, and Labasa, the island’s largest ‘city’, is a one-street strip of shops. To the south, Savusavu entices yachties, divers and dreamers looking for a tropical idyll. The rest of ‘Big Island’ is given over to sugarcane and copra plantations, hideaway villages, mountain passes streaming with waterfalls, endless swaths of forest and an ever-changing coastline forgotten by the world. Take it slow, keep a smile on your face and savour rural Fiji on its grandest scale.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Vanua Levu
This site has a cryptic – and cannibalistic – history. At the entrance, there's a sacred monolith that villagers believe grew from the ground; behind is a…
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Vanua Levu
The sacred 3m-high Cobra Rock is housed inside the vibrant Naag Mandir Temple. It's draped with flower-and-tinsel garlands, and offerings are placed at…
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Vanua Levu
Deep in the mountains north of Savusavu, reachable by 4WD, lie the ruins of Nukubolu, an ancient Fijian village whose stone foundations, terraces and…
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Vanua Levu
Nestled in the mountains north of Savusavu, this 120-ha reserve is home to thousands of birds, flowers, trees and plants, some of which are used in local…
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Vanua Levu
This house-sized island floats on a pond during high winds or, if you believe local lore, when a priest chants at it. The real reason to come here is to…
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Vanua Levu
Home to the rare silktail bird, found only on this peninsula and on Taveuni. The silktail has sadly made it onto the world’s endangered-species list, with…
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Vanua Levu
From Naag Mandir Temple, head down through dense coconut trees and past the lounging cows to Korovatu Beach. It's the closest stretch of sand to Labasa…
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