In short
Nadi is not Fiji's destination, it is its airlock. The town holds the international airport through which almost every visitor arrives, and most leave the same day for the islands.
Denarau, a developed peninsula ten minutes away, holds the large hotels and the marina the boats leave from. The town itself has a shopping street and the Sri Siva Subramaniya temple, one of the largest Hindu temples in the southern hemisphere — Indo-Fijians make up a significant share of the population.
Arriving and getting around
Nadi international airport is the main point of entry to the South Pacific.
The Yasawa Flyer, a daily catamaran, serves the Mamanucas and the Yasawas from Denarau marina: it is the normal way to reach the islands, and the ticket works as a multi-stop pass.
Local buses and taxis cover the region; a car reaches Suva, the capital, in four hours.
What it really costs
Fiji covers every level, from island dormitory to luxury resort.
Nadi and Denarau charge more than the islands, and staying in Nadi is mainly useful the night before a flight.
When to come
May–October is the dry, cooler season, the best period.
November–April is hot, humid and cyclonic.
What nobody tells you
Visiting a Fijian village follows a protocol. You present the sevusevu — an offering of kava root given to the chief — and observe rules that are simple but firm: do not wear a hat or sunglasses in the village, do not touch anyone's head, cover shoulders and knees. Wearing a hat is reserved for the chief.
Kava, prepared from a root, is drunk ceremonially and shared from a bowl. It numbs the tongue and is not alcoholic.
The beaches at Nadi itself are poor: murky water and mangrove. The beaches of the images are on the islands, one or several hours away by boat.
The Garden of the Sleeping Giant and the Sabeto hot springs, half an hour away, are the classic outing for a day spent waiting between flights.
