Travel Tips

Fiji is known as the Heaven on Earth. It’s beauty, attractiveness and natural features are enough to grasp the attraction of travellers. A visit to any place requires proper guideline to make travelling easy and convenient. Enjoy your holiday with these useful travel tips.

Fiji’s population of more than 880,000 is a melting pot of indigenous Fijians (i-Taukei), Indo-Fijians, Indian, Chinese, Part-Europeans and other South Pacific Islanders who call Fiji home.

Warm Welcome and Hospitality of Fijians
The natives of Fiji are well-known for their warm welcome, hospitality, and for being happy. Ask anybody who’s is back from Fiji trip about the most inspiring and delightful thing in Fiji, you will get the answer “People of Fiji”.
The company of Native Fijians make you feel welcome, relaxed, and refreshing even in new place.

Local Customs & Etiquette
Fijians are very friendly. When visiting a Fijian village, it’s likely that the children will run up to you and many locals will stop and take the time to talk to you. Outside hotels and resorts, people dress modestly. It’s best to visit one with a tour guide as there are many traditional protocols to be observed.

Know the meaning of ‘Bula’ and ‘Vinaka’
While English is an official language, and most Fijians speak English to a certain level, you will hear “Bula” and “Vinaka” frequently throughout your stay. Bula is the Fijian greeting and “Vinaka” means thank you. If you only ever learn two words of Fijian, make them “Bula and Vinaka”!

Explore the islands
Scattered across 1,290,000 square kilometres of ocean, Fiji is made up of a cluster of 333 islands, with the main island being Viti Levu. While Viti Levu is the start of most travellers’ adventure in Fiji, you’re not going to experience the most pristine palm-fringed white sand beaches and lush rainforests ringed by thriving coral reefs and fish-filled lagoons until you start exploring the islands.

The island groups consist of the Mamanuca Islands, Yasawa Islands, Vanua Levu, Tavenui, Lau Group, Kadavu, Lomaiviti Group and more. Getting to the islands is made easy with regular flights between many of the islands, several different ferry services, private or shared water taxis, island excursions from the Viti Levu Resorts and even scenic helicopter and seaplane flights and transfers.

Time Zone
Fiji is exactly 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) (i.e. roughly 2 hours ahead of Australian Eastern Standard Time). Daylight savings kicks in around November to January, when Fiji moves one more hour ahead.

Climate
There are two seasons here – wet and warm or warm and warmer! It’s a sunny, tropical climate all year round.

In the cooler months (i.e. May to November) temperatures ranges from 19°- 29°C.

From December to April, the average temperatures are a comfortable 22° – 33°C. This is also Cyclone season so keep up to date with travel warnings if traveling in these months.

Check the seasons before booking your activities
Yes, there are some popular activities that are only available at certain times of the year. So always check that your dream activities are actually operating during the time that you decide to visit Fiji. For example, snorkelling with manta rays is only available from May to October in the Yasawas. Another example is the Orchid Waterfall near Nadi and Lautoka on Viti Levu is best seen during the rainy season (otherwise the waterfall looks more like a trickle of water.

Get Used to “Fiji Time”
You’ll hear the phrase “Fiji Time” used extensively and fondly by locals! Things happen at a slightly slower pace than what you might be used to, from tours often running a little off schedule to even the pace people walk on the street. It all adds to the relaxed atmosphere that so many people love about Fiji. So if you are into your planning and set itineraries, the best thing to do is embrace that things are likely to take just a little bit longer.

Fiji is about more than just sitting by the pool
Don’t get us wrong; relaxing by the pool is not a bad way to spend your “Fiji Time”, but to truly experience the beauty of Fiji you really need to get out of the resorts. Snorkelling with tropical fish, sharks and manta rays, stand-up paddle boarding, river excursions to Viti Levu’s rugged interior, experiencing authentic Pacific Island culture in Fijian villages, hikes to breathtaking waterfalls, relaxing massages or unwinding in a mud pools and hot springs, a thrilling jet boat or ziplining adventures, and more awaits around the exciting islands of Fiji!
Whether you want a relaxing holiday, an adventure trip, something exciting for the whole family, a romantic getaway, or to simply experience a different way of life, you’ll find activities to suit in Fiji. Check out our Experiences Page to see what amazing experiences you could be adding to your Fiji bucket list!

Fiji is great for kids
Fiji loves kids and kids love Fiji. Many Fijian resorts have fun and educational children’s programs that will get the young ones engrossed in Fiji culture, arts and crafts, wildlife and more. The little ones are bound to have a memorable experience in the various kids clubs. With that, mum and dad also have the opportunity to have some alone time, as well as spend quality time as a family on the many excellent family activities in Fiji.

Fiji can be either really expensive or super cheap!
It’s a bit of a myth that Fiji is an expensive place to travel. Sure, we don’t need to tell luxury-seekers that they’ll need to pay luxury prices. Use the LXC platform to step outside of your resort and be surprised about how cheap Fiji can be!

Watch out for the mozzies
Mosquitos are common throughout the Fiji Islands so be sure to bring insect repellent and repeat applications through the day – especially in the evening or if you are hanging around waterways.

Consider all your options for getting around
There are some common options for getting around Fiji that are probably not as common in your home country, so consider all your options! For example, exploring the main island of Viti Levu can be done by renting a car, hiring a driver, taking the local public buses, taking guided coach tours or getting a taxi. Also, check with tour operators and resorts whether they have courtesy shuttles, which is almost always the case!

To hire a rental, a valid driver’s license is required. In Fiji, cars are right hand drives on the left side of the road. While there is a national speed limit of 80km/h, speed limits are reduced to 60km/h (approx. 40mph) and when passing residential areas such as villages. Beware drivers will pull out suddenly in front of other cars or appear to come from nowhere, so always be prepared for the unexpected.

Tourism services or products
The safety standards you might expect of tour operators are not always met, especially for adventure sports (including diving) or on boats in rivers, coastal waters and between islands.

For example, sometimes insufficient life jackets are available for boats, rafts and kayaks. To protect yourself, make sure to stick with the experience providers on the LXC platform, all of which have been vetted by the team at LXC.

Always use available safety equipment, such as lifejackets or seatbelts, even if others don’t.

Travel Insurance
Accidents and unplanned events can happen. While all of the Host providers on the LXC platform have the relevant insurances in place, to further protect you and your family we highly recommend that you take out travel insurance before departing and ensure that your travel insurance policy covers your end-to-end trip (i.e. flights, accommodation, transport and planned activities).

Visas
Australians and New Zealanders don’t need a visa to travel to Fiji for tourism. Visitor visas for stays of less than four months are issued on arrival, provided you have a return ticket and confirmation of accommodation.

Currency and Banking
The Fijian dollar is the basic unit of currency with 24 hour currency exchange service at the arrivals concourse at Nadi Airport and in major towns. If withdrawing or converting your money, like in many other countries, the best rates are often found outside of the airport.

While you can live off the major credit cards in the resorts, you will need some cash if exploring and mixing with the locals.

Banks are open 9:00am to 4:00pm, Monday – Friday and 9:00am to 1:00pm on Saturdays at selected areas. ATMs are located around the country and at larger resorts and hotels.

You will also need to declare amounts in excess of FJD 5,000 (or equivalent) on arrival in Fiji, and any amount in excess of FJD 10,000 (or equivalent) on departure.

Wifi & Connectivity
Fiji’s country code is +679. Many hotels and resorts generally have direct dialling facilities (IDD).

International mobile networks like Vodafone Fiji Limited, Digicel and Inkk Mobile have a huge presence in Fiji making it relatively easy to connected.

Free wifi is available for 30mins at the Nadi Airport arrivals concourse and most major hotels also offer wifi. But you can also pick up a temporary local sim card from any of their outlets at the airport or in major urban areas.

Shopping
With a few exceptions, most retail shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays.

Taxes
A 9% Government Value Added Tax (VAT) is applicable to all goods and services in Fiji. Visitors staying in hotels and resorts are subject to 6% Service Turnover Tax (STT) and Environment & Climate Adaptation Levy of 10%.
You can claim a Tourism VAT refund at the airport and be sure to have your original purchase receipt.