It used to be that backpacking trips to Fiji involved a bus ride from Nadi to Suva, then a ferry to somewhere like Ovalau, Savusavu, Taveuni, or Kadavu. No more. These days, young budget travelers line up to go to the Yasawa Islands, a chain of 16 large volcanic islands and dozens of smaller islands about 35 km off the west coast of Viti Levu.
Dazzling white-sand beaches, clear, warm waters, colorful coral reefs, and sunny, dry weather make the Yasawa Group an ideal tourist destination, but until recently a visit involved a rough sea voyage from Lautoka on a boat. insecure village, or an expensive seaplane flight from Nady. Blue Lagoon Cruises has been sailing the Yasawas since the 1950s, but passengers aboard those luxury ships sleep in cabins and local residents receive little benefit from their presence.
Until the 1987 Rabuka coups in Suva, the Fijian government’s policy was for the Yasawas to be closed to land-based tourism. Long years of military-backed rule brought little change to the Yasawa, though Australian investors were allowed to build the luxurious Yasawa Island Resort in 1991 and a pair of village-run backpacker camps sprang up in Wayasewa and Waya. Since the early 1980s, local families have operated three small budget resorts on Tavewa Island, largely thanks to Tavewa’s status as a freehold island beyond the authority of Fijian chiefs. For decades, local church leaders have portrayed tourism as a corrupting outside influence that must be kept out of town life.
It would be hard to imagine anything further from real Fijian life than the Turtle Island Resort on the island of Nanuya Levu, Fiji’s best hideaway for the $1,500-a-night crowd. Nanuya Levu has been freehold land since 1868, and in 1972 Richard Evanson used US$300,000 that he earned in the Southern California cable television business to purchase the island.
Evanson’s Turtle Island Resort became the prototype for Fiji’s current crop of boutique island resorts, home to notables like Hollywood stars and millionaires. Brooke Shields stayed here during the 1980 filming of the escapist classic The Blue Lagoon.
Evanson, a self-styled environmentalist, has planted thousands of trees on his island and turned mangrove forests into tourist attractions by cleverly creating boardwalks. The resort’s food is grown in organic gardens and power is generated by solar and wind power. Each year, a group of volunteer eye specialists from California visit Turtle Island Resort to perform eye surgeries on villagers in need or equip them with donated prescription glasses.
For most Yasawans, however, life has changed little since 1789, when Captain William Bligh and loyal members of his crew rowed an open boat with the group shortly after the famous mutiny on the Bounty. Even today, most villages have no electricity or running water, and opportunities for economic development are very limited. The Yasawan have felt neglected by politicians in the distant capital, envious onlookers of the mini-cruise ships and yachts that carried wealthy foreigners along its shores.
In May 2000, agitator George Speight and an assortment of thugs seized the Parliament building in Suva, turning Fiji upside down. Speight’s pro-indigenous rhetoric struck a chord with the Yasawas. The villagers of Nacula Island staged a mini-coup on Turtle Island, locking Evanson in one of their 14 luxurious bungalows while the town’s youths roamed wildly down Nanuya Levu in Evanson’s golf carts.
When the excitement died down, braided mats were spread out and kava roots pounded, and over many bowls of grog, Evanson and the villagers came to an understanding.
Instead of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, Evanson convinced the people of Nacula that they would be better off opening resorts of their own and allowing him to continue his business in peace.
Evanson offered interest-free construction loans and promotional support, and the Nacula Tikina Tourism Association was born. The association’s website, FijiBudget.com, currently outlines a dozen locally operated resorts around the Blue Lagoon in central Yasawas, including the three existing properties in Tavewa. All resort operators must adhere to a strict code of conduct aimed at preserving the environment and ensuring acceptable levels of service. Although primitive compared to the luxurious resorts of Mamanuca facing Nadi, the backpacker camps of Yasawa provide basic food and accommodation at a relatively low price.
The mass influx of backpackers only began in 2002 when Awesome Adventures, a subsidiary of New Zealand-owned South Sea Cruises, launched a fast catamaran service up and down the chain. You can now depart from Nadi’s Denarau Marina on the Yasawa Flyer any morning at 9:15am and be at the resort of your choice in time for lunch. Up to 150 backpackers do this every day and village-operated resorts in Kuata, Wayasewa, Waya, Naviti, Tavewa, Nacula, Nanuya Lailai and Matacawa Levu are booming.
Reservations can be made on arrival at Nadi Airport through any of a dozen travel agencies serving 24 hours in the airport terminal itself. All these offices sell catamaran tickets with bus transfer to the port included. Don’t expect luxury accommodations or gourmet food at any of Yasawa’s resorts; however, the friendly people, spectacular natural beauty, and low prices make these drawbacks overlooked by most travelers.