Barefoot Manta, Fiji…
After spending a couple of days on the island of Nacula in village Homestays, we moved on to the beautiful Barefoot Manta resort, which occupies its own island about half way up the Yasawa island group. We travelled from Nacula island to Manta island on the Yasawa Flyer, a pretty luxurious catamaran which plies its way up and down the island group each day, stopping near the main resorts to transfer travelers to smaller boats which land them on the beach at their resorts. For the next two weeks we would be staying at Barefoot Manta. During our stay we were accommodated in their luxury beach tent with a private bathroom and hot shower, and provided with all meals. The cost for this package for two is usually $300/day…
The staff at Manta really gave us a warm welcome, and after resting for our first day we made a brisk start the following morning to capture the natural beauty of the island and the reef surrounding it. As the weather was good I flew my new DJI Spark drone for the first time since I bought it in Cebu, Philippines. I had decided to buy a second more advanced drone before we got to Fiji as my little Dobby was developing cracks and I didn’t want to be left without a drone if she crashed one day. The Spark is small and light and ideal for travelling – and I bought it at great price. It flew perfectly out of the box, and I captured some cool aerial shots of the resort and of the amazing reef surrounding the resort.
The next two weeks was spent capturing the many activities on offer each day, which included a village tour, a sunrise hike, a medicine walk, coconut jewellery making and a very cool marine biology tour offered by the resident marine biologist Rob.
The Marine Biology tour by resident marine biologist Rob McFarlane was particularly interesting as it gave us very precise information about how coral is created and survives, followed by snorkeling on one of the best reefs in Fiji. The variety of corals and sea life was the best we have ever seen thus far in our travels, and the fact that the reef is accessible straight from the beaches adjacent to the resort made it a really cool experience.
We also got to meet Lady, a five year old hawksbill turtle who was rescued by a fisherman last year entangled in old nets and debris. Unfortunately Lady had eaten plastic, which gives off gas that became trapped in her body, resulting in what is known as ‘floating turtles syndrome’. She was also in very bad physical shape, and after receiving what treatment the small facility in Manta can offer, Lady still has trapped air under her shell and cannot swim properly. She is a victim of the increasing levels of plastic in the ocean, and we hope to assist in raising the funds needed to fly her to Australia for more advanced care by editing short video on her. Rob regularly takes her out for a swim in the sea as well as a scrub to remove seaweed which grows on her flippers. It’s pretty heartbreaking seeing her try to swim 🙂
What makes Barefoot Manta different from most other resorts in Fiji is the fact that it is situated on a peninsula, and has three beaches to choose from…Manta beach is so named because from May to August each year migrating Manta rays can be spotted swimming through the channel adjacent to the beach. Needless to say, this is a busy time for the resort as access to the channel is so easy. Sadly we visited outside of manta ray season, so we have to hope for another opportunity to see these majestic creatures in the wild during our travels…
We were able to relax and soak up the whole island experience during our 16 day stay. Our luxury tent was located on Sunset Beach, from which we witnessed some great sunsets while just chilling on the beach or at the aptly named Sunset Bar. The beach on the other side of the peninsula is Sunrise Beach, and I went over to shoot the sunrise and the beach bures in the first light on two occasions. Access to the reef is also from this beach – one simply swims out through a natural channel during low tide, or across the reef during high tide.
We rose at 05h00 one morning to make the 30min hike up to a viewpoint on the nearby hill to view what turned out to be quite a cool sunrise. The hike involved walking on a foot-wide path along what turned out to be a Cliffside with a steep drop in the dark. Of course, going up in the dark with only torchlight to show the way, we didn’t realize quite how dangerous the path actually was until we descended it in daylight 🙂
We also experienced some traditional Fijian cultural activities during our stay on Manta, namely the traditional Lovo meal, and the Kava ceremony. A lovo involves the cooking of food in a hole dug in the ground and filled with stones, which are heated up by making a fire on top of them. Meat, fish and vegetables are then placed on top of the rocks, covered by leaves and sand and left to cook for around two hours.
When travelling in the South Pacific travellers will inevitably come across kava. Made from the kava root, this traditional drink is the mainstay of most Fijian ceremonies, and its preparation and drinking are subject to strict ritual in the villages. Most resorts hold a weekly kava ceremony to introduce guests to the ritual, and Manta was no exception. Guests were offered a bowl of kava after the ceremony, followed by traditional singing and dancing. It was a lot of fun, and the Fijian staff really immersed themselves in the whole experience.
One advantage of staying in one place for so long is that you get to know the staff and other travellers quite well. We became friendly with quite a few staff, and they shared their life stories with us, giving us a deeper insight into Fijian life. We also spent a lot of time with marine biologist Rob, who has a similar outlook on life to our when it comes to the effects of climate change and plastic pollution.
When we were planning our year long adventure, our target was to volunteer or barter for at least three months of free accommodation and food in a period of 12 months. This would make travelling on our limited budget more sustainable as the money we would save during those three months could be used when we visited more expensive destinations like Fiji, Vanuatu and Maldives. Thus far we have volunteered in Cambodia for 2 weeks, bartered three weeks in Koh Kood, Thailand, bartered another 3 days in Koh Kradan, bartered 4 days in Naisisili village, and bartered a total of 4 weeks in two Fiji resorts. Our total thus far is 10 weeks in 7 months, so we are on track to reach our target by the end of our travels.
The major difference between Fiji and other island destinations like Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand is the lack of crowds…The beaches are virtually empty, as most resorts are quite small, with maybe 30 – 60 guest capacity. So the feeling of being on a remote tropical island is very real. Mass tourism as experienced in SE Asia has not yet reached Fiji….The time to visit is before hordes arrive. Like now!
