Fiji village adventure – Nacula Island, Yasawa’s

Finally we have reached the South Pacific, six months into our travels. To get here from the Philippines involved almost two days of travel and three flights – we landed in Nadi on the main island of Fiji at 04h30 in the morning and once we got to our hotel we bombed out and slept for 9 hours solid to make up for lost sleep.

Prior to our departure for Fiji we had contacted several resorts and lodges offering our services as photographers and filmmakers in exchange for accommodation on a barter basis. Fortunately Yasawa Homestays based on Nacula Island in the north of the popular Yasawa group responded positively, and we agreed to shoot new photographs and drone shots for the village-run beach cottages called ‘Bure’ in Fijian. In exchange for these updated images we received free accommodation, and only paid the actual cost of food supplied and two boat transfers. The total cost for four days accommodation in two beach Bure and the boat transfers was F$140 (US$70). As Fiji is a very expensive location, this was extremely reasonable. The usual cost is F$230/night for two persons including meals or F$920 (US$ 460) for four nights.

After a few days in Nadi during which time we went to the main market to buy a bundle of kava root to present to the chief of Naisisili village on our arrival, we set off on the low cost Seabus ferry for Nacula island, about three hours away. At F$100 (US$50) per person this was an expensive ride when compared to ferry costs in Thailand and Philippines. The luxury Yasawa Flyer costs F$ 180/person and is the only other option. We arrived off the island of Nacula and were met by a small boat from Naisisili village which took us through the shallower water and deposited us on a white sandy beach right next to our bright red beach Bure. We were met by village representative Phillip dressed in traditional Fijian clothing with two fresh coconuts in hand as welcome drinks. He proved to be a really great guide during our stay in Naisilili village.

Our little beach Bure was luxury by Fijian village standards, with an en suite bathroom with flush toilet, and a solar panel for charging our cellphones. The village has not had electricity for two years since their generator broke down, so the only source of power are small private generators and solar panels. Hot water showers are virtually unknown in villages, so our was cold of course…Luckily the water was not ice cold, as we’ve had on other islands.

The introduction to village life in Fiji has been one of the highlights of our time on the road, as the villagers were genuinely accepting and welcoming to us. Wherever we walked in the village we were met by the traditional Fijian welcome of ‘Bula’ and offers of tea. We ate each meal with a different family. accompanied by Phillip, who introduced us to the host family and explained what we’d be eating. Of course, freshly caught fish was on offer most of the time.

We spent some of our time shooting some decent photo’s of the little beach Bure for Yasawa Homestays, and I also flew my drone twice when the wind was not too strong to get a couple of aerial shots of the cottage. These shots will be used to update the website and bring in more bookings for this community-based initiative. 

During our stay we were introduced to several local vegetables which we had never seen or tasted before, including breadfruit and kasava…Both were completely tasteless to me unless one combined them with coconut sauce or some kind of dressing. As with any food experience, there were highs and lows, but the food in the village was plentiful, and we often had four or more fish laid out before us during a meal. Many villagers were fascinated by Akhona, and made efforts to chat to us, and explain that their own ancestors came from Tanzania in Africa.

After two amazing days in Naisisili we took a ten minute walk over to the other side of the island with our bags for the second part of our adventure at Taven Homestay, which is located next to the only tea shop in the Yasawa’s…It is located on a volcanic black sand beach and is within walking distance of a small resort which has a bar with chilled drinks which we ended up visiting twice 🙂

The main difference between the two cottages was that the food we ate there was cooked by the owners and we ate it in the tea shop each day, so there was less interaction with villagers. Because the cottage was located next to the home of the family there was also less privacy, and we had to use a shared toilet and shower in an outhouse set apart from the cottage. We enjoyed getting to know the family but to be honest it couldn’t compare to being in the actual village surrounded by so many friendly villagers. We got some great shots of the sunsets on this beach, and did a kittle shoot with Akhona at a rock formation at the end of the beach.

Staying at these two cottages through Yasawa Homestays was definitely a worthwhile experience as we were very keen to get to experience the true Fijian village lifestyle and meet actual Fijians with whom we could we could chat and learn more about what life is really like on such a remote island. The reality is that although not much has changed in terms of the village structure for hundreds of years, and even though villagers grow much of what they eat, and catch fish every day, they still need cash to survive in the modern world. So most young adults now work at big resorts located throughout Fiji and send money home each month. Sadly, many mothers and fathers also work at resorts far from home, and this has changed village life in a negative way. We realized that even on such a remote island the simple lifestyle of villagers is under threat…

We have now left the village and its cute cottages and begun our long trip back through the Yasawa’s where we will be saying at several resorts which will offer mainstream experiences more typical of what Western tourists expect when traveling to exotic islands. Whether we will enjoy that as much as we enjoyed Nacula island remains to be seen…At this stage we are just enjoying being in a very different part of the world and look forward to exploring more of the South Pacific over the next few months….