FIJI AIRWAYS – FIJI LAYOVER

On my most recent trip to New Zealand, Max and I found a great deal on a flight to New Zealand which included a stopover in Nadi Fiji! I honestly had never thought about exploring another country during a layover, however, once I saw this flight, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to explore Fiji. Fiji Airways offer a number of flights that fly to Fiji and have a 12 to 16 hour layover before continuing on to New Zealand and many other destinations! But more on my experience with Fiji Airways later… :)

And don’t forget to pin this for later!

While a stopover will leave you beyond exhausted, it is well worth it! Fiji ended up being the best part of our trip.

Initially our plan was to take a sailing tour during our first layover, and then explore the city of Nadi, Fiji throughout our second. Our plan quickly changed after our tour with Whales Tale because we had so much fun! For us, we found the easiest way to explore was booking a Fiji tour.

Below I’ll go through a few ideas for your stopover covering the best things to do in Fiji!

We opted to go on a tour with Whales Tale during our first layover in Fiji! The tour is approximately 7-8 hours and I could not say enough amazing things about this tour. We had such a perfect day. In short, the crew will sail you to a private island in the Mamanuca Islands Fiji where you are able to enjoy snorkeling, a bbq lunch, and relaxing at the beach! As you sail to and from the Mamanuca Islands you’re able to enjoy views of the Fiji Islands.

Booking through Viator: Fiji Whale’s Tale Tour
Read More: Fiji Whale’s Tale Tour

While we did not have time to explore Nadi Fiji it is surprisingly easy to explore the town! If you are thinking of going this route, grab a cab outside of the Nadi Airport. Pretty much every single cab driver we encountered offered to take us on a tour of the city for approximately 5 hours (for about 240 Fijian Dollars or $120 USD total). Here is a list of the places one of our cab drivers offered to take us to: Nadi Town, Hindu Temple. Namaka Market, Garden of Sleeping Giant, Viseisei Village, Vuda Lookout, First Landing, and lunch or dinner.

Please note: this cost is simply to drive you around, it does not include entrance fees or any meals.

We chose the Authentic Fijian Day Cruise for our second stopover in Fiji! This tour is approximately 8 hours and we left at 9 am. Once again, I honestly can’t say enough great things about this tour and highly recommend it! The tour stopped at 3 Islands in Fiji and we had plenty of time at each of the islands. We enjoyed island hopping, snorkeling, and swimming!

Booking with Viator: Authentic Fijian Day Cruise
Read more: Authentic Fijian Day Cruise

Another option we were considering throughout our stopover was a shorter tour and exploring Nadi. We were thinking of doing a short tour through the Mamanuca Islands in the morning and then exploring Nadi in the afternoon before heading to the airport or vice versa. I’ve included a few shorter tour options below.

Booking:

• South Sea Island Half Day Cruise (starting at 12:15 pm)
• Combo Tour – Visiting Fijian Village & Waterfall

We had an incredible time exploring Fiji and cannot wait to go back! I wanted to go through what to do in Fiji to make your stopover in Fiji one to remember. 12-16 hours is plenty of time to explore Nadi and the islands from Port Denarau! Our time in Fiji was truly amazing! I can’t recommend making time for a stopover in Fiji enough because it is totally worth the trip.

Safe Travels,

Sarah :)