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Joni Stone   Meet Joni, one of our travel experts for the islands of Fiji.


Born in the Southwest, raised in the Northwest, I have called the South Pacific home for over 30 years. I founded J2 Travels in the late 1990s to share our knowledge with other like minded travelers – remembering always, that the joy is in the journey. I currently live on Maui, I'm endorsed by IATA, and am a member of the Fiji, Tahiti and New Zealand Tourism Boards.


Best Time of Year to Visit Fiji

Explore > Travel Planning Articles > Best Time of Year to Visit Fiji

Date published:
2023-05-07


The beach at Taunovo Bay at sunset
Sunset at Taunovo Bay, on Viti Levu.

Michael  

About the author, Michael Cottam


Founder of Visual Itineraries, Michael lives in Bend, Oregon. He's an avid traveler, scuba diver, photographer, and a private pilot, and also the founder of Bright Yonder. He's been to Fiji, Thailand, Vietnam, Seychelles, Kenya, France, England, New Zealand, Jamaica, Belize, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, British Virgin Islands, Mexico, and the major islands in French Polynesia.

He's been a Rotarian for 22 years, currently on the board of the Greater Bend Rotary Club.

Follow Michael on LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter.

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Fiji is a tropical paradise...with weather to match! This luscious country is blessed with natural beauty both on the land and under the water.

Fiji wholesalers--and many of the resorts themselves--are very active when it comes to special offers, discounts, extra inclusions, etc., and so these kinds of deals are changing all the time. Most websites aren't able to keep those specials up to date--there's just too many of them, and they're changing and expiring all the time. At Visual Itineraries, we track the offers from the major wholesalers daily, and our specialists have tools that show them all the available offers and discounts for a particular property instantly.

TRAVEL SPECIAL: Royal Davui


Complimentary roundtrip plane/launch transfers
Royal DavuiRoyal Davui Island is an adults-only barefoot luxury Fijian resort. Just 16 exquisitely appointed private Vales nestle around 10 acres of lush tropical landscape. At Royal Davui you will enjoy the best of both worlds: genuine care and warmth with staff calling you by name, in addition to the privacy and freedom to be secluded in your own tropical oasis. With spa treatments designed by Pure Fiji, private plunge pools in every villa and easy access from Nadi airport are just a few of the extra touches that make Royal Davui Fiji Island Resort special and unique.
Learn more about Royal Davui

Enjoy complimentary roundtrip plane/launch transfers from Nadi with travel through December 18, 2025.






See our complete list of travel specials for the islands of Fiji.


 

See & compare all resorts in the Fiji islands

If you're trying to decide where to stay in the Mamanucas, Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, the Yasawas, or any of the other islands, we can help! For the 80 resorts there, we've got over 1,000 high-resolution photos, 62 videos, and even some virtual tours to help you find your perfect Fijian bure. Click here to use our Visual Explorer to check out all of them.

You're going to fly into Nadi (pronounced "Nandi"), which is one of the two main cities in Fiji (the other being Suva). Both of these cities are on the main island of Viti Levu. The tourist areas on this island where the hotels are are the Coral Coast, and Denarau Island. Here, you'll mostly find traditional multi-room hotels, which are less expensive in general than the island resorts, and tend not to have separate bures.

The Mamanucas (pronounced "Mamanoothas") are the chain of islands that starts just off the west coast at Nadi, and curves around to the northwest. This is where you'll find many islands resorts with beach bures (including Liku Liku, which has overwater bures). Some of these islands have just one resort on the entire island; some have 2 or 3. These islands are easy (and inexpensive) to get to via a quick boat shuttle from Nadi, and tend to be moderately priced. Great snorkeling and scuba diving is very close by on the Malolo Barrier Reef.

Just north of the Mamanucas is the Yasawa island chain. These islands have just a few resorts, very high-end, with lots of privacy, stunning beaches, and very small numbers of guests per resort. One of my favorites there is Yasawa Island Resort.

Fiji's second largest island is Vanua Levu, which sits to the northeast of Viti Levu. It's far enough away that you'll need to take an island hopper flight out to your resort. It's very popular with scuba divers, and in fact Jacques Cousteau's son Jean-Michel Cousteau has a fantastic resort there, called Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort. The Somosomo Strait, which separates Vanua Levu and the smaller island Taveuni, has many world-class dive sites. Namale and Koro Sun are two of the other more notable resorts on Vanua Levu.

Taveuni is popular with divers for the same reason Vanua Levu is--proximity to the fantastic soft coral gardens and walls in the Somosomo Strait. Here, be sure to check out Laucala, Matangi, and Qamea.

Beqa (pronounced "Benga") Lagoon is well known for shark diving--but, you don't have to be a diver to enjoy this area, as the islands nearby (including Beqa Island itself) are home to some fantastic 5-star resorts, such as Lalati and Royal Davui.

Namale Resort & Spa has this cool list of interesting facts about Fiji.

TRAVEL SPECIAL: InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa


InterContinental Hotels Fiji Resort Golf Resort and Spa 7 nights from 2,114 per person
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and SpaLocated 45 minutes from Nadi International Airport and nestled amongst 35 acres of lush tropical grounds the resort is on one of the world's best beaches.

Featuring 6 restaurants and bars, a serene spa, 18 hole championship golf course, 4 swimming pools, kids club, wedding chapel and conference facilities, InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa offers a range of facilities welcoming guests of all ages.




Typical airfares from LAX to Nadi, Fiji




Airfares vary by season, but also day of week, and are definitely affected by holidays. The chart above shows the typical minimum and maximum fares for a economy class ticket from Los Angeles (LAX) to Nadi International Airport, by month. We gathered this data in June 2016 from FareCompare.com.


 
TRAVEL SPECIAL: Taveuni Island Resort & Spa


Taveuni Island Resort And Spa 5 nights from 2,905 per person
Taveuni Island Resort & SpaConsistently voted one of the top Fijian Resorts, Taveuni Island Resort & Spa is a small exclusive luxury resort which offer's the Ultimate Tropical Island Experience. Fiji Luxury at it's best.

Beautiful Taveuni Island Resort has won many prestigious Awards for the excellence to service and commitment to the caring of their guests including; Top Boutique Resort in Fiji, Connoisseurs Choice from Resorts & Great Hotels of the World, One of the Top 100 Places in the World to Visit before You Die! Our pristine white sand beach was chosen for an International Movie and we were one of the Top Six Resorts of the Year for an International "Getaway" Travel program.
Learn more about Taveuni Island Resort & Spa

Price includes hotel stay and all taxes and fees.






Best time of year to go to Fiji

If you're coming from North America, you should try to set out between late April to early June, or late July through August, due to decreased fares on Air Pacific and Air New Zealand. June to October are the coldest and driest months in Fiji. Cyclone season runs from November to April. Hotels and resorts offer low prices in February and March as most are vacant.





Average temperatures in Fiji

From May through November, Fiji's winter, temperatures are warm during the day--around 80 degrees Fahrenheit--and cooler at night and in the early mornings. During the summer rainy season from November through April, temperatures can reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit with late afternoon showers. Fiji offers a tropical climate with higher humidity and rain during the summer and lower temperatures with dry air in the winter. However, the winds cause climate variances from island to island. Speak with your travel specialist about weather around your resorts.





Beachfront bures at Tokoriki Island Resort
Beachfront bures at Tokoriki Island Resort.

TRAVEL SPECIAL: Matamanoa Island Resort


Matamanoa Island Resort 5 nights from 1,285 per person
Matamanoa Island ResortMatamanoa Island is an intimate and secluded Fijian Resort. We are set in the beautiful Mamanuca Islands of Fiji approximately 30 kilometres west of the Nadi International Airport.

One Island – One Resort. With only 47 rooms, Matamanoa is for those who dream of peace and tranquillity. Come ashore and experience a true gift of nature. Matamanoa is 4-star deluxe adults only with a minimum age to visit of 16 years.
Learn more about Matamanoa Island Resort

Set among tropical gardens and close to all amenities the Resort Rooms are always popular. Traditional wooden art and carvings have been used in the Resort Rooms to give you a true sense of Fiji.





What's a Bure?

A bure is technically the Fijian word for a wood and straw hut. In traditional Fijian culture, there was a vale, which was the "family house", and then separate bures for the men to meet, eat and sleep.

Today, you'll find any kind of detached bungalow referred to as a bure. With the exception of the main island of Viti Levu, you'll find that nearly all resort accommodations in Fiji are bures (the main island has a number of more traditional multi-room hotels).

Bures come in a number of "flavors": beachfront, garden, and even overwater bures (at Likuliku). And Matangi has a romantic Treehouse Bure, as does Koro Sun Resort.


Rainstorm at Taunovo Bay, Fiji

TRAVEL SPECIAL: InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa


InterContinental Hotels Fiji Resort Golf Resort and Spa 7 nights from 2,114 per person
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and SpaLocated 45 minutes from Nadi International Airport and nestled amongst 35 acres of lush tropical grounds the resort is on one of the world's best beaches.

Featuring 6 restaurants and bars, a serene spa, 18 hole championship golf course, 4 swimming pools, kids club, wedding chapel and conference facilities, InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa offers a range of facilities welcoming guests of all ages.




Storms in Fiji

During the winter rainy season, afternoon showers occur with frequency. In the case of a tropical storm or cyclone, residents and travelers are relocated to safe areas. Tropical storms during the rainy season are not uncommon: the last major cyclones to hit Fiji occurred in December of 2012, March of 2010, December of 2009, December of 2007 and December of 2003.

If it rains while you're there--then it's a perfect time to sit down with the locals and try kava, a traditional drink made from the kava root. It's got a mild calming effect, and there's a little ceremony that goes with each sip you take--the locals will be sure to teach you. It tastes a bit like dirty water, with a bit of a sparkling edge to it...but it's an experience you really should try while you're there.

A little inclement weather might encourage you to forgo a snorkel trip and experience a Lovo: it's a traditional Fijian feast, a bit like the Hawaiian luau, complete with a pig roasted in an underground oven, wrapped in banana leaves. Often this will be combined with the Meke, which is a traditional story-telling dance performance, with an orchestra performing on percussion instruments.


 

 

Water temperature, SCUBA diving in Fiji

Fiji has warm water temperatures year-round although thin wetsuits are recommended for deeper dives. In the northern islands of Vanua Levu and Taveuni, the rainy season (November through April) has a much greater effect and if you really want to dive that area, you'd be advised to stick to the dry season. In the Mamanucas, Beqa, and on Viti Levu it's not nearly as much of a concern, and diving and weather in general is pretty nice all year round.

Popular dive areas:

  • the Black Forest--ancient black coral trees, diverse assortment of fish and marine life, near Wananavu Beach Resort
  • near Taveuni you'll find The Ledge, The Great White Wall, Jerry's Jelly, and Annie's Bommie; nearby resorts include Qamea, Laucala, Matangi, Taveuni Palms, Paradise Taveuni, Maravu, and Taveuni Island Resort
  • the Great Astrolabe Reef is near Kadavu Island, and this is considered to be the largest living organism in Fiji, with tons of varieties of hard and soft corals and diverse marine life; it's about 40 miles from the major resorts at Beqa Lagoon
  • Naiqoro Passage has both a wide variety of coral plus schools of sharks and barracuda
  • Beqa Lagoon, near Beqa Lagoon Resort, Lalati, Royal Davui, and Shangri La, is known for shark encounters as well as brightly colored coral, and is considered one of the best lagoons for diving in the South Pacific
  • in the Mamanucas, you'll find gorgeous corals, some sharks, and plenty of colorful fish and marine life, especially around the Malolo Barrier Reef; popular sites include Supermarket, Salamander shipwreck, Plantation Pinnacles, and Magic Island; there are many resorts in the Mamanucas to choose from
Wherever you dive in Fiji, I'll bet you'll be impressed with the diversity and density of undersea life. While the Somosomo Strait gets a lot of attention for the soft corals and wall dives, and Beqa Lagoon gets a lot of attention for its sharks, there's tons to see on the Malolo Barrier Reef, next to the Mamanuca islands--and it's mostly at shallow depths...great for newer scuba divers and snorkelers.

TRAVEL SPECIAL: Lomani Island Resort


Lomani Island Resort 5 nights from 2,075 per person
Lomani Island ResortThis boutique resort is hidden amongst the swaying palms and beautiful white sand beaches of Malolo Lailai Island. "Lomani" in Fijian means love, and Lomani Island Resort offers a tranquil and romantic atmosphere that is ideal for those seeking total relaxation.

Create your perfect Fijian retreat at the adults-only Lomani Island Resort. Alternate lazy mornings on the beach with adventure-filled afternoons snorkeling, water-skiing, or hiking. A romantic getaway at a beautiful resort is the ultimate guilt-free, stress-free holiday, and you can find everything you need to relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect at Lomani Island Resort.
Learn more about Lomani Island Resort

“Lomani” is the Fijian word for love, and you will be sure to fall in love with this idyllic Fiji Resort Island paradise.





Flower in lily pond, Taunovo Bay, Fiji



How we work with you to plan the perfect trip:

  • We'll talk with you to find out what you're looking for, what you like/don't like, etc.
  • We'll use our first-hand knowledge of the destination to pick out a handful of resorts we think you'd like
  • We'll create a custom mini website for you, with photos, videos, maps, etc. of the resorts we are recommending
  • We'll follow up with you to help you make your decision
  • We'll go to work with our suppliers to get you the best deal available on what you've decided on.


 

Map of all Resorts in Fiji

 

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