Nadi, location of Fiji's main International Airport, is the primary tourist gateway to Fiji. Located in the dry north-western coastline of Fiji's main island Viti Levu, one can see many sugar plantations on the low-lying plains. The town is encircled by impressive hilly ranges of the interior, including the famous 'Sleeping Giant'.
What to see and do ...
There are a collection of souvenir shops in the sprawling town, and a colourful Hindu temple at the end of the main street provides a popular photo opportunity. However, Nadi is more a stepping stone to other tourist areas in Fiji.
It is a lively but small town with a number of bars, restaurants. There are several accommodation options along Nadi Bay, with good sunset views with the Mamanuca and Yasawa island groups dotted in the distance. There is also a major resort development on Denarau, a reclaimed mangrove island that is joined to the mainland by a short bridge. Denarau has an 18 hole golf course, yacht club, marina, and several large resort hotels. In addition, there are large number of hotels and small resorts in Nadi catering for long-stay, or providing overnight accommodation for those transiting in and out of Fiji. Traditional dance performances are frequently provided by the larger resort hotels.
Snorkelling is not the greatest here ... but Nadi is an ideal place to take a ferry, cruise or day trip to one or more of the nearby offshore islands, where the beaches are white and the snorkelling excellent.
Koroyanitu National Park located in the mountains behind Nadi offers overnight hikes through to some waterfalls, villages and lookouts. The Garden of the Sleeping Giant (an easy day trip) is famous for its ornamental orchids and semi-rainforest setting. Other local trips are available, including the Nausori Highlands, historical Veseisei village (halfway between Nadi and Lautoka), and Fiji's second largest city of Lautoka.
Getting There
A number of large international airlines use the Nadi International Airport.
Local aircraft, helicopter charter and sea-planes provide excellent domestic transfers around the Fiji Islands.
Getting around Nadi by taxi is quite cheap. Local buses are even cheaper, and good fun too, providing an excellent opportunity for getting to know the local people. Major car-hire companies - plus a few local ones - are located at the airport. Drop-off centres around Viti Levu are available, but taking a hire car to outer islands via the ferry services is not usually possible.
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