Fiji Islands Travel Guide | Discover the Islands | Yasawa Islands | Regional Highlights

Flashpacking and Backpacking through the Yasawa Islands

The Yasawa Islands are certainly some of the most picturesque and scenic islands that Fiji has to offer. Located north of the more famous Mamanuca chain, the Yasawas present a far different experience than its more developed sisters. While the luxury resort offerings that Fiji is famous for there are surely available, the Yasawas has thus far staked it claim on an experience enticing backpacking and flashbacking visitors the world over.

Anyone who takes the trip will be rewarded many times over for their initiative. Many think of backpacking and even backpacking as ‘roughing it’. Certainly if one chooses dormitory living, they are giving up some amenities for the sake of budget constraints. But otherwise, what you may choose to sacrifice in terms of plush towels for basic whites, fine dining for a family style meals, air conditioning for ceiling fans and friendly island breezes, you will more than make up for in comforts of the soul direct from the Yasawas Island call to adventure.

Wikipedia defines a flashpacker as an”affluent backpacker”. It goes on to say, “Whereas backpacking is traditionally associated with budget travel and destinations that are relatively cheap, flashpacking has an association of more disposable income while traveling and has been defined simply as backpacking with a bigger budget”.

This is Paradise and consider yourself ‘officially’ invited

The distinction between the two terms is quite clear on a trip through the Yasawas. Backpackers stay in dorms or share rooms. Flashpackers choose to stay in their own villa or bure options. The quality of most of the resort bures or villas is normally about 2 to 3 star, however the quality of the beaches and the experiences are certainly 5-star.
Let’s take a look at the main points for someone considering a run up to and through up to the Yasawas.

Yeah, we be waiting for you - see you soon!

Transportation
There’s really only one choice for traveling and fortunately they do it very well. Awesome Adventures will whisk you out of Nadi (Denarau Marina) on a huge and quite comfortable catamaran aptly named the Yasawa Flyer and you’re off on a South Pacific adventure. You can choose 747 styled interior, air-conditioned seating or catch rays and ocean breezes on the expansive outside decks. Either way, you enjoy the trip and there’s always another island coming along to keep your attention. The ‘Flyer’ is on time and you’ll be sure to consider your time on it as one of the highlights in itself.

First off, a couple of quick stops at few resorts in the Mamanucas and then the first of the Yasawa Islands will appear on the horizon in about 3 hours. You will quickly notice a difference in the composition of the islands. The Mamanucas have many smaller, round and flat islands, in many cases they are nearly surrounded by sandy beaches and are perfect for a week of sun and relaxation, with water sports, diving ad a bit of island hopping thrown in. The Yasawa’s are more mountainous and have their white sand beaches placed into the various pockets along the magnificently shorelines.

Accommodations
All the way up and down the Yasawa’s you are sure to find a convenient backpacking or flashpacking option. The rooms will be very comfortable however most are unlikely to have air conditioning. But not to worry, you really won’t need it and the soothing ocean sounds will be sure to provide the perfect ambience for a restful sleep or daytime nap. Shady seaside hammocks are also plentiful.

Almost every resort will offer massage services. The dining and food service is generally a group affair and often included in the room price and the prices for beverages and snacks are quite reasonable particularly when compared to the higher price resorts.

The People Along Side of You
The Yasawas certainly cater to the most varied of Fiji’s tourist demographics. Awesome Adventures not only does a great job in transportation, but they also perform a great deal of the heavy lifting for those who wish to chart a course through the Yasawa’s and stake up at multiple resorts. They’ve parleyed these strengths into a particularly robust presence in the foreign markets and you will find more continental Europeans, Americans and East Asians then in most of the Fiji where Australians and New Zealanders more typically are the heavy majority. The age demographics are certainly skewed a bit towards the younger side but there’s also sure to be plenty of young at heart on the trip who have an eye for spectacular natural beauty and for meaty offerings such as impressive hiking, cave exploration, outer island exploration, and of course sensational reef snorkeling and diving.

The Locals
Here is where things really start to take on a different level of appeal. In the Yasawas, you will find that the resorts far more populated with local staff from the surrounding island(s) and villages than in most places. That’s because of their size, their more distant locales and their desire to live, work and stay in one of the most beautiful areas on the planet. The local staff absolutely loves their jobs and they genuinely pass on that affection to each and every staff. Another thing you may notice is how quickly they seem to remember your name. Finally, there is generally some form of entertainment on tap each evening brought to you by the staff in the form of dance, mini dramas, local (indigenous) fashion shows, and of course the beautiful voices singing native songs.

The Attractions
Backpackers and yes, to a somewhat lesser degrees, flashpackers are a hearty breed. They trust, they share, they commune, they explore but perhaps most important of all… they lead. And what they lead us all to are often the mega-attractions for the next generation of travellers.

The Mega attractions
The Yasawa Islands has some of those future mega-attractions. Three such attractions are the limestone caves of Sawa-i-Lau, the world-renown Blue Lagoon, Waya Island’s Vatuvula peak and Waya’s shark feed snorkel experience. There are others for sure, and maybe you will be one of the first to say you were there before the whole world found out.

The Really Cool, Consistently Great Stuff.

The Yasawas wouldn’t be the pinnacle of South Pacific paradise sun, fun and adventure without also having all the basics covered… and those basics are: blue skies a plenty, tropical sun, white sandy beaches, high point climbing, village rituals, warm hosts, friendly fellow travelers, evening entertainment, and world class snorkeling, diving and hiking.

The Yasawa Experience
For backpackers, flashpackers, romantic couples who believe more in the ‘journey’ and not just the ‘destination’ and for families that year for a bonding adventure of a lifetime, the Yasawa Islands will captivate your heart and leave you with memories of a pristine paradise nurtured by its wonderful Fijian caretakers. Now consider yourself warned, no matter what method of travel that you use on your visit through the Yasawas, for the rest of your life, you will forever be a flashback packer carrying magical memories of Fiji’s most incredible islands.