Fiji Islands Travel Guide | Discover the Islands

The Mamanucas

The Mamanucas are a fabulous group of 20 volcanic islands with around 7 of them under water at high tide. Some are tiny, others not so tiny, scattered hither and thither amongst exotic, clear, clean reefs that are home to pelagic and reef fish attracted by nutrients swept in by strong currents.

These islands will offer you more sun than you can probably cope with, one of the reasons why they were selected to host the reality shows, ”The Resort” and “Treasure Island” plus enough activities that will have you looking for a holiday to get over the holiday. In the early days of tourism, and still today, this group was famous for catering to day trippers.

The Mamanucas were the trailblazer in resort tourism in Fiji and it’s not hard to work out why. Relatively close to the mainland and Nadi international airport, and closer now that they are serviced by high-speed catamarans, the great tropical weather combined with all the fabulous bounty that nature has endowed on them, makes for a ‘perfect holiday in a tropical paradise theme’. The Mamanucas are picture post card stuff with no touch-ups. What you see is what you get!

Come lovers, come families, come backpackers, party animals, divers, surfers, day trippers, come one, come all.

A safe haven for yachties - the Musket Cove basin looking towards Plantation Island Resort

Here you will find resorts galore and come as close to a Club Med in the Pacific than anywhere else in Fiji. The group is known for fun and frolicking and a list of activities that will leave the most intrepid travelers gasping for breathe.

How bout this for the “be all end all” range of activities. Diving and boat snorkeling, sea kayaking, surfing, jet skiing, parasailing, windsurfing, island trekking & beachcombing, ocean swimming, dolphin watching, sailing, sunset cruises, onsite water activities such as paddle boarding & banana boat rides, romantic beach picnics, cultural village tours, spa treatments, weddings & honeymoons. Whew - gimmee a break guys!!

The Mamanucas is also home to world renowned dive sites such as The Big W frequented by a resident bronze whale shark and 70 metre drop-offs. Gotham City so named for its batfish and abundance of soft corals and schools of fish in the thousands. West of Mana Island is the Supermarket where shark feeding is the order of the day and the Circus for its prevalence of clown fish and Eagle Mana Reef where eagle rays make intermittent appearances.

THe Mamanucas are a great place to relax or play

The Group

Malololailai Island – or “Little Malolo” west of Nadi is about 8 kilometres in circumference and takes about 60 minutes to walk around. In 1880 an American sailor named Louis Armstrong (no relation to the late, great trumpet player) bought the island from the Fijians for what would be considered nowadays a token gesture. Dick Smith, an icon in Fiji tourism, purchased it at a later date and thus Plantation Island was born. With numerous resorts catering for singles, honeymooners, families and backpackers it gets a bit hectic but if that’s your scene then ‘Little Malolo’ is for you.

Malolo Island – This island is close to Malololailai and can be walked from one to the other at low tide. The Fijian village ‘Solevu’ is called “shell village” for the profusion of shells for sale. The island has two major resorts offering all the most wanted amenities such as ocean view bungalows, meal plans, fabulous swimming pools, water sports and scuba diving.

Hey Dude- Wanna Surf? - The Mamanucas is home to two internationally renowned surfing resorts with world class waves.

Tavarua Island – Here you pay for exclusivity and unlimited access to waves, both left and right but mostly lefts with preferential access to ‘Cloudbreak’ one of the most respected waves in the world. Deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving or wind surfing are also available. Bookings can only be made six months in advance in California.

Namotu Island – Another excellent surfing camp but more accessible than Tavarua. Bring your own gear and again bookings are only accepted in California with limited local bookings when space is available. Namotu left is an awesome ride but maybe not as scarey as its mate Cloudbreak.

Beachcomber Island – Developed by another tourism trailblazer, the late Dan Costello, has recently changed hands. Aligned to the young and young-at-heart the emphasis is on informality and relaxation with a sand-floor bar and entertainment four nights a week. Beachcomber is a resort with everything on tap at an affordable price.

Castaway Island – Castaway is Fiji’s first outer-island resort. This resort has long been a favourite haunt of families who return year after year to renew old friendships with Fijian staff, some who have worked at these resorts for most of their adult life.

Bounty Island - Another island that basically repeats the Beachcomber concept with accommodation consisting of dorms and tents. There’s a bit more of Mother Nature on Bounty than on some of her sister islands.

Navini Island - The resort on Navini is an eco resort on a coral atoll with limited buresand no crowd scenes. Having small numbers the resort evokes an intimate atmosphere with guests getting to know each other on a personal level. Fishing has been tabu (banned) here to enable the fish stocks to regenerate.

South Sea Island – A party island for young backpackers, South Sea does not offer the luxury that some others do but when you’re young and looking for a whole heap of fun – who cares.

Treasure Island – This resort is amazingly popular with New Zealanders and Australians with high occupancy year-round. The local clan, Tokatoka Nakelo own 50% of the resort which employs mostly staff from their own village. The usual windsurfing, sailing, canoes, snorkeling, and diving are available. No day trippers are allowed on this island.

Wadigi Island – Ever dreamed of your very own island – then this is your big chance. Pay the rate here (and its not cheap) and you get the private use of the entire three-suite resort with all meals, drinks and sporting equipment included. Gilligan’s Island here we come.

Mana Island – A mixture of luxury resort and backpackers can be somewhat of a volatile cocktail with demographics at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Mana has heaps of great beaches and lots of space and the snorkeling is supreme. You can hike to the highest point of the island and Mana Main Reef has lots of breathtaking drop-offs.

Matamanoa Island – This island is the closest resort to uninhabited Monuriki Island which was the setting for the Tom Hanks movie Castaway. It has bungalows and bures and evening entertainment.

Tokoriki Island – Is a private island and farthest away from Nadi. Basically catering to the honeymoon and romance market children under 12 are not permitted. The usual activities are all here and are inclusive in the tariff with sport fishing at an additional cost.

Vomo Island – Vomo is a volcanic island and the site of the exotic and luxurious Vomo Island Resort. Vomo has swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving and a 9-holeputtgolf course.