All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Viti Levu Highlands
Trekking / Hiking in Viti Levu Highlands
The mountainous interior of Fiji's main island, a green world of grassland ridges, river valleys and cloud forest crowned by Mount Tomanivi, reached on foot through highland iTaukei villages.
Why here
Fiji is known for its reefs, but the interior of Viti Levu is a green wall of grassland ridges, river valleys and cloud forest that almost no visitors see. Talanoa Treks, the country's only dedicated hiking company, opens it up on foot with the highland communities who live there. Routes cross the island's rolling grassland from village to village, sleeping in community bure, and take in the waterfall at Nabalasere, the heritage forest of Koroyanitu above Lautoka, and the climb up Mount Tomanivi, at 1324 metres Fiji's highest peak. The walking is as much cultural as physical: your guides are villagers who show you where they farm, hunt and fish, and each night is spent as a guest in an iTaukei village rather than a lodge.
Best months
Scheduled treks run from May to November, the drier months, when the grassland trails are firm and the rivers are lower for crossings. Days involve several hours of walking over hilly terrain in tropical heat, so a moderate level of fitness helps, but no technical skill is needed. Nights are spent in simple village homestays, and trips follow local protocol, including a sevusevu welcome with the host community.
Getting there & around
Talanoa Treks handles all logistics, including four wheel drive transfers from the coast, guiding and safety, on trips based out of the Viti Levu interior and reached from Suva, Nadi or Lautoka. Groups are small, around eight walkers, and departures are scheduled rather than daily, so book ahead for set dates. Accommodation is community run homestays rather than hotels, part of the social enterprise model that channels income back to the villages.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (1)
Talanoa Treks
GuideTalanoa Treks is Fiji's only dedicated hiking company, a social enterprise founded in 2013 by Matt and Marita Capper that runs guided multi day treks in partnership with iTaukei highland communities. Trips cross the grassland interior of Viti Levu with nights in village homestays, and reach Nabalasere's waterfall, the Koroyanitu heritage forest and Mount Tomanivi, at 1324 metres Fiji's highest peak. Small groups of around eight run from May to November with trained community guides.