All activities / Witness / Attend / Sigatoka
Witness / Attend in Sigatoka
A Coral Coast town on Viti Levu's south side at the mouth of the Sigatoka River, gateway to the river valley and its interior iTaukei villages, where visitors are welcomed with the kava ceremony that anchors Fijian social life.
Why here
Kava, called yaqona in Fiji, is the country's social glue, and the proper way to meet it is in a village where you are welcomed with a sevusevu, the ceremony of presenting kava root to the chief. Sigatoka River Safari has built its whole trip around that moment. Custom built jet boats run up the Sigatoka River, the Coral Coast's main valley, to one of eighteen partner villages in the interior, where the chief and elders receive guests, share the kava bowl, and follow it with a meke, the Fijian dance and song, and a village lunch. It began in 2006 as the first jet boat and village safari of its kind, and it is run as a community venture, with booking money going back into village water, power and schools. For most travellers it is the closest, most genuine look at highland village life on a short visit.
Best months
The safari runs year round as a half day trip, morning or afternoon, though the drier months from about May to October give the most reliable river conditions and weather. Villages rotate, so which community hosts depends on the day and on local events such as funerals, when a village steps back. Modest dress is expected for the ceremony, with shoulders and knees covered, and women may be asked to wear a sulu.
Getting there & around
Trips leave from the Sigatoka River on the Coral Coast, with pickups from Coral Coast hotels, Sigatoka town and the Nadi and Denarau area, so no self drive is needed. The safari is a half day and combines the jet boat run with the village visit, kava ceremony, meke and lunch. Book directly with the operator, which caps numbers and coordinates with the host villages.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
Sigatoka River Safari
OutfitterSigatoka River Safari began in 2006 as the world's first jet boat and village safari, running custom built boats up the Sigatoka River into the Coral Coast interior. Guests are received in a partner village, where the chief and elders lead a sevusevu kava ceremony, then a meke dance and a Fijian lunch. It works with eighteen remote communities and channels booking proceeds into village water, power and school projects, and has been voted Australasia's leading adventure tour operator.