Any person strives to see in his life something new and interesting. Tourists in this matter are no exception. Since in recent years, many world resorts, such as Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and others, have fed up with demanding modern travelers, the demand for such an exotic destination for Europeans as Fiji can easily be explained. Holidays on these islands deserve special attention from our side.
On the edge of the earth
Little known to most people, a state called Fiji is a collection of more than three hundred islands. On one hundred of them the population of the country constantly resides. In fact, Fiji is part of Oceania. The largest islands of the state are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.
Nature
Any vacation on the island of Fiji will be remembered for a lifetime, because this place is hundreds of kilometers of pristine sandy beaches, amazing coral gardens, alluring blue lagoons. In addition, the country has many rivers and hills covered with dense, evergreen forests. The islands do not suffer from the industrial yoke, there are no noisy megacities, smog and dust. In general, an ideal place for complete relaxation of the body and soul.
Relaxation
Holidays in Fiji, by and large, comes down to scuba diving, swimming, fishing, lying on the beaches, water skiing, kayaking. Rafting is also popular - an extreme rafting on various rivers and waterfalls on a special bamboo raft.
In addition, wealthy tourists are very popular on sea cruises, yacht or boat rental, playing golf or tennis. Fans of discos in the open air will not remain disappointed.
Also, a vacation in Fiji will be as complete as possible if you are sure to visit a very colorful ritual with religious roots, walking on fire and a bright, colorful performance, accompanied by national dances and songs.
Fans of hiking in the mountains will not be left without new impressions, since Fiji has about 30 mountain peaks, the highest of which is called Tomanivi. This mountain is located on the island of Viti Levu, and its height is 1324 meters.
Climatic features
Very warm and humid - this is how you can briefly describe the islands of Fiji. The holiday season here practically does not stop all year round, but there are some peculiarities.
The country is located in close proximity to the equatorial line, and therefore the Fijian summer (we have December-March) is characterized by a high temperature (30-34 degrees Celsius during the day and 24-28 at night).
In winter, Fiji is also very comfortable: up to 30 degrees in the daytime and about 20 degrees after sunset. In short, whenever you go to this resort, you should always have sunglasses, cream, and panama with you.
From December to April, there is heavy rainfall in Fiji, due to the rule of tropical cyclones and storms. Such an amount of water falling from the sky often leads to landslides and floods.
Based on the foregoing, we note that it is best to spend a vacation in Fiji in the interval from May to November. There is not too much rainfall at this time, the weather is as acceptable as possible for a comfortable pastime. If, however, you find yourself on the islands during the rainy season, then it would be most reasonable to relax on islands such as Yasawa or Mamanuca.
Ocean water in the coastal zone of Fiji is warm year-round: 25-30 degrees Celsius.
Local population
Hospitality and hospitality are all about Fiji. Holidays, reviews of tourists about which are exclusively positive, will be unforgettable and pleasant on these islands.
The indigenous population of the state is so favorably disposed towards tourists that it always welcomes any guest with a smile. Many tourists say that when they were in Fiji, the impression was repeatedly made that they were visiting relatives, not strangers.
This is to some extent even surprising, given that in the 19th century the state was famous for cannibalism, and the Fijians themselves were warlike and constantly fought with other peoples of Oceania. In those days, Fijian warriors had a tradition of eating their captives.
However, after the adoption of Christianity, cannibalism disappeared forever. And in our time, the Fijians are very charming and kind people, showing guests all sorts of honors.
In total, about 900 thousand people live in Fiji. At the same time, Fijian people are mostly young people. Based on the census, one third of all residents are people under 15 years old, 65% are adult men and women under 59 years old. Simply put, the average age of a Fijian person is 26 years.
The official languages in Fiji are English and Fijian. They are spoken by almost all residents of the state.
Currency unit
Of course, for Fiji tourists - relaxation, photo attractions and more. However, you should not forget about the material side of your stay in the country.
The official currency is the Fijian dollar (FJD). At the same time, the rate of this currency is quite stable: for one American dollar they give about 2 FJD.
Banknotes of local money have a face value of 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50. There are also coins (cents): 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50.
Despite the fact that the country is quite small, it has many banking institutions. Among them are branches of the largest Australian-New Zealand ANZBank.
Currency exchange is carried out at special exchange offices, banks, at air terminals and in the vast majority of hotels. Saturday and Sunday for banks - weekends.
On the islands you can pay in cash or by credit card. Almost in all restaurants, hotels, shops, car rental companies accept cards of such payment systems as Visa, MasterCard, DinnersClub, AmericanExpress. But it is important to keep in mind that Fiji ATMs do not serve cards of foreign banks, with the exception of ATMs located in the cities of Suva, Savusavu, Nadi.
Shopping
Shopping in Fiji is a vacation, reviews of which are very different. The thing is that most retail outlets and supermarkets are open from 8 or 9 in the morning until 19:00. However, you should not be surprised when you arrive at the store at 18:00 on a weekday, and it is already closed. Therefore, for shopping, it is better to choose the start or mid day.
Where the owner of the store is an Indian, you can and even need to bargain. Especially if you came shopping early in the morning and were the first customer. Hindus are people who are very superstitious and therefore ready to make an impressive discount.
Traditional tourist souvenirs in Fiji are black pearls, sandalwood products, coconut soap, sets of various local spices, ceramics, wicker items.
Features of transport
In Fiji, left-hand traffic. Car rental is widespread. It’s best to rent an SUV because there are only 5,100 kilometers of roads in the country, of which only a quarter are equipped with normal road surface. The main mode of public transport are mini-buses, in which there are no windows. Also a large taxi fleet.
High-speed catamarans and cruise boats are actively cruising between the islands. Air traffic is also widely developed, although it is quite expensive.
Some hotels own boats to deliver their guests to their rooms.
Fiji has two international airports: Nadi (located in the west of the island of Viti Levu) and Nausori (located near the country's capital - Suva).
How to get there
It is easy to guess that rest in Fiji (how much will fly will depend on your location) is quite expensive. And all because you can only be on the islands using a plane. Typically, a flight takes place with one change, which takes place in Tokyo, Seoul or Hong Kong. There is also a two-stop flight option (via New Zealand or Australia), but in this case a transit visa is required. In general, from Moscow to Fiji can be reached in a day.
Local kitchen
Holidays in Fiji can be accompanied by visits to various restaurants in which the tourist can find Chinese, Indian, Latin American and European cuisine. Progress is not spared this island nation and therefore in many large cities there are fast food establishments.
A tourist resort can offer its guests a wide selection of alcoholic beverages. Moreover, tourists can try not only local strong drinks, but also the more familiar imported ones.
Fiji's national drink is kava, which is prepared from the root of a shrub of the same name. Kava is very invigorating due to its high content of flavonoids.
The main person in the country
The number one person in Fiji is considered, as in many other countries of our world, the president. He is elected by the Council of Leaders for a term of five years. The president has a certain power, but in reality it can be applied only in the event of a serious internal national crisis. He is also considered the Supreme Commander, appoints the Prime Minister, as well as ministers in the amount of ten to twenty-five people.