Five Days in Fiji's Yasawa Islands: Caves, Kava, and the Bluest Water I've Ever Seen The turquoise lagoons here rival those of Moorea in French Polynesia.
Day 1 — The Yasawa Flyer to Waya Island
The alarm went off at 6 AM in my Nadi hostel. I'd already packed everything I needed for five days into a 30-liter backpack — swimsuit, three t-shirts, reef shoes, sunscreen, a sulu, and a bundle of dried kava root I'd bought at Nadi market yesterday for FJD 25 (~$11). That last item was the most important, but I didn't know that yet.
The Yasawa Flyer departed Port Denarau at 8:30 AM sharp. A big catamaran, maybe a hundred passengers, cutting northwest through flat turquoise water. The Mamanuca Islands slid past first — Castaway Island, Mana Island, resort-studded dots that looked like screensavers. Then the water got bluer, the islands got emptier, and the gaps between stops got longer.
Three hours later, I jumped off the back of the Flyer into waist-deep water at Octopus Resort on Waya Island. There's no dock at most Yasawa resorts — the catamaran anchors offshore and you wade in with your bag over your head. My flip-flops immediately stuck in the sand. A resort staffer, grinning, grabbed my backpack. "Bula! Welcome to paradise, brother."
He wasn't wrong. Waya Island is a volcanic island with a dramatic ridgeline, coconut palms along every beach, and water so clear I could count individual fish from the shoreline.
My dorm was FJD 75/night (~$34) including three meals. Eight bunks, mosquito nets, ceiling fan. Basic, but I hadn't come for the accommodation. I'd come for the reef.
First swim: I walked twenty meters from the beach into the lagoon, dunked my head underwater with a snorkel mask, and immediately saw a reef shark. A blacktip, maybe a meter long, cruising over the coral about five meters away. I surfaced, laughed, looked around to tell someone, and realized I was alone. Bula indeed.
Day 2 — Village Visit and the Sevusevu
Octopus Resort arranged a village visit to a nearby community on Waya. Six of us walked twenty minutes along a coastal path, each carrying contributions — the resort provided the kava bundle for the formal presentation.
The sevusevu ceremony is something I'd read about but didn't really understand until it happened. We sat cross-legged on the ground in the meeting house. The village chief sat at the head. Our guide presented the bundle of dried kava root with both hands, spoke in Fijian, and the chief accepted it with a brief speech.
Then they made kava. Pounded the root, mixed it with water, strained it through cloth. A coconut shell was passed to me first (as a guest). The etiquette: clap once, say "bula," drink the entire shell in one go, clap three times. The taste is earthy, slightly bitter, vaguely peppery. My lips went numb immediately.
The chief showed us his village — simple homes, a church, a school, children everywhere. He spoke about Fijian landownership (communal, clan-based), fishing rights, and the impact of climate change on their coral reefs. It was the most genuine cultural exchange I've had in years of travel.
Afterward, I hiked to Waya's summit — 500 meters, about 2 hours return. The trail was steep and muddy in places, but the view from the top showed the entire Yasawa chain stretching north in a line of green peaks and turquoise channels. I sat up there for an hour and didn't think about anything.
Day 3 — Ferry to Nacula Island and the Blue Lagoon
Caught the midday Flyer north to Nacula Island — about 1.5 hours from Waya. My new home: Nanuya Island Resort, a mid-range spot with beachfront bungalows at FJD 180/night (~$81) including meals.
The bungalow was simple — woven walls, thatched roof, a proper bed with mosquito net, and a front porch looking directly at the water. I could hear the reef break from bed.
Afternoon: Blue Lagoon snorkeling trip. This is the actual location from the 1980 Brooke Shields movie, and I'll be honest — I expected it to be overhyped. It's not. The lagoon between Nanuya Lailai and Nanuya Levu is a channel of water so blue it hurts to look at. I've traveled a fair bit. This is the bluest water I've ever seen.
Snorkeling in the lagoon: brain corals the size of cars, schools of sergeant major fish, a Napoleon wrasse that was easily a meter long and completely unbothered by my presence. The visibility was maybe 25 meters. I could see the sandy bottom from the surface.
Day 4 — Sawa-i-Lau Caves
The boat left at 9 AM for Sawa-i-Lau island — about 45 minutes north of Nacula. The caves are sacred to Fijians, and the entrance fee (FJD 50, ~$22) goes to the local community.
The first chamber is enormous — a limestone cathedral with a natural skylight that throws beams of light onto the water below. You swim in the pool at the base, which is deep and clear. Ancient Fijian markings are carved into the cave walls.
The second chamber is accessed by swimming through a short underwater passage — maybe three meters. Our guide went first with a waterproof flashlight. You take a breath, duck under, swim through darkness, and surface in a smaller chamber lit only by the guide's torch and faint reflections off the water.
It was incredible and slightly terrifying. The woman next to me panicked halfway through and had to be helped back. Fair enough — swimming through an underwater cave in the dark is not for everyone. But if you can handle it, it's one of the most extraordinary things I've done.
Day 5 — Hammock Day, Then the Long Ride Home
Last day. I made a deliberate decision to do nothing. I lay in a hammock on the beach, snorkeled the house reef (saw a sea turtle — just swimming past, completely casual), ate three meals cooked by the resort kitchen (fish curry, root vegetable stew, grilled chicken with coconut rice), and drank two Fiji Bitters (FJD 8 each, ~$3.60).
At 1 PM, I waded out to the Yasawa Flyer for the 4.5-hour journey back to Port Denarau. The catamaran stopped at maybe a dozen islands, picking up and dropping off travelers. Each stop was the same: wade to the boat, bag over head, bula to everyone.
By the time we docked at Denarau at 5:30 PM, I was sunburned, salt-crusted, and didn't want to leave. Five days in the Yasawas felt like two weeks and not long enough simultaneously.
Would I Go Back?
In a heartbeat. But I'd do it differently. I'd stay longer — seven or eight nights instead of five. I'd add a third island — probably Kuata for the shark diving. I'd bring more cash (I nearly ran out by Day 4). And I'd bring my own snorkel mask, because the rental ones at Nanuya leaked.
The Yasawa Islands are Fiji at its most raw. No shops, no WiFi (basically), no distractions. Just islands, reefs, and people who say bula like they mean it.
