The Yasawa Islands And The Blue Lagoon
Posted On November 27, 2009
The pristine white sand beaches, the submerged caves, exotic marine life you get introduced through diving and snorkeling, an ambience that’s tranquil through out the island, the posh resorts and the economical ones too, fishing trips as well as horse riding at some places; all this and more make Yasawa Islands one of the most wonderful group of islands on this earth.
It was in May 1789 that Captain Bligh spotted the Yasawa islands while on his way to Timor, after the famous mutiny on the Bounty. European traders and settlers left these islands remote and isolated. Then during the World War II, the US military set up communication posts here. Today, these are international tourist destinations.
Location
In the western division of Fiji, to the northwest coast of Viti Levu, is The Yasawa group of Islands, spread over 135 square kilometers. It begins from 40 kilometers northwest of Lautoka and extends 80 kilometers into the Pacific Ocean.
It has about 20 volcanic islands.
Getting to Yasawa Islands
The Yasawa flyer is the main mode of transport to get to and around the island. Other options to travel around Yasawa include ferry services, private charter sea planes, helicopters that fly you to some points, cruises and private transfer boats of resorts. There are local water taxis as well for shorter trips in a fair weather.
The best way to enjoy the trip to Yasawa islands would be to get on a 3- 7 nights luxury cruise such as that offered by the Blue Lagoon, that takes you traditional villages, exotic and remote villages and elsewhere.
Nadi is an important international airport of Fiji and has as many as 11 direct flights. There are regular sea planes from here to the Taweva Island, where most of the tourists prefer to stay.
Climate
The winter season in the months of May and November are the best times to visit Fiji when it’s warm and tropical here. The summer months between December to April are not bad too, provided you do not mind the hot and humid weather and some tropical rains.
Its location in the South-Pacific Ocean gives it a tropical maritime climate. The day-to-day temperatures and the seasonal temperatures are moderate and vary only slightly.
Sites and activities in Yasawa Islands
At Yasawa Island, you could go from hiking to snorkeling or diving. The entire group of 30 islands is spread across four distinct regions – The Waya Islands in the south and The Mamanuca islands have mountains and hills, rock faces and beautiful coastal areas to enjoy.
The Kuata and Waya islands are closes to Nadi. They have some lovely beach resorts as well such as the sand spit that joins Waya and Wayasewa islands. The Kuata islands are uninhabited and are backpackers’ favourites for snorkeling and diving.
The Waya islands have a number of hiking trails. The villages in wayasewa enthrall the tourists through their traditional meke dance during the afternoon.
The Naviti Island in the north, which is also the largest and the most populated of the group, has 8 small islands with forest and grassy ridges sparsely distributed here. The Nacula islands further north has posh resorts and the island of Tavewa.
The Tavewa, Nanuya and the Nacula islands are 10 kilometers to the north of Naviti islands. The islands have a number of beach resorts including the exclusive Turtle Island resort. The Tavewas Island was discovered by two backpackers 
in the 1980s. The backpacking gained grounds here from 1990 onwards. Here, you could chill out at the beaches, fish around or go for scuba diving among the many other fellow travelers.
Nacula is the third largest islands of Yasawa and is a hilly volcanic island.
15 kilometers south of Yasawa Island Resort are the Blue Lagoon caves in the Nanuya Lalai, made famous by the well known film “Blue Lagoon” starring Brooke Shields. The underwater cave at the limestone island of Sawa-i-Lau, just off the Yasawa Island is a major tourist attraction. You can swim in to this cave through a small opening connecting it to a pool. The inland of Nanuya has sloping hills and mangroves.
You can enjoy the activities like scuba diving, kayaking, fishing, trekking, snorkeling when in the islands of Yasawa or just relax in a hammock by the beach. Occasional snorkeling with Manta Rays are special attractions of the some of the islands here in Yasawa. Manta Rays are seasonal marine creatures that swim through the channel south of Naviti Island.
Beneath the water, you will come across a variety of flora and fauna such as the green Cabbage Coral, Christmas Tree Worms, Orange Fans and the Yellow Feather Star among many others.
