Click for Slideshow of a Visit to a Fijian Village
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If you are traveling to Fiji, I highly recommend you take in a village visit. While on the lush and mountainous island of Taveuni, I was lucky enough to visit a Fijian village. The people of the village happily greeted me and were genuinely excited to give me a glimpse of their daily life.
They started out by showing us how they make baskets which they use to carry their crops back from the hills and mountains where they grow the food they need. I was amazed at how they use every inch of everything that comes from the earth. Fijian people find a use for everything! I then learned how to husk a coconut and what they use each part of the coconut for. Every village visit is different, but most villages will show you how they cook their food by building a lovo which they use to steam tasty root vegetables like tarot, kasava etc. The food was delicious. We even got to watch them snatch fresh water prawns from the nearby stream which they fed us with fresh coconut only minutes later.
We also got to experience a Kava ceremony led by the chief of the village followed by the children of the village performing a couple songs for us. It was a fantastic experience and one you shouldn’t pass up. While on the beautiful island of Viwa in the Yasawa Island chain, I was also fortunate enough to get to attend church service in the local village. They welcomed us warmly and we got to sit amongst the village people, children and all and experience a full service spoken in the Fijian language. It was AMAZING!
If you visit a village, there are certain protocols you need to observe. For instance it is customary to be clothed appropriately as bathing suits and shorts are not appropriate to wear when visiting a village. Many guests wear sulus which you can find everywhere in Fiji. Some resorts will give you a sulu to wear to a village visit and most resorts offer sulus for sale in their gift shop. It is also customary to bring a gift for the village. It is common for guests to bring Kava, but I happened to bring art supplies for the children of the village which lit up their faces with joy when they received them. Cash donations to the village are also a great way to show your appreciation for the villagers and their willingness to share their way of life with you. The village I visited on Taveuni proudly informed me that they were able to purchase a lawnmower for their village thanks to the donations of visitors over the last year.
If you would like more information on village visits or would like information on some of our favorite resorts in Fiji, please give us a call at 1-800-321-7907 or visit our website where you can view our various Fiji vacation packages and reviews.