Fiji Highlights: Coral Coast & the Mamanuca Islands

Today you immerse yourself in the warm heart of Fijian culture with a visit to a traditional village on the Coral Coast. Dressed respectfully in a sulu sarong, you are welcomed by the community and presented to the chief, sharing a traditional kava ceremony, sitting cross-legged on a woven mat and clapping and calling 'bula' as the bowl is passed. You tour the village church and homes, learning about a way of life centred on family, faith and the land, and are treated to a spirited meke, a dance and song that tells stories of Fijian legend and history. A lovo feast, food slow-cooked in an underground earth oven, completes the experience. These encounters are genuine and heartfelt, and the warmth of the villagers leaves a deep impression, revealing the true spirit of Fiji beyond the beaches and resorts.

A day exploring the natural and cultural riches of the Coral Coast. In the morning, a jet-boat or riverboat safari carries you up the wide, winding Sigatoka River, the 'salad bowl of Fiji', past fertile market gardens, plantations and traditional villages, stopping at a riverside community for a warm welcome and a glimpse of rural life. You might also visit the dramatic Sigatoka Sand Dunes, Fiji's first national park, with its ancient windblown dunes and sweeping ocean views. In the afternoon, the fringing reef awaits, and you can snorkel straight from the shore over coral gardens alive with rainbow fish, giant clams and, if you are lucky, a reef shark or turtle. This blend of river, dunes, village life and reef reveals the wonderful variety of mainland Fiji, and by day's end you have a real feel for both its culture and its natural beauty.

A free day to enjoy the Coral Coast at your own pace. You might snorkel or dive the fringing reef, visit the biodiverse Kula Eco Park to see native birds, iguanas and turtles, explore a spectacular tropical garden, take a trip inland to a waterfall in the lush highlands, or simply relax by the sea with a book and a cocktail. The coast offers a wonderful mix of culture, nature and beach, and its easy mainland access makes it simple to do as much or as little as you like. As the sun sets, enjoy a relaxed dinner of fresh seafood and, perhaps, an evening of Fijian song and dance. Rest well tonight, for tomorrow you cruise out to the Mamanuca Islands, where pure barefoot island bliss and some of the most beautiful beaches in Fiji await you.

This morning you transfer to Denarau Marina and board a catamaran for the scenic cruise out to the Mamanuca Islands, a scattering of postcard-perfect islets ringed by white beaches and turquoise lagoons. As the mainland recedes and the islands rise from the brilliant blue sea, the sense of arriving in paradise is complete. On reaching your island, you are welcomed with song and a fresh coconut and settled into your beachfront bure (bungalow), opening straight onto the sand. The rest of the day is yours to sink into island time, swimming in the warm, clear lagoon, snorkelling the coral off your beach, or simply lazing in a hammock as the palms sway overhead. Tiny, sleepy and unspoiled, the Mamanucas are the very picture of a tropical island, and as the sun sets in a blaze of colour, you settle in for pure barefoot relaxation.

A day of island bliss in the Mamanucas, with the warm, clear lagoon at your doorstep. The snorkelling here is superb, and you can drift straight off the beach over coral gardens alive with rainbow fish, giant clams, reef sharks and turtles, or join a boat trip to a pristine outer reef or a tiny deserted sandbar. Between swims, you might kayak or paddleboard the calm lagoon, take a village or cultural trip to a neighbouring island, or simply relax on the sand with a cocktail, watching the endless colours of the water. The pace is gloriously slow, and the beauty of the surroundings is intoxicating. As the afternoon fades, an optional sunset cruise glides across the lagoon with a drink in hand. It is the pure, barefoot island pleasure that draws travellers to Fiji, and the kind of day that recalibrates your idea of paradise.

A final full day to savour the Mamanucas at the gentlest of paces. You might take another snorkelling trip to the outer reef, try an optional dive, sail or jet-ski across the lagoon, join a Fijian cooking class or basket-weaving session, or take a scenic seaplane flight over the islands. Equally, you might do nothing more strenuous than move from hammock to sun lounger and back, cocktail in hand, watching the light shift across the water. On Sundays, a village church service reveals the Fijians' extraordinary hymn singing. Wherever the day takes you, the warmth of the welcome and the beauty of the surroundings make it hard to imagine anywhere more relaxing, and a farewell island dinner beneath the stars, perhaps another lovo feast, sends you off in the best of spirits, deeply rested and reluctant to leave.

After a final barefoot morning by the lagoon, perhaps a last swim or snorkel in that warm, clear water, you transfer by catamaran back to Denarau and on to Nadi airport for your onward international departure. You leave with sand between your toes, a shell necklace around your neck and the beaming 'Bula' of the Fijian people ringing in your ears. The days of culture, reef and island bliss have worked their magic, and the warmth of the welcome stays with you long after you return home. Fiji has a way of capturing the hearts of those who visit, and you depart already dreaming of a return to its beautiful islands, warm waters and famously friendly people.