After a busy visit back to Niagara, it was time to unwind a bit before heading back to Australia. A visit to Fiji was a perfect way to get back near our time zone and enjoy a little vacation too. With our name in lights, it was time to jump on Fiji Airways taking us direct from Vancouver to Nadi in just over 12 hours.
Upon arrival we were welcomed by the locals with a big BULA! This is the most common word you’ll hear across Fiji and it’s used to greet people or say hello. When you say bula to someone, you are actually wishing them life. After a couple stamps in our new Aussie Passports, it was time to change back to our tropical clothes, grab a quick coffee and prepare for the next leg of our trip. We caught the shuttle bus to the Port of Denarau to board The Yasawa Flyer, a high-speed catamaran run by South Sea Cruises. Fiji consists of 332 islands and we were headed to the Yasawa group of islands on the west side.
The catamaran trip took 3 hours for us to reach our destination, Barefoot Manta Ray Resort. Fortunately, we booked the Captain’s Lounge that gave us access to an air-conditioned lounge with snacks and beverages on board. We both appreciated this after a 12-hour flight which left us feeling a bit drowsy. The sights along the way were amazing. We also got to see a number of other island resorts as the ferry made stops at other islands to pickup/drop off passengers.
Once we reached our resort, the only way on/off the catamaran at sea was to transfer to a smaller island taxi boat that pulls up alongside. To do this, the catamaran slows down just enough for the island taxi to collect bags and load passengers to transport us to the beach. At the beach, the resort staff were there to greet us with an island song and a BULA and to share fresh welcome coconut drinks to start the holiday.
The resort was absolutely stunning. A gardener’s dream with winding natural pathways throughout the property. There was a main dining room and reception area in the centre of the island and a beach volleyball with dive shop at the point. The resort sits on a point and has three beaches – Sunrise, Sunset, and Manta beaches.
We stayed in a beach bure on sunrise beach. Our bure was a one room cabin with an outdoor shower. The bure directly overlooked the beach and came equipped with a couple chairs and a hammock for a quick siesta!
Barefoot Manta Ray Resort is the only resort on Drawaqa island in the Manta Ray Passage. This passage is known for the almost daily visits of many manta rays between May and October, especially at the turn of the tide. They come to feed on the plankton rich current, formed between the two islands. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any mantas. The resident marine biologist told us this was due to the unusual weather patterns that recently occurred in New Zealand which was causing them to come late this year!
Although we missed the mantas, the snorkeling was some of the best we’ve experienced. Regardless of the tides, we could snorkel different sides of the island two or three times throughout the day. The fish were abundant and the coral looked rather healthy. It was Fiji winter and the locals wouldn’t touch the water, but the temperatures were perfect for us.
Here’s a little video as well that shows snorkeling in action:
We were only at the resort for 5 days and it was so easy to establish an eat, snorkel, sleep routine. It felt as if the clock slowed down for a minute and we were able to get some R&R. Regrettably, all good things have to come to end, almost too quickly and it was time to head back to the mainland. We stayed one last night in Nadi enjoying a beach dinner and then had an early morning flight back to Brisbane.
We can’t wait to head back again to hopefully chase manta rays around the sea.