Vanua Levu Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Map of Vanua Levu

• -16.433333179.3666671 Labasa — the most populous town on Vanua Levu. Like much of Fiji, sugar cane farming is the backbone of Labasa's economy.
• -16.746667179.3583332 Savusavu — a swashbuckling throwback to the days of high-seas adventure and tall tales told in rickety taverns
• -16.996178.6893 Nabouwalu

• -16.341389179.3102781 Vorovoro —
• -16.5179.992 Rabi Island
• Qaratutu Resort & Spa

Vanua Levu was home to 160,000 people in 2022.

The island's main population centres are the towns of Labasa, in the north, and Savusavu, located at the foot of the peninsula. Labasa, with a population of almost 25,000 at the 1996 census, has a large Indian community, and is a major centre of Fiji's sugar industry. Savusavu is smaller, with a population of just under 5000, but is a popular centre for tourists owing to its diving and yachting facilities.

In 2012, the nation of Kiribati began negotiating to buy 5,000 acres (2,023 hectares) of the island to house its population, which is expected to need to move as their islands are inundated by rising sea levels.

It is 64 km (40 miles) north of the larger Viti Levu island.

Ferry service by Patterson Brothers Shipping Company Ltd connects Vanua Levu to Viti Levu and Ovalau.

• -16.466667179.3397221 Labasa Airport (LBS  ^IATA). Flights from Nadi and Suva.  
• -16.802778179.3405562 Savusavu Airport (SVU  ^IATA). Flights from Nadi and Suva.  

• Buses are frequent on the Labasa - Savusavu route
• The last bus from Nabouwalu to Labasa is around 16:00. It's a 4-5 hour trip on the local bus, quicker on the shipping line bus. The buses from Labasa to Kiobo will pass Nabouwalu.
• To Taveuni. Bus waits at Labasa at 04:30, Savusavu at 05:30. Ferry returns at 13:30 from the Suncity jetty or in the morning.

• A 17,600-hectare (43,000 acres) area covering much of the interior of the Natewa/Tunuloa peninsula is the Natewa/Tunuloa Peninsula Important Bird Area. The Important Bird Area covers the largest tracts of remaining old-growth forest on the peninsula, which is on the south of Vanua Levu, and it supports a population of vulnerable shy ground doves.

• -16.779518179.3268981 J.Hunter Pearl Showroom, Savusavu. Offers educational tours of the pearl farm. 

• The Remote Resort, Rainbow Reef, ☏ +61 444579887. Island-chic villas with spectacular ocean views for honeymoon, elopement or dive and snorkel vacations. A diver's and food-lover's paradise. (updated Nov 2020)