Snorkelling in Fiji

No, and that surprises a lot of first-time visitors. Nadi is the international airport town: useful, friendly, and its own beach is nothing special. The postcard beaches are on the islands offshore, or an hour and a half down the Coral Coast. Almost every boat leaves from Port Denarau, about fifteen minutes from Nadi town.

From Port Denarau, the Mamanuca islands are 30 to 60 minutes by catamaran, depending on which one. The Yasawa islands are 2 to 5 hours, so a Yasawa day trip is a very long day and many people go for two nights instead. Check the island name in the tour title before you book.

May to October is the drier, cooler half of the year and the one most tours are built around. November to April is hot and humid, with heavy afternoon rain and a cyclone season that peaks between January and March. Rain does not cancel a boat trip; a cyclone or heavy swell does, and then you get a refund rather than a new date.

No. Fiji is world-famous for diving – the Beqa Lagoon and the Rainbow Reef especially – but our booking partner does not list a single dive under this destination, only snorkelling trips. If you want to dive, go directly to a dive centre. We would rather tell you than sell you a snorkel tour under the wrong name.

A village is somebody's home, not an attraction. Cover shoulders and knees, take off hats and sunglasses once you are inside the village, and expect to be offered kava. The sevusevu is a formal welcome with a gift, which your guide presents on the group's behalf. Ask before photographing people.

Only if you plan to explore Viti Levu on your own. Driving is on the left, and the Queens Road links Nadi, the Coral Coast and Suva as a single-carriageway highway – Nadi to Suva takes 3 to 4 hours. On Denarau you do not need a car at all, and no car will get you to the islands: those are reached by boat.

The popular island day trips and the Malamala day pass fill up one to three days ahead in the July–August and December–January peaks. Outside those, the evening before is usually fine. Since almost everything cancels free up to 24 hours before, booking early costs you nothing.