Our travel-hearts are definitely in the South Pacific. Fiji was the first stop for us setting out on our adventure to travel full-time almost five years ago now. We fell in love with the Coral Coast, Fiji and have ended up back twice more. We really rate Fiji with kids! It is a great holiday destination from New Zealand. And if you are looking for something a little bit different; a holiday on the Fiji Coral Coast is a choice we highly recommend.
We choose it purposefully the first time we visited as a place to stop and take a breather. (A breather after the chaos that comes with packing up an entire life for four people and packing it into two backpacks that is!). We wanted a different side to Fiji. A non-resort side. A different Fiji experience. And we reckon we found exactly that in Coral Coast, Fiji.
Here’s what we loved most about the Coral Coast in Fiji.
Sigatoka Markets
Sigatoka is the main town on the Coral Coast, Fiji. It doesn’t seem to matter where we are in the world – if there is a market, we tend to make it our first outing. Both, as a way of stocking up and getting a feel for a new place.
The markets in Sigatoka are a colourful and buzzing atmosphere. There are rows and rows of seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables.
Outside the main section there is whole row of carts selling Fijian Indian sweets and different kinds of homemade island food.
Getting the local bus into town to buy fresh bread for lunch, and vegetables for dinner at the markets became part of our daily routine. The boys soon got to know some of the stall holders.
Playing rugby on the beach
We spent hours every evening watching our two playing tag, rugby (with a coconut), and hunting for starfish with the local neighbourhood kids.
I could have sat for hours more, just watching. Something so simple reaffirmed what our trip was all about.
Biasevu Waterfall
We hired a car for the day and drove east from Sigatoka towards the village of Biausevu. From the carpark area in the village we paid an admission fee to hike to Biasevu waterfall.
The fee includes a guide for the walk each way to the waterfall, and a welcome kava ceremony. If you are in Fiji with kids then I recommend this as a good cultural experience. (And a good energy-burning activity!).
It was a great way to visit the waterfall, as our guide Mary was extremely knowledgable about the surrounding bush and villages, and very keen to share it with us.
The hike is roughly 40 minutes each way and crosses through nine river crossings (water shoes or sandals are definitely a good idea for this!).
Fishing in Coral Coast, Fiji
Harry asked our host, Sunny, if he can live in Fiji forever.
Our boys loved the chance for fishing in Fiji. They went most mornings with Sunny to the mouth of the Sigatoka River. It was the season for sardines which suited fishing with kids.
It was a great activity and most outings were successful, and certainly enjoyed by the boys!
Harry’s haul of sardines ready to be washed.
Try drinking coconuts
Dare I confess we may quite possibly be part of the reason there is now a shortage of niu (drinking) coconuts at the Sigatoka Markets?! [We LOVE them!].
Oscar has found himself a new superhero in fourteen year old Felix. He can crack open a drinking coconut like it’s a peanut!
30 Minute beach cleanup
We headed to the beach one afternoon, joined again by the local kids. But this time we had set out intending to trial a 30 minute beach clean up. It was our first stop since leaving NZ, but we wanted to give it a whirl.
The kids all joined in straight away and between us all we cleaned a huge section! It was only a small start in the grander scheme of things, but hopefully it is a start towards paying it forward. Plus, it serves as just one more reminder for us to continue learning to lighten our footprint as we travel…
[Perhaps one the worst photos I have ever taken(!); but of a very cool memory captured…]!
Getting around Coral Coast, Fiji
We were picked up from the airport in Nadi by our AirBnB host, and driven south to the Coral Coast (1.5 hours). We based ourselves at the AirBnB on the outskirts of Sigatoka. Most days we walked to the end of the road to get the local bus into town.
It’s easy to get the bus from anywhere nearby Sigatoka. Although we didn’t know it at the time, this was a great practice run for getting local buses all around the Philippines and Sri Lanka!
To visit Biausevu Waterfall we hired a car (via our host). They even drove us back to the airport in Nadi on our last day.
Where we stayed
Coral Coast: AirBnB Sunny and Sherin’s Residence
We knew Fiji has a lot of resort options and beautiful hotels. But as well as making the most of the tropical weather for swimming and beaches, we wanted to experience more of the culture. An AirBnB in Fiji with kids turned out to be the perfect choice!
Sunny and Sherin are amazing hosts, and definitely made our stay in Fiji one of the most memorable of our year! Sunny is well known in Sigatoka. A true fisherman, with a passion and energy for sharing all his knowledge about fishing and about life in Fiji. Sherin is an amazing cook, and we enjoyed sharing a meal with them plus breakfast most days!
Location-wise, the house is on the outskirts of a small village five minutes from Sigatoka, and 200m from the beach. We loved the adventure of making our way into town each day by bus, and so enjoyed meeting the local families in the neighbourhood… we can’t wait to go back!
If we went again we would…
*Update: We have visited Coral Coast Fiji twice more since our first visit! I originally wrote that we had already booked tickets back and it’s true. Fiji with kids is a great choice for a family holiday or as part of longterm travel. It suits all kinds of travellers and holidaymakers alike. We loved the opportunity for being part of the neighbourhood down on the Coral Coast of Fiji; even if it was only for a short while…
More about travel planning for Coral Coast Fiji and beyond…
These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- Hostelworld– The largest inventory of hostel accommodation in the world.
- Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). Don’t forget travel insurance for your holiday in Fiji with kids!