Fiji with kids

Best things to do with kids

Island · Mamanuca Islands

1.Mamanuca island day cruise

Catamarans and smaller boats leave Port Denarau each morning for day trips to Mamanuca islands, with snorkelling over coral reefs, lunch on the beach and swimming in clear lagoons. Some trips stop at sandbanks or at Monuriki, the uninhabited island where Cast Away was filmed.

Choose a trip with a long stop at one island rather than several short ones, and pack reef-safe sunscreen and a rash vest.

Time needed

Full day

Cost

Expensive

• Iconic
• Kids
• Outdoors
• Nature

Experience · Sabeto Valley

2.Sabeto mud pools and hot springs

Geothermal pools in the Sabeto Valley where visitors coat themselves in mud, let it dry in the sun, then rinse off in a series of warm spring-fed pools. Local staff often offer a short massage afterwards.

Wear an old swimsuit; the mud can stain light fabric.

Time needed

1–2 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Kids
• Couples
• Outdoors

Garden · Sabeto Valley

3.Garden of the Sleeping Giant

An orchid garden at the foot of the Sabeto mountains near Nadi, started by actor Raymond Burr in the 1970s to house his orchid collection. Paths and a boardwalk wind through the orchids, lily ponds and rainforest.

Combine it with the Sabeto mud pools in the same valley for a half-day outing from Nadi or Denarau.

Time needed

1–1.5 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Nature
• Couples
• Kids

Nature · Coral Coast

4.Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park

Fiji's first national park protects windswept dunes at the mouth of the Sigatoka River, where excavations have uncovered Lapita pottery and ancient burial sites. Walking trails loop through coastal forest and over the dunes to a wild beach.

Walk in the early morning; the exposed dunes are very hot by midday.

Time needed

1.5–2 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Nature
• History
• Outdoors
• Active

Museum · Suva

5.Fiji Museum

Set in Thurston Gardens in Suva, the national museum covers more than 3,000 years of Fijian history, with a large double-hulled canoe (drua), war clubs, tapa cloth, ceremonial cannibal forks and the rudder of HMS Bounty recovered from Pitcairn Island.

Allow time for the botanical gardens around the museum, then walk along the harbourfront to the Grand Pacific Hotel.

Time needed

1.5–2 hours

Cost

Low cost

• History
• Rainy day
• Art
• Kids

Park · Suva

6.Colo-i-Suva Forest Park

A rainforest park about 11 km north of Suva with walking trails through mahogany and native forest, birdlife and natural swimming pools with rope swings below small waterfalls.

Go on a dry morning, wear shoes with grip, and do not leave valuables unattended by the pools.

Time needed

2–3 hours

Cost

Low cost

• Nature
• Outdoors
• Kids
• Off the beaten path

Rainy-day ideas

• Fiji Museum — Allow time for the botanical gardens around the museum, then walk along the harbourfront to the Grand Pacific Hotel.

Where families should stay

Family travel tips

• Check whether a resort's kids' club is included in the rate and what ages it accepts.
• Choose resorts with sheltered, sandy lagoons; some Coral Coast lagoons are too shallow at low tide for swimming.
• Pack rash vests, reef shoes and high-SPF reef-safe sunscreen; the tropical sun is intense.
• Some island resorts are adults-only; confirm before booking.
• Choose island transfers by catamaran rather than small boats for young children in choppy seas.

Day trips for families

• Sigatoka and the Sand Dunes (About 1–1.25 hours by car) — Walk the dunes of Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park, then explore the riverside market town of Sigatoka.
• Natadola Beach (About 1 hour by car) — A long, wide white-sand beach on Viti Levu's south-west coast, often called the best mainland beach in Fiji, with a gap in the reef that allows swimming at most tides.
• Sabeto Valley (About 20–30 minutes by car) — The valley inland from Nadi airport holds the Garden of the Sleeping Giant orchid garden and the Sabeto mud pools and hot springs, an easy half-day outing that works well on arrival or departure days.

When to go with children

The best months overall are May–October. July and September are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.

Questions travellers ask