The Sigatoka Sand Dunes are Fiji’s first national park and a must visit for anyone traveling to Fiji. We had the opportunity to squeeze the trip down from Nadi between our trips to Castaway Island and Barefoot Manta in the Yasawa Islands.
The sand dunes are about an hour south of Nadi and can be reached by taxi, bus or organized tour. For those on a budget or looking to keep costs low, the bus is the best way to go and is how we reached the dunes. It cost us $10 FJD for a taxi to the bus station and $6 FJD each to take the bus then another taxi for under $10 FJD.
I recommend planning to arrive by early to mid afternoon. The sand dunes are open from 8:00am to 5:00pm and offer a 1 hour and 2 hour walk through the dunes. As we arrived around 3:45 we had no choice but to opt for the shorter walk. Entrance fees are $10 FJD per person.
Knowing time was of the essence, we rushed down to the dunes and along the shoreline until we reached one of more open areas of the dunes that we had seen on the map. The winds were strong but Richie and his drone faced them fearlessly to get the shots we wanted.
As 5 o’clock approached we packed up all the camera gear and began the trek back. Unfortunately we missed the turnoff to get back on the path and ended up lost along the beach but quickly found it again after assessing our heading. We finally made it back around 5:20 and thankfully the visitor center staff were still patiently waiting. They actually laughed at our slight misfortune and even bought us a cab ride back to the bus station.
All in all, the trek down to Sigatoka brought us to a real hidden gem that is not seen by many of the tourists that flock to Fiji for the beaches and resorts. It’s well worth the visit!
BAREFOOT MANTA ISLAND
CASTAWAY ISLAND
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