Stay at Navai Village

Navai Village Stay leaves from Lautoka bus terminal. Local transport to Lautoka bus terminal is readily available from Nadi via either Taxi or bus. You will be put in touch with our Lautoka staff who will meet you at the Lautoka bus terminal an hour prior to your departure time.

Guests for Navai need to meet Peni at the Lautoka bus terminal between 8:30 and 9am for the included transport. Alternatively you have the option to receive a $50 per person discount if you would like to organise your own transport to the village.

Today’s average Fijian speaks quite good English in most cases as it has been taught in schools for a long time. They are quietly spoken, both humorous and generous by nature and I am yet to hear one swear.

You will be given the name and number of who to contact in the unlikely event something goes astray during your transfer.

Have a good look through the photos of Navai on this page. We have attempted to give you a visual snapshot of the conditions, but you have to keep in mind you have chosen to do a village stay, to live with these beautiful people as they live. Conditions are basic. You will have a cold shower. That said, the weather will be warm, you will be on a proper mattress with clean linen and a mosquito net, with access to toilet paper and in most cases, a flushing toilet.

Navai has mains connected 240v power, phone and internet access and a Nurse Station staffed by a qualified nurse nearby.

Your meals will likely include chicken, fish, seafood, bread, rice and occasionally pork accompanied by local vegetables, picked fresh from the village farms. Commercial tea and coffee are readily available. The village has an abundance of small farms growing an array of fresh fruit and vegetables. They also have freshwater fish, including tilapia, a delicious white fleshed fish and even eels, which are a personal favourite of mine. It can all be a bit seasonal, but the diet will be well adapted to the availability of local produce.

While living in the village is not a high-risk endeavour, some of the activities, such as horse riding and jungle trekking are classed as high risk for insurance purposes. For this reason, you will need to sign our liability waiver prior to departure, and we strongly suggest you have travel insurance to cover any activities you might participate in, which is common practise. 

Fijian people, like most South Pacific Island inhabitants, are welcoming, very respectful, family-oriented people with big hearts and a naturally cheery disposition. English is widely spoken, and communication is not usually difficult. 

It is not the place for opulent displays of wealth if you plan on blending in. Dress is respectful in the sense that T-shirts, shorts and flip flops are the men’s clothing of choice, while women and sometimes men wear sulu’s in the village, which is the same as a sarong and women will be expected to do so inside the village boundaries. Scanty swimwear is best left behind, or covered by a T-shirt and shorts.

The people are extremely polite and quietly spoken. They are Christian and you are welcome to attend their church with them, but you will not be frowned upon if you decline. The Fijians are very sharing people. It is not uncommon to sit in a group of 20 or more sharing a meal, kava or any other social pursuit.  Your use of respect and manners will be returned to you tenfold.

You are ambassadors for those who will follow in your footsteps. For this reason, drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited.

The bushwalks vary in difficulty from easy to the extremely difficult trek up Mt Tomaniivi, Fiji’s highest peak, and can be tailored to suit. Some villages, particularly Abaca, Navai and Nadala, and even Kioa are suited to avid trekking enthusiasts. 

If you are not the active type and just want to chill, or sit in the shade of a palm tree reading a book, you are most welcome to do so.

The following is a basic, generic list however you may have interests that will influence what you take. This does not include your normal choice of clothing and footwear.

• Sulu/sarong (for both men and women, see “Respecting the Culture” above)
• Camera
• Sunscreen 
• Insect repellent 
• Hiking shoes
• A broad brimmed hat
• Water bottle
• Personal toiletries
• Swim wear (including respectful coverings such as T-shirt and shorts)
• Towel
• Ear plugs (village animals, particularly dogs and roosters can be rowdy on odd nights)

You may choose to take a limited amount of cash to purchase a locally made souvenir or snack items. I encourage the villagers to value add a little by offering extra services such as massage, hair braiding, facials, and other spa type services. These will be at a nominal price and usually performed by the village youth.

These extras can be a great reminder of your stay, but most importantly pack an oversize spirit of adventure.

In the instance this may occur, talk to your host family and they will seek out the correct person to handle your inquiry. 

Tipping is not customary in Fiji.

If you feel inclined to take something, run it past us for suggestions. The schools can always use bits and pieces including stationery and sporting balls, ie, soccer, basketball, rugby etc.

You can also choose to leave behind any unwanted shorts, T-shirts or other gear with the tour representatives for future guests to use.

First look over our list of participating villages and select your preferred option. You will then check the village specific webpage calendar for suitable dates, and complete the booking form linked at the bottom of each village page. This will include paying your deposit. Keep in mind, the deposit is minimal and only refundable as a result of a natural disaster, cyclone etc where Village stay Fiji determine it is unsafe for the trip to proceed. In such an instance, a full refund will be forthcoming. The balance will be payable at the bus stop on the morning of departure. You will need to have the correct amount in cash as there are no credit card facilities currently available. However, there are ATM’s in all the towns at the departure points. We are working closely with an emerging NFC credit card payment facility but that is yet to formally launch. As soon as it does, we will be all over it.

I would suggest you have your money sorted the night before as there can be long queues at the ATM’s depending on the time and day of the week.