Fiji Off the Beaten Path - Have you heard of Kadavu Island?
- IDreamofMangoes
- Jul 13
- 7 min read
Fiji is a popular holiday destination for a reason. Tropical climate and beautiful beaches? Check. Warm and welcoming people? Check. Beautifully designed luxury resorts where you can briefly take a hiatus from the daily grind? Check.
I am gonna tell you right now, I wasn’t initially sure if Fiji was for me. I have never been interested in staying in luxury resorts, which could literally be plonked anywhere, and the ‘all-inclusive family holiday’ scene just isn’t my thing. However, call it the Moana effect, but I was just too tempted to see if I could put together an itinerary to allow us to see the real Fiji, meet the people, explore the less popular islands, and not spend tens of thousands of dollars a night.
After an endless rabbit-hole travel forum research, I kept seeing the name ‘Kadavu’ pop up: a little heard of island that is kooky enough not to be overtouristed, but not so cut off it takes days to get there and uses up extra time of our precious annual leave (damn you, having a job). My interest was piqued... Kadavu it is.
In the end, we planned a trip that actually split our time in Fiji between Taveuni and Kadavu, and when we told the locals we met on Taveuni we were headed to Kadavu next, we were greeted with confused looks... "but why? No one goes there..."
Our week in Kadavu turned out to be one of our favourite weeks ever. I truthfully don't think I have ever felt so relaxed, and Kadavu will now join the list with Koh Lanta and Munroe Island as my favourite paradise islands of the world.
CONTENTS
Where is Kadavu Island?
In Fiji, when there is a letter D in a word, you need to slide an N in before it for the correct pronunciation. For example, with Nadi Airport, it is pronounced NANDI. And for Kadavu Island, it is called KANDAVU. Kadavu (Kandavu) is the 4th largest island in Fiji, and it is south of the main island of Viti Levu. Its teensy airport is serviced by Fiji Airways with one flight a day from Nadi, with a flight time of 45 minutes on a very fun 16-seater Viking Twin Otter Plane. The mountainous island has an incredibly limited road system, so the four running resorts are serviced by boat, and the resort staff will pick you up directly from the airport. This really is Fiji off the beaten path.
Kadavu Island is home to the beautiful Shining Parrot, a Fijian species that lives exclusively on Kadavu and nearby Ono. It is also home to the Great Astrolabe Reef and is known to have the best Kava in all of Fiji.
Next to the orderly, landscaped gardens of Taveuni, Kadavu’s vine-tangled jungles, rocky headlands, and isolated beaches look immediately wild, raw, and untouched.
Where to Stay on Kadavu Island
There are four running resorts on Kadavu Island, and we chose Papageno, named after the beautiful crimson parrots that call this island home. Truthfully, we chose the resort by chance, but as it happens, it turns out we chose the best one. We met a group of sea kayakers who stayed at all four resorts on Kadavu as they circumnavigated the island, and they all agreed Papageno was the nicest - score!
I was grinning ear to ear as we made the 45-minute boat journey from the airport to the resort along Kadavu’s shimmering coastline. It was a real pinch-me moment, pulling up to the secluded grounds of the resort backed by lush green mountainous forest.
As we stepped off the boat and waded the last few steps through crystal clear waters the staff stood on the shore and sang so beautifully and welcomed us with flower garlands and fresh coconut water- it was a very touching experience (don’t even get me started on when they sang as we left a week later, I cried like a baby).
Our Experience at Papageno Resort
The grounds of Papageno are very spread out, and we were staying in ‘Ocean Room 3’ - a space much grander than its name suggests. It was giving me South African Lodge meets desert island vibes!
It is sometimes hard to explain how a place makes you feel a certain way, but from the moment we arrived at Papageno, I felt like I had discovered a secret; it really did offer me my version of paradise.
That being?
No phone, clock, or plan - the only schedule we kept to was that of high tide, so we could be in the water as much as possible. The drums told us when it was meal time, where the menu rotated daily, and everything was delicious.
Free usage of all of the paddle boards, kayaks, board games, pool table, and snorkelling gear, with the freedom to explore the mangroves and nearby islands at our leisure. We could do as much or as little as we wanted and just schedule the guided activities we fancied on the day.
An amazing masseuse with a thoughtfully designed spa, the resident therapist, Tama, is very talented, and I indulged in multiple massages throughout the week.
Sundowners! The rustic bar on the beach was the ideal spot to catch the sunset every night with a Fiji Gold or a perfectly crafted Pina Colada, whilst chatting to Ravao, who is Papageno's superstar bartender and such an awesome guy.
Warm, genuine people - Everyone was welcoming and attentive but not overbearing, and we genuinely enjoyed the company of the staff and learning about life on Kadavu.
From the moment we arrived at Kadavu, I had a feeling it was going to be special, and I was right. I am not normally the type of person to return to a place, but rather to experience somewhere new, but we both agreed we would come back to Papageno in a heartbeat.
I won't keep banging on about how great this place is, but I will let the photos from our Nikon F4 tell some of the story and the rest you will have to discover for yourself.Â
Things to Do on Kadavu Island
Fiji Time - Perhaps the most important thing to do on this list - the gift of doing nothing!
Paddleboarding through the network of mangroves surrounding the resort, an unbelievably peaceful place
Sea Kayaking to other smaller islands and secret beaches
Beach volleyball and Table Tennis
Snorkelling at various nearby sites - the reefs are very beautiful and bursting with marine life
Scuba diving and snorkelling at the Astrolabe Reef, an AMAZING spot about an hour away by boat. We visited here as part of a day trip and were lucky to see Giant Manta Rays, with the day being broken up by a delicious lunch on the beach. Papageno has brand-new dive equipment, and their dive instructor, Vo, is a right laugh!
Massages at the gorgeous spa
Jungle hikes and coastal walks at low tide
Guided village tours and waterfall treks
Surfing (Kadavu has Fiji’s second-best surf spot after Cloud9)
Pool, board games, lying in hammocks, playing with the friendly dogs
Swimming (currently in the sea, but Papageno's pool is currently being built)
Lovo Night with a Kava Ceremony - This was a real treat to participate in
Budgeting for a Trip to Kadavu Island, Fiji
You cannot travel to Fiji for the same budget as let's say, Bali, but it doesn’t need to cost thousands per night either.
Papageno charges $520FJD per night for two people in their super-nice oceanfront room (there are other options), that's £170, and it includes all food and transfers to the airport too, which is a VERY good deal in a place that is so off the beaten path.
There are plenty of free activities to do at Papageno, and you are never coerced into spending more money when you are there. However, if you want to have drinks and do other activities, this is a rough price guide:
Cocktail £7
Beer £3
1-hour Massage £40
Guided Snorkel Trip £15
Depending on where you are in the world, the flights to Fiji can set you back a fair amount, although we came from Sydney, so it wasn't too bad with Fiji Airways.
Leaving Kadavu was not easy - we had grown so attached to this island in seven short days, and we were incredibly sad to leave. If you end up going to Kadavu because of my gushing blog post - well, it's needless to say - you're welcome.
Thank you for reading my post: Fiji Off The Beaten Path - Have you heard of Kadavu Island?
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Happy Travels
xx
