Kadavu Vacation and Travel Guide

Kadavu is a mountainous island with beautiful beaches, waterfalls, rainforests and a great variety of birdlife. Encompassing 411 square kilometers (158.6 square miles), it is Fiji’s fourth largest island. Kadavu still has 75 percent of its original rainforest cover. The island’s tallest mountain is Nabukelevu, also known as Mount Washington, which is 822 meters (2,697 feet) high. It is a dormant volcano which last erupted just 2,000 years ago.

Bird watching in Kadavu

Bird-watching enthusiasts will be in heaven on Kadavu. Birds that can only be seen here include the Kadavu honeyeater, the velvet fruit dove, the Kadavu fantail and the crimson shining parrot. The red and green Kadavu musk parrot can easily be seen and heard as well. Few islands in the Pacific have so much endemic biodiversity left as Kadavu.

Kadavu is one of the least developed islands in Fiji. But that’s the charm of it. There are no banks here and only a few roads and small resorts. The island’s residents depend on subsistence farming. Kadavu is home to 10,167 Fijians, who live in about 60 villages on the island.

In the 1870s, steamers on their way to New Zealand and Australia would arrive at the whaling station at Galoa Harbor to pick up passengers and goods. Back then Kadavu was considered as a possible location for a new capital of Fiji. But instead, Suva was chosen, and Kadavu retained its sleepy, rural atmosphere. Only in recent years has the outside world started to discover Kadavu, with snorkeling, diving and surfing being the main attractions.

Great Astrolabe Reef

The Great Astrolabe Reef is a large barrier reef stretching for 100 kilometers (62 miles) around the south and east of the island. It is one kilometer (0.6 miles) wide and one of Fiji’s prime scuba diving areas. A great variety of marine life can be observed here. Surrounding the reef is a lagoon containing ten islands, the largest of which is Ono. The reef was named by Dumont d’Urville, a French explorer who almost lost his ship, the Astrolabe, here in 1827.

The Ono Channel with its protected waters provides good ocean kayaking opportunities. Kayak rentals and tours are available. Surfing is best at Vesi Passage, but a boat is required to get here.

Kadavu facts

Area: 411 km2 (158.6 mi2) 
Length: 93 km (57.8 miles)
Width: 13 km (8 miles)
Population: 10,167 (2007 Census)
Population density: 24.7/km² (64.1/mi²)
Highest point: Nabukelevu - 822 m (2,697 ft)