Navua River tour: Bamboo raft and village experience

Glide past waterfalls and rainforests to a sacred kava welcome ceremony

A full-day tour from Coral Coast resorts combines a motorboat cruise up the Navua River, a swim at Magic Waterfall, and a traditional bamboo raft ride downriver to a Fijian village. There you join a yaqona ceremony, watch cultural dances, and eat a lovo lunch cooked underground. Hotel pickup and a professional guide are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Fiji river cruise and village tour

• Pickup from hotel
• Travel to Pacific Harbor/Navua
• Coffee and restroom stop
• Long boat cruise up Navua River
• Swim at Magic Waterfall
• Bamboo raft ride on river
• Arrive at traditional village
• Welcome yaqona ceremony
• Learn village history and culture
• Watch cultural dances
• Tapa painting and weaving demo
• Enjoy "lovo" buffet lunch
• Village tour and farewell song

The experience

The day starts with a pickup from your resort and a drive inland toward Pacific Harbor and Navua, passing sugarcane farms and villages on the way. After a coffee stop, you board a long boat for a 45-minute cruise up the Navua River, moving past tropical rainforest, deep gorges and cascading waterfalls. The river narrows as you approach Magic Waterfall, where you stop for a 30-minute swim in the pool beneath it.

From there, a Fijian guide escorts you to the bamboo raft, the "HMS BILIBILI", a traditional vessel built to float unsinkable. You ride it downriver for about 30 minutes, moving at a leisurely pace on the same kind of craft Fijian ancestors used for centuries. The raft carries you to a traditional village, where a Fijian warrior greets you and leads you through a yaqona ceremony, a sacred welcome normally reserved for high chiefs. You'll learn the village's history, watch men and women perform cultural dances, and see locals at work on tapa painting and mat and basket weaving.

Lunch is a buffet of lovo (food cooked underground in a traditional earth oven) served in the village meeting house. Before you leave, the village performs a farewell song. The return journey to your resort takes roughly 2 to 2.5 hours, and the entire outing runs about 8 hours from pickup to drop-off.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from your resort.
• professional guide for the day.
• lunch (lovo buffet).
• all activities listed in the itinerary, including the motorboat cruise, waterfall swim, bamboo raft ride, village ceremony, and cultural performances.

Options for this experience

3 options

Shangri-La ResortGuide in English · 07:45Pickup from the Shangri-La Resort lobby at 7:45 am; pickup is included

Yadua Bay ResortGuide in English · 07:50Pickup from the Yadua Bay Resort lobby at 7:50 am; includes pickup

Geckos ResortGuide in English · 07:15, 07:45 and 07:50Pickup from the lobby of Geckos Resort at 7:40 am; pickup is included

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to SaturdayDepartures at 07:15, 07:45 and 07:50

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Child (5 to 15 years) · Infant (1 to 4 years): free

GroupUp to 100

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 7 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Discover Fiji Tours

Is this one for you?Choose this if you want to see multiple landscapes (river gorge, rainforest, waterfalls), and experience traditional bamboo-raft travel in a single outing, rather than booking separate activities.

Traveler reviews

4.78★★★★★★★★★★

9 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 15 years); Infant (1 to 4 years): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is the yaqona ceremony, and do I have to participate?

Yaqona is a traditional Fijian welcome ceremony involving kava, a plant-based drink prepared and shared as a sign of respect. It's part of the village experience on this tour, and participation is customary, though you can observe if you prefer not to drink.

How long do I spend swimming at Magic Waterfall?

You have about 30 minutes to swim in the pool at the base of Magic Waterfall, the largest waterfall on the Navua River.

What does lovo lunch include?

Lovo is a traditional Fijian buffet of food cooked underground in an earth oven. The meal is included in your tour price and served in the village.

How much driving is involved before the river activities start?

After hotel pickup, the drive to Pacific Harbor and Navua takes approximately 2 to 2.5 hours, with a 15-minute coffee and restroom stop along the way.