Planning a Trip

Visitor Information

The Fiji Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 9217, Nadi Airport, Fiji Islands (tel. 672 2433; fax 672 0141; www.bulafiji.com), provides maps, brochures, and other materials from the bureau's head office in the Colonial Plaza shopping center, on the Queens Road in Namaka, about halfway between Nadi Airport and Nadi Town. It also has an information desk in a historic colonial house at the corner of Thomson and Scott streets in the heart of Suva (tel. 330 2433).

The bureau's award-winning website is a trove of up-to-date information (weather and currency exchange rates, for example) and is linked to the home pages of the country's airlines, tour operators, attractions, and hotels. It also has a directory of e-mail addresses.

Other Fiji Visitors Bureau offices are:

United States and Canada: 5777 West Century Blvd., Suite 220, Los Angeles, CA 90045 (tel. 800/932-3454 or 310/568-1616; fax 310/670-2318; www.bulafijinow.com)

Australia: Level 12, St. Martins Tower, 31 Market St., Sydney, NSW 2000 (tel. 02/9264-3399; fax 02/9264-3060; www.bulafiji-au.com)

New Zealand: 33 Scanlon St., Grey Lynn (P.O. Box 1179), Auckland (tel. 09/373-2533; fax 09/376-4720; info@bulafiji.co.nz)

Germany: Petersburger Strasse 94, 10247 Berlin (tel. 30/4225-6026; fax 30/4225-6287; www.bulafiji.de).

Japan: Noa Building, 14th Floor, 3-5, 2 Chome, Azabuudai, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 106 (tel. 03/3587-2038; fax 03/3587-2563; www.bulafiji-jp.com)

United Kingdom: Northcut House, 36 Southwark, Bridge Rd., London SE1 9EU (tel. 207/202-6369; fax 207/928-0722; fiji@hillsbalfour.com).

Korea: Suite 4008, Korea World Trade Center, Kangnam-gu, Samsung-dong, 159 Seoul (tel. 822/3452-5093; fax 822/561-6921; www.bulafiji.or.kr).

If you have a TV in your room, you can tune in to the advertiser-supported Visitor Information Network (VIN), usually on channel 10, for tips about what to do and where to dine.

Beware of Unofficial "Tourist Information Centres" -- When you see "Tourist Information Centre" in Nadi or elsewhere, it is most likely a travel agent or tour operator, whose staff will invariably steer you to its products. The only official, nonprofit tourist information centers are operated by the Fiji Visitors Bureau, at the Nadi and Suva locations listed above.

Entry Requirements

Visitor permits good for stays of up to 4 months are issued upon arrival to citizens of the United States; all Commonwealth countries; most European, South American, and South Pacific island nations; and Mexico, Japan, Israel, Pakistan, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Turkey. You must have a passport valid for 6 months beyond your visit and an onward or return airline ticket.

Citizens of all other countries must apply for visas in advance from the Fiji embassies or consulates. In the United States, contact the Embassy of Fiji, 2233 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 240, NW, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. 202/337-8320; fax 202/337-1996; www.fijiembassy.org). Other Fiji embassies or high commissions are in Canberra, Australia; Wellington, New Zealand; London, England; Brussels, Belgium; Tokyo, Japan; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; and Beijing, China. Check your local phone book.

Persons wishing to remain longer than 4 months must apply for extensions from the Immigration Department, whose primary offices are at the Nadi International Airport terminal (tel. 672 2454; www.fiji.gov.fj) and in the Labour Department building on Victoria Parade in downtown Suva (tel. 321 1775).

Vaccinations are not required unless you have been in a yellow fever or cholera area shortly before arriving in Fiji.

Customs allowances are 200 cigarettes; 2 liters of liquor, beer, or wine; and F$400 (US$240) worth of other goods in addition to personal belongings. Pornography is prohibited. Firearms and nonprescription narcotic drugs are strictly prohibited and subject to heavy fines and jail terms. Pets will be quarantined. Any fresh fruits and vegetables must be declared and are subject to inspection and fumigation.

Money

The national currency is the Fiji dollar, which is divided into 100 cents and trades independently on the foreign exchange markets. The Fiji dollar is abbreviated "FID" by the banks and airlines, but I use F$ in this book. Some hotels and resorts quote their rates in U.S. dollars, indicated here by US$.

As we went to press, one Fiji dollar was worth slightly less than US60¢. You find the rate at www.xe.com, a currency conversion site.

The Fiji Dollar & the U.S. Dollar

At this writing, F$1 = approximately US60¢ (or US$1 = approximately F$1.66).

How To Get Local Currency -- An ANZ Bank branch in the international arrivals concourse at Nadi International Airport is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There's an ATM on the wall outside the branch, where you can draw Fijian currency by using MasterCard or Visa credit or debit cards.

ANZ Bank, Westpac Bank, and Colonial National Bank have offices throughout the country where currency and traveler's checks can be exchanged. They all have ATMs at their Nadi and Suva offices and at their branches in Savusavu. Elsewhere bring credit cards, cash, and travelers checks. Banking hours nationwide are Monday to Thursday from 9:30am to 3pm and Friday from 9:30am to 4pm.

You can get a better rate for traveler's checks at GlobalEX offices in Nadi Town and Suva.

Credit Cards -- American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are widely accepted by the hotels, car-rental firms, travel and tour companies, large stores, and most restaurants. Don't count on using a Diners Club card outside the hotels. Leave your Discover card at home.