Regions in Brief

Rakiraki & Northern Viti Levu

Few travelers will be disappointed by the scenic wonders on the northern side of Viti Levu. Cane fields climb valleys to green mountain ridges. Cowpokes round up cattle on vast ranches. Dramatic cliffs and spires bound a stunning bay. A narrow mountain road winds along the Wainibuka River, once called the "Banana Highway" because in preroad days Fijians used it to float their crops down to Suva on disposable bilibili rafts made of bamboo. A relatively dry climate beckons anyone who wants to catch a few rays, and there's great diving on the reefs off Viti Levu's northernmost point.

Rakiraki

The enchanting peaks of the Nakauvadra Range keep getting closer to the sea as you proceed eastward toward Rakiraki. Legend says the mountains are home to Degei, the prolific spiritual leader who arrived with the first Fijians and later populated the country. As the flat land is squeezed between foothills and sea, cane fields give way to the grasslands and mesas of the 17,000-acre Yaqara Estate, Fiji's largest cattle ranch. Offshore, conelike islands begin to dot the aquamarine lagoon.

Although everyone calls this area Rakiraki, the chief commercial town is actually Vaileka, about 1km (1/2 mile) off the King's Road.

Vaileka itself is home to the Penang Mill, the only one of Fiji's five sugar mills that produces solely for domestic consumption (the others export all their sugar). There also is a 9-hole Penang Golf Course near the mill, which visitors may play.

Rakiraki itself is a Fijian village (with the usual car-destroying road humps) on the King's Road, about 1km (1/2 mile) past the Vaileka junction. It's home of the Tui Ra, the high Fijian chief of Ra district, which encompasses all of northern Viti Levu. He likes to stroll over to the Rakiraki Hotel, on the village's eastern boundary.

After the village, a paved road leads to Ellington Wharf, the jumping-off point for Nananu-I-Ra, a semiarid island about 15 minutes offshore, which has low-budget retreats.

Nananu-i-ra Island

Hilly, anvil-shaped Nananu-I-Ra island, a 15-minute boat ride from Ellington Wharf, has long been popular as a sunny retreat for local Europeans who own beach cottages there (the island is all freehold land). Although young backpackers today are more likely to head for the Yasawas, some still stop off here for a few days on their way by bus and ferry from Nadi to Savusavu and Taveuni.

Of the backpackers' resorts, Betham's Beach Cottages (tel./fax 669 4132; www.bethams.com.fj) and MacDonald's Nananu Beach Cottages (tel. 669 4633; www.macsnananu.com) are like a relaxing but polite visit to grandma's (translated: no loud parties or topless sunbathing). All have dorm beds for about F$20 (US$12) per person and cottages from about F$50 to F$125 (US$30-US$75) single or double. Dive Nananu (www.divenananu.com) teaches PADI courses from its base at the backpacker-friendly Nananu Island Lodge (tel. 0800 669 4290 toll free in Fiji, or 669 4290; www.nananuislandlodge.com), which has cottages, a dorm, and campsites.

These properties promote heavily at Nadi's inexpensive hotels and hostels, so you will have no trouble getting the full details.