Getting to & Getting Around Taveuni
Both Air Fiji and Pacific Sun fly to Taveuni from Nadi, and Air Fiji has service from Suva and Savusavu. The hotels send buses or hire taxis to pick up their guests.
The large ferries from Suva stop at Savusavu before arriving at Waiyevo, and the small Amazing Grace crosses the Somosomo Strait between Waiyevo and Buca Bay daily.
Taxis don't patrol the roads here, but your hotel staff can summon one. I have been satisfied with Taveuni Island Tours (tel. 888 0221), Nan's Taxi (tel. 888 0705), and Ishwar's Taxi (tel. 888 0464). None of the taxis have meters, so negotiate for a round-trip price if you're going out into the villages and having the driver wait for you. The official fare from the airstrip is F$2 (US$1.30/65p) to Maravu Plantation and Taveuni Island resorts, F$17 (US$11/£5.70) to Bouma Falls, and F$20 (US$13/£6.70) to Navakoca (Qamea) Landing, or Waiyevo.
Local buses fan out from Waiyevo to the outlying villages about three times a day from Monday to Saturday. For example, a bus leaves Waiyevo for Bouma at 8:30am, 12:15pm, and 4:30pm. The one-way fare to Bouma is no more than F$4 (US$2.60/£1.30). Contact Pacific Transport (tel. 888 0278) opposite Kaba's Supermarket in Nagara.
Coconut Grove Beachfront Cottages in Matei (tel./fax 888 0328) rents bicycles for F$25 (US$16/£8.30) a day.
Rough Road -- Budget Rent A Car (tel. 800/527-0700 or 888 0291; www.budget.com) has an agency on Taveuni, but I always hire a taxi and driver instead. Taveuni's main road, which runs along the west and north coasts, is paved between Waiyevo and Matei, but elsewhere it's rough gravel, winding, often narrow, and at places carved into sheer cliffs above the sea. A taxi and driver cost about F$150 (US$97/£50) for a full day, or about the same as a rental with insurance and gas.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.