some call it an itinerary…we call it a blueprint for bliss
The itinerary for a classic Tui Tai expedition is ever-evolving, as we expand, tweak, and fine-tune our onboard experience to show guests the absolute best activities, island tours, dive and snorkel sites, and cultural experiences the South Pacific has to offer.
Our expeditions, which launch weekly for five- or seven-night fiji cruises, have a common structure to them—outlined below—but each outing has its own unique rhythm and flow. A spontaneous invitation from a local villager, dolphin or whale sighting, discovery of an unexplored dive site, or rumor of some killer waves the next break over can set us moving in exciting and unforeseen new directions
Logistics & Trip Planning — 5-night tui tai expedition cruise (Savusavu-Taveuni)
- Boarding Location: Savusavu
- Boarding Time: Mondays from 9am to 5pm
- Actual departure time: 5pm (after a full day of activities)
- Disembark Location: Taveuni
- Disembark Time: Saturdays at 8am (early checkout available on request)
- Arrival Information: You can fly into Savusavu (SVU) airport or Labasa (LBS) airport. You can arrive on the same day as cruise departure.
- Departure Information: You can fly out of Taveuni (TVU) airport. You can fly on the same day as cruise disembarks.
Itinerary Highlights
cultural immersion
Aboard Tui Tai, you’ll experience the Pacific Cultural Triangle firsthand. This collection of islands, whose people come from all corners of the Pacific Ocean, is the only place in the world where Micronesian, Polynesian and Melanesian cultures live traditional lifestyles in such close proximity.
When sailing with us, you’ll:
- Witness authentic cultural performances from each of these three unique civilizations.
- Visit Somosomo Village, home to the paramount chief of Fiji’s Northern Islands; talk history with village elders on Kioa island, home to renowned fishers and craftspeople; and watch an authentic Melanesian cultural performance and tour in tiny Wiwi Village
- Explore Bouma National Heritage Park conservation center and ecotourism destination
- Visit the local schoolhouses on Rabi and Kioa islands, visiting and playing with the children
- Assist with essential supply deliveries, cultural outreach and “contributionism,” strengthening the humanitarian connection between Fiji’s indigenous people and Tui Tai guests like you
world class scuba diving and snorkeling
One of the reasons guests return, time and again, to seek new adventures aboard Tui Tai is our unrivaled Fiji diving experience. You’ll dive in the clearest waters, with the most dramatic underwater topography and stunning biodiversity and dizzying array of creatures both great and small that Fiji has to offer.
Scuba– and snorkel–loving guests get the chance to:
- Roam renowned Rainbow Reef dive sites within the Somosomo Straits, including “The Great White Wall,” and other sites comprising what Jean-Michel Cousteau once dubbed “the soft–coral capital of the world”
- Marvel at coral gardens at The Farm and Nakawa Point, features in Lonely Planet as “one of the world’s best snorkel sites“
- Dive Kokoda Point, Wall Street, and Eel Diamond, with visibility often exceeding 120 feet, where divers frequently encounter large marine animals, including barracuda, tuna, sharks, rays and turtles
- Explore the sites we call “little Rainbow Reef” near Rabi Island, where you’ll likely share the water with a dozen or so nine–foot manta rays
exhilirating adventure
Hiking, kayaking, swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding, visiting remote villages and simply sailing the clear blue waters of the South Pacific–Tui Tai offers an adventure for everyone. Best of all, you just need to show up. Our expertly–maintained gear is the best money can buy, and our dive instructors, botanical experts and team of local guides will provide you a trip you’ll never forget. Adventurous guests will get to:
- Walk around the frontier-like Somosomo coast of Taveuni. You’ll step across the International Dateline before you visit the Waitavala waterslides. Take the plunge and slide down nature’s slide through the Taveuni rainforest.
- Hike the Cobia island volcanic crater before kayaking (or standup paddle) the tranquil lagoon in its center
- Kayak or SUP through a mangrove forest river on Qamea island
- Hike through the Bouma National Heritage Park and support Fiji’s most successful ecotourism/conservation project. You can swim in 3 different sets of waterfalls as you hike the rainforest, watch for exotic birds and endemic plants and flowers.
- Kayak or standup-paddle along the white sand beaches, black rock and overy teh crystal calm waters of Natewa Bay: the second largest bay in the southern hemisphere yet almost completely undeveloped.
soul soothing wellness and service
Tui Tai is not really a classic luxury trip. However we believe in 5-star service and wellness to compliment an active experience. After a day of National Geographic–level exotic excitement, some serious rest and relaxation is in order. That’s why we put as much effort into smart services and amenities as we do Fiji adventure travel. When it’s time to stow the gear and rejuvenate your soul, might we suggest you:
- Enjoy a massage at the base of a Bouma National Heritage Park waterfall, perhaps even sipping a frosty beverage, to boot
- Savor a veritable cornucopia of locally–sourced gourmet foods in remote, exotic island settings–Cobia and Rabi islands come to mind–where you’ll often meet the locals who supply us
- Relax and Re–charge, either on Tui Tai’s open–air deck or in virtually uninhabited island settings
- Travel aboard a floating resort, where you’ll enjoy nightly turn-down service, air conditioning, boutique grooming products, 800–count Egyptian cotton sheets and the friendliest service on the South Seas
Day by Day Itinerary
monday: the adventure begins
Take a stunning coastal drive from Savusavu to Natewa Bay, where you’ll board the Tui Tai, drop your gear off in your room and nibble on locally-sourced snacks while receiving a foot massage. Jump in for a quick swim, snorkel or scuba dive and, after lunch, kayak along the protected, completely undeveloped coastline of Natewa Bay, the second largest bay in the southern hemisphere. Back aboard, we raise sail with the sunset at our backs.
today’s schedule of activities
9am | Board, enjoy a beverage and a foot message, and jump in for a swim |
11am | Snorkel/Scuba Dive |
2pm | Sea kayak/stand-up paddleboard Natewa Coastal Trail |
4pm | Snorkel/Scuba Dive |
tuesday: mingle with micronesians and manta rays
Start your day with a snorkel or dive with 5-15 giant manta rays. These graceful creatures gather at a confluence of currents that bring them their breakfast. Watch as they glide effortlessly around you. Then, we head ashore to visit with Rabi’s Micronesian people, hearing their stories, experiencing their culture and marveling at their elaborate and powerful dances. From their Tabiang settlement, hike up the island’s gentle slope to visit schoolchildren while taking in sweeping vistas of the Tunuloa Peninsula and mouth of Natewa Bay. Relax on white sand beaches before we serve you dinner at surf’s edge like a true Pacific Islander–complete with underground oven
today’s schedule of activities
7am | Manta ray snorkel/scuba dive expedition |
9am | Snorkel/scuba dive “Little Rainbow Reef” |
11am | Hike to Rabi Secondary School to visit with children & teachers |
2pm | Sea kayak/stand-up paddleboard on Dolphin Bay » Scuba dive |
4pm | Experience Micronesian cultural Patele performance |
6pm | Night Dive “Dolphin Bay” |
wednesday: today we get wet
After breakfast, we hike along the coast to the frontier-like outpost of Somosomo, crossing over the International Dateline en route to Waitavala, where you’ll slide down a series of naturally occurring waterslides and pools. Divers, explore Rainbow Reef, where byzantine coral gardens of The Farm and Nakawa Point will amaze. Take your lunch onboard Tui Tai as we sail across the Somosomo Strait to Kioa Island, visiting the island’s master craftspeople and fishers before they present a traditional “Fatele” performance, showcasing Polynesian ancestry.
today’s schedule of activities
7am | Snorkel “Nakawa Point” » Scuba dive “Great White Wall” |
10am | Scuba dive “Rainbow’s End” » Explore Waitavala waterslides and International Dateline |
1pm | Snorkel “The Farm” » Scuba dive “Jerry’s Jelly” |
2pm | Sea kayak/stand-up paddleboard on Dolphin Bay » Scuba dive |
5pm | Experience Polynesian cultural Fatele performance |
6pm | Night dive “Black Magic” |
thursday: head for the high seas
With the main islands in our rearview mirror, we anchor among the Ringgold Atolls, surrounded by a barrier reef that creates a tranquil lagoon teeming with life and vibrant color. On Cobia, hike to the volcanic island’s summit along natural tree root steps, then explore the crater’s mystic lagoon on kayak or stand-up paddleboard. Throughout the day, you can dive in waters with visibility exceeding 120 feet, picnic on remote island beaches and savor a massage in our mobile island spa.
today’s schedule of activities
7am | Snorkel “Wall Street” » Scuba dive “Kokoda Point” |
9am | Hike to Cobia crater summit |
10.30am | Explore caldera interior by kayak, stand-up paddleboard, or zodiac |
2pm | Snorkel “Canyons” » Scuba dive “Wall Street” |
friday: conservation and ecotourism at its finest
We arrive at Taveuni, Fiji’s “garden island” and home to the Bouma National Heritage Park, one of the region’s greatest conservation sites and ecotourism destinations. Hike along Bouma Road, passing villagers en route to the park. Once there, simply relax in lush rainforests, enjoy a massage in front of roaring waterfalls and swim around the huge, serene pool. In the afternoon, visit the villagers of Wiwi and enjoy their Melanesian cultural performance.
today’s schedule of activities
7am | Snorkel “Coral City” » Scuba dive “Purple Wall” |
9am | Depart for Bouma National Heritage Park |
10am | Scuba dive “Stillwater” |
3pm | Snorkel/scuba dive “Champion’s Rock” |
6pm | Meke at Wiwi village, Melanesian cultural performance |
saturday: all good things must come to an end
Your journey wraps up in Taveuni. The Tui Tai crew sincerely hopes you come see us again. We bid farewell by serenading you with, “I levu tu na ua…mai na Tui Tai, nanuma tiko ga,” or, “Soon you’ll be sailing far across the sea, but please, sometime, just try and remember us and remember the Tui Tai.” (And trust us–no one ever thinks they’re going to cry at the end of the trip. Almost everyone does.)
today’s schedule of activities
7am | Tui Tai crew serenades you with the “Farewell Song” |
7.15am | Early-checkout guests depart |
8am | Normal checkout procedures and transfer to Taveuni airport or local resorts |
