When planning a trip, one of the first things you might look for is what to do in Fiji. Thankfully, the country is full of exciting and unexpected activities, like enjoying a traditional kava ceremony to chasing waterfalls, trying local food, and watching firewalkers on their native Beqa Island.
Whether you’re looking for popular tourist attractions or unusual things to do in Fiji, you’ll find it all here in my ultimate Fiji bucket list. Grab your pencil and paper, and get inspired for your trip!
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PC: GetYourGuide
Surprise Your Sweetheart With a Trip to Heart Island
If you’re planning to spend your honeymoon in Fiji, you have to add this hidden gem to your list. The heart-shaped island in Fiji, which is officially called Tavarua, is only a short distance away from one of the main islands, Viti Levu, and is surrounded by a beautiful coral reef.
What better way to surprise your significant other than by showing them your heart? ;)
One of the most popular tours leaves from Nadi and offers a 25 minute ride around heart island, where you’ll see pristine beauty surrounded by gorgeous turquoise waters — and, of course, one of the world’s most breathtaking natural formations.
Psst… If you really ❤️ this island (get it? 😉), you can actually stay as a guest! That’s right: there’s a resort hotel located on the island called Tavarua Island Resort. You can learn more and book a stay on Tripadvisor.
🚁 Book a Scenic Flight Around Heart Island Here 🏝
Detox in a Fijian Mud Bath
Looking for an all-natural Fijian spa with no chemicals and only organic ingredients? Then why not try a traditional mud bath? ;)
Soaking in a mud bath is a popular pastime with locals and definitely a must-do in Fiji — in fact, our hotel manager said that she goes with her sister every two weeks to the local mud bath to destress and unwind. No wonder her skin looks flawless!
The most popular mud bath is the Sabeto Thermal Mud Pool & Hot Springs, which is located right in the middle of Nadi and Lautoka. Since it’s only a quick 15-minute drive from Nadi Airport, the Sabeto mud pool is the perfect place to detox after a long flight and start your trip to Fiji.
The mud bath works like this: You change into your swimsuit and store your stuff (you can rent a towel for $5 FJD if needed) before moving onto the first area, where you cake yourself in mud and wait for it to dry in the sun. From there, you walk into the bubbling mud pool to wash off all the mud before hopping into the next pools to relax. The hot spring water combines with volcanic ash from the Earth to form a mud bath pool that’s full of therapeutic qualities — locals say that the mud helps arthritis as well as a variety of skin conditions.
Be Awestruck by the Colorful Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple
Did you know that Hinduism is the 2nd most popular religion in Fiji? The religion arrived in Fiji in the late 1800s, when Indians came to Fiji to work at the sugar plantations. Some years passed and in the 1920s, work began on Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple, which is nowadays the largest Hindu temple in Fiji.
Travelers are welcome to visit the temple as long as they are dressed respectfully by covering their shoulders and legs — if you don’t have a cover-up, the temple has sarongs that you can rent for free. While visiting Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple, keep an eye out for the intricate carvings, colorful paintings on the ceiling, and traditional Dravidian architecture.
Garden of the Sleeping Giant
Located minutes from Nadi Airport, the tranquil and lush Garden of the Sleeping Giant is a must-see if you’re craving Fiji’s tropical atmosphere. The garden is most noted for its amazing collection of more than 2,000+ types of orchids, as well as native plants and fauna.
The sprawling garden includes a picnic area, lovely pond (seen above), boardwalks, and swings, along with friendly employees who are happy to give you a tour or tell you more about a specific flower.
Eat a Lovo Feast
No trip to Fiji is complete without a hearty lovo meal!
The word lovo refers to an underground oven and is similar to our version of barbecuing: a large amount of food is taken and cooked in a shallow pit dug into the earth. It’s a Fijian tradition that goes back hundreds of years and brings together the entire village: the women prepare the food while the men build the fire pit.
A traditional lovo includes a variety of meats (chicken, fish, and pork) are lined with fresh vegetables and are then wrapped in foil and banana leaves before being placed on hot rocks in a pit. Thanks to the combination of steam and foil, the result is mouthwatering smoky meats, herb-infused veggies, and a delicious meal that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. 
🥬 Watch a fire walking show, Fijian handcraft demonstrations, and top it off with a lovo feast on this tour! 🥬
PC: joakant
Watersports
Fiji is blessed to have clear water, an abundance of underwater wildlife, and favorable waves, which makes it an excellent location to do some watersports.
If you’re into snorkeling, you’ll be happy to know that Fiji has some of the most accessible coral reefs that are usually a short swim from the beach. If you’re lucky, you can even see turtles and dolphins, swimming alongside schools of fish and colorful coral.
If you prefer to dive deeper (literally!), there are also plenty of opportunities to go scuba diving, with hundreds of dive sites scattered around the 333 islands of Fiji.
Surfing is another popular activity in Fiji, especially during the country’s wintertime (May through October) when the ocean offers consistent waves and warm water. Popular surfing spots include the Malolo Barrier Reef near the Mamanuca Islands, northern Beqa Island, and Qamea Island.
Finally, windsurfing, kitesurfing, and kayaking are all available in Fiji. In fact, most resorts offer free kayak rentals so you can go out and explore around the island!
Check out some of these top rated tours:
🏄♂️ Famous Beqa Lagoon Soft Coral Two Tank Dive from Pacific Harbour
🏄♂️ Nadi Tivua Island Day Cruise Including Snorkeling and BBQ Lunch
🏄♂️ Fiji EXTREME Jet Ski Tour – 3 Islands in 3 Hours
🏄♂️ Underwater Scooter Experience from Treasure Island
🏄♂️ Jet Boat Safari on the Sigatoka River
🏄♂️ Full-Day Tivua Island Day Cruise with Wreck Dive
PC: Gerald Schömbs
Kick The Adrenaline Up a Notch And Go Shark Diving
If you just read the list above and weren’t impressed, it’s time to kick it up a notch and try something a little more extreme: shark diving!
You read that right: you can actually go shark diving in Fiji. Like, swimming in the company of Nurse, Bull, and Tiger sharks type of shark diving. Excited? Great! I’ll keep on typing so you can get all the details.
To go shark diving in Fiji, you’ll be taken from your resort and transported to the Shark Reef Marine Reserve, which is located near Beqa Island. (That’s where they hang out!)
After getting suited up and ready, you’ll follow your dive master about 20 meters under the water to sit at the “arena,” where a handful of dive guides will feed the sharks while the rest make sure that the sharks don’t come close to the divers. It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see sharks swimming thisclose to you!
For those who are hesitant: My dad did this exact dive for his birthday and said it was one his favorite adventure activities that he experienced in his life. If you’re interested, leave a comment and he’ll happily send you photos from his GoPro (and most likely a wall of text about how cool it is, but that’s another story). 
🦈 Ultimate Shark Encounter Two Tank Dive at The World Famous Beqa Lagoon
🦈 Pacific Harbour: Ultimate Shark-Dive Experience
PC: GetYourGuide
Be A Guest at a Fijian Village
There are more than 1,200 villages scattered around the 300+ islands in Fiji. If you have the chance to visit a Fijian village, I highly recommend doing so!
Before you start, your guide will tell you more about the specific village that you’re visiting, including who lives there, the history of the village, and about the village chief. When you arrive, you’ll be welcomed by the locals and invited to sit down, enjoy a kava ceremony, and maybe even dance or listen to the village chief.
Fiji village visits can be arranged by your hotel or through a tour company. Here are some to check out:
Kava Ceremony
A kava ceremony is an integral part of Fijian life and one of those must-do things in Fiji.
To start, everyone sits around in a circle and waits for the “ceremony master” to brew the kava. To make the drink, he takes a kava root, finely grounds it, and mixes it with cold water. When the drink is ready, the ceremony master pours it into a bilo (a halved coconut shell) and passes it onto the first guest to drink.
One fun thing that comes as a side effect of drinking kava is that there is a slight tingling sensation on your lips and tongue. Don’t worry, that’s totally normal! Kava has a special effect that relaxes the body and numbs the mouth.
The kava ceremony is a tradition in Fiji and happens whenever the village wants to socialize, tell stories, or come together for an important event.
PC: Keith Hardy
Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park
Didn’t expect sand dunes in Fiji, did ya? I didn’t either until our scuba master told us about this hidden gem!
The Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park is located on the “big island” of Viti Levu in Fiji and is about an hour’s drive from the city of Nadi. The dunes were formed after the coast eroded and sand was deposited over hundreds of years. Nowadays, it’s a national park where tourists can hike the 20 to 60 meter (!) sand dunes, enjoy a picnic, or just chill out. While you’re there, don’t forget to ask the ranger about the burial sites — there’s evidence that people were buried here 3,000 years ago!
💛 Scenic Sigatoka Valley Drive, Fijian Pottery Village, Local School & Sand Dunes
💛 Fiji Heritage & Cultural Tour
Firewalking Ceremony
Vilavilairevo, which translates to “jumping into the oven,” is the Fijian tradition of walking on hot stones. The practice originated on Beqa Island many years ago, when a man named Tunaiviqalita made a deal with a spirit god that granted him the ability to walk on burning stones. Legend says that all of Tunaiviqalita’s descendants have the ability to walk on hot stones, which is why firewalking ceremonies are mainly held on Beqa Island.
However, that doesn’t mean you have to take a ferry to Beqa! If you’re wondering where to watch firewalking in Fiji, there are many hotels, such as Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort, that will put on a ceremony for their guests. We stayed at the Lalati Resort (on the OG Beqa Island!) and were taken to see firewalkers as part of a village visit.
PC: Marek Okon
Sail Over to the Yasawa Islands
Although every Fijian island is beautiful, there’s something especially eye-catching on the Yasawa Islands. Is it the stunning turquoise-blue waters? Or the lush forests? You can find out for yourself — just visit them ;)
The Yasawa group of islands is an archipelago of 20-ish volcanic islands in western Fiji: there are six main islands that travelers use as hubs to hike, dive, and relax. Interestingly enough, tourism didn’t reach the Yasawa islands until the 1990s, because the King of the Yasawa islands did not want tourists on his archipelago. The islands did not succumb to mass tourism (thankfully), and you can get a sense of raw Fiji when you visit.
Where to stay on the Yasawa Islands
🌴 Paradise Cove Resort – This beautiful resort — which guests note is ‘truly a paradise’ — has gorgeous and sprawling rooms, its own private beach, and friendly employees. Book here.
🌴 Coconut Beach Resort – A lovely and down-to-earth hotel with traditional Fijian hospitality combined with all the amenities you need in a resort. Book here.
🌴 Navutu Stars Resort – Located on the secluded island of Yaqeta, this resort is small and intimate with just 9 beachfront bungalows spread along the pristine beaches. Book here.
🌴 Boathouse Nanuya – A fun and budget-friendly option for those who want to chill out on the beach and enjoy island life. Book here.
🌊Discover the scenic beauty of Fiji’s volcanic Yasawa Islands on this Catamaran Tour 🌊
PC: GetYourGuide
Sail Aboard a Traditional Fijian Canoe
Even though they haven’t been in use for more than a hundred years, the drua is still a long-standing symbol of Fiji (Fiji’s telephone booths are decorated with the characteristic mast-tops!). Also known as a Waqa Tabu (sacred canoe), a Fijian drua is a huge canoe that was used for fighting, transporting goods, and moving from island to island.
If you want to go back in time, you can rent your own drua and go sailing the high seas on this tour:
🛶 BOOK A 4 HOUR DRUA SAILING EXPERIENCE Here🛶
PC: Charlie Firth
Unwind With a Banana Leaf Massage
One of the most unique things to do in Fiji is to get a banana leaf massage! Like the name says, your massage therapist will coat you in a luxurious mixture of coconut oil and natural brown sugar before wrapping you up in a huge banana leaf. The massage helps travelers unwind and deeply relax — plus, it’ll help clear up your jetlag faster!
If you’re interested in getting a banana leaf massage, there are a handful of hotels that offer it in Fiji, such as the Koro Sun Resort & Rainforest Spa (the banana leaves are grown in their own grove!) and Lalati Resort & Spa.
Other unique spa treatments in Fiji include the traditional Fijian Bobo Massage at Namale Resort; the Warm Shell Massage at the Intercontinental Fiji; or the Papaya Facial at Koro Resort.
BONUS:
Finally, and perhaps the unofficially the #16 thing to do, is to watch a Fijian sunset.
I may be biased, but I think that Fiji has some of the most stunning sunsets in the world. On our last night on Beqa Island, the sky was painted in gorgeous rose and lavender-gradient colors. Just look at that photo above! ;)
That’s all for this post! Which Fijian activities would you love to do? Let me know in the comments below!
Wow. So interesting. Shark Diving 😍