Stay at Naga village amongst locals. Photo / Riah Jaye, Intrepid Travel
Stay at Naga village amongst locals. Photo / Riah Jaye, Intrepid Travel
When travellers picture Fiji or Samoa, they see palm trees and turquoise water, cocktails and lazy days. Nice enough, but it’s only the surface, writes Ben Tomsett.
The islands aren’t just postcard-perfect; they’re layered, complex, alive with traditions, history, and landscapes that don’t fit neatly into a resort brochure.
If you want to step off the beach and dig a little deeper, dare to venture with one of these eight experiences.
1. Hike the ancient Sigatoka Sand Dunes, Fiji
Forget padded loungers. The Sigatoka Sand Dunes roll and shift like something out of a fever dream. Towering mounds of sand that have been forming for millions of years.
The Sigatoka Sand Dunes. Photo / Riah Jaye, Intrepid Travel
Hike them with a ranger and you’ll pass shards of pottery, human burial sites, and ancient remnants of the island’s earliest settlers. The giant, ancient dunes are a perfect starting point for resetting your perception of the island.
2. Raft through the untamed Upper Navua Gorge, Fiji
Carved into the volcanic belly of Viti Levu, the Upper Navua Gorge is a jungle cathedral: sheer black cliffs, tangled rainforest, and waterfalls that seem to pour out of nowhere. The river squeezes down to just a few metres wide in places, churning into rapids that send you bouncing through the heart of the island. It’s one of the country’s most pristine waterways, and access is tightly controlled to protect its fragile ecosystem.
Waterfalls in Fiji. Photo / Riah Jaye, Intrepid Travel
Piling into a raft, you push off beneath 150-foot walls of rock that shoot straight up while the river narrows into channels of churning rapids. Your guide, maybe Moses, Rivers Fiji’s most seasoned trip leader, rows the raft from the rear, singing legends of love, warfare, and river spirits.
3. Take a walking tour with a local poet in Suva, Fiji
In Fiji’s capital, skip the souvenir shops and see the city through the eyes of poet and gay-rights activist Peter Sipeli, whose guided walk through Suva’s markets and streets blends local history, social commentary, and personal storytelling. He will tell you himself he wants to show you the real, unfiltered side of Suva - from the men at the edge of the market looking to hawk their wares, to the lasting scars of imperialism.
A guided walk around Suva. Photo / Riah Jaye, Intrepid Travel
As you walk with Peter, his rapport with the locals, constant handshaking and “how-are-you’s” prove he is an exceptional candidate for discovering the real side of Suva.
4. Stay in a remote village hall, Fiji
With Talanoa Treks, Fiji’s only dedicated hiking company, a true once-in-a-lifetime experience awaits. Your guides will drive you from Suva deep into Viti Levu’s interior for a stay at Naga village - a rare chance to live alongside locals, share meals prepared from the surrounding fields, and experience the slower rhythms of rural Fiji.
Stay at Naga village amongst locals. Photo / Riah Jaye, Intrepid Travel
Expect laughter, kava ceremonies, and no shortage of “kana vakalevu” (encouragement to eat more). Talanoa Treks has partnered with four rural communities to benefit the locals while providing guests with an authentic Fijian cultural experience.
5. Trek to Nubutautau Village, Fiji
Following your stay at Naga, you will wake up to the noise of crowing roosters and eat a hearty breakfast before lacing up for a five-hour cross-country trek through grasslands and river valleys to reach Nubutautau.
Trekking to Nubutautau. Photo / Riah Jaye, Intrepid Travel.
Local guides lead the 11km journey, telling stories from their lives and anecdotes about the local flora and fauna. The walk offers glimpses of traditional farm life, with the Sigatoka River snaking alongside. On arrival, a hearty village lunch rewards your efforts.
6. Snorkel at the giant clam sanctuary, Samoa
With Intrepid Travel as your guide, you can visit Savaia Village’s lagoon, a community-run marine reserve where the entry fee funds local conservation. Below the surface, giant clams, some more than a metre across, glow with mantles pulsing in psychedelic blues and greens.
Snorkelling at the giant clam sanctuary in Samoa. Photo / Riah Jaye, Intrepid Travel
The desire to stick your hand in is deadly - for both the mollusc and the observer. These creatures were replanted as seedlings years ago and now anchor a reef teeming with coral, starfish, and the occasional turtle.
7. Join a village feast, Samoa
Another stop on your trip with Intrepid Travel will be a lunch at Vavau Village, where dining is theatre.
Enjoying a village feast in Samoa. Photo / Riah Jaye, Intrepid Travel
Women unwrap food baked in the earth oven - fish, taro, the familiar deep-fried sausage - while voices rise in song and dancers stamp the floor. Guests are urged to eat more, laugh louder, and join in.
8. Swim in the To Sua Ocean Trench, Samoa
Shuttled down the south coast road of Upolu, you arrive at Lotofaga’s legendary “giant swimming hole”, a 30-metre depression formed by a collapsed lava tube, its depths reached via a ladder to a wooden platform.
Climb down a wooden ladder, plunge in, and look up at the ring of greenery above. Local families run the place - access costs $10 for adults, a modest amount but well worth it for the rare experience.
Checklist
Fiji and Samoa
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Nadi, Fiji with Air New Zealand, after you have explored Fiji, fly direct from Suva to Apia, Samoa, with Fiji Airways.
