navua river cruise

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Phone + 679 784 7 905   or  +679 720 9449

Email [email protected], when you choose mick’s you are helping local indigenous fijian communities – because part of every dollar we earn is given to needy  fijian families, transfers from airport, transfers to airport, adventure tours, luxury private transfers, transfers from denarau , island cruises, sea transfers & water taxi, transfers resort to denarau, cultural tours.

The Authentic Fijian Navua River Tubing & Cultural  Experience

Enjoy a boat ride along the pristine Navau River

Check out the tropical rain forests  along the river bank

Enjoy the pristine river gorges

 Relax as you ride through the gentle rapids

Experience  the local culture and visit a traditional Fijian village

Take a refreshing swim in the waterfall

Relax and enjoy  one of Fiji's great out door adventures

Please refer to our Terms and Conditions , our Village Etiquette Rules .

Child car safety seats are also available upon request, all inclusive package for the authentic fijian navua river tubing & cultural experience.

We'll pick you up from your hotel and drop you back there after the tour in our modern air-conditioned van.

A perfect Adventure for all ages on the Navua River,  Duration: 5 hours.

Location: River Tubing Fiji, Navua, Viti Levu.

Enjoy an exhilarating longboat ride up the scenic and pristine Navua River through meandering rapids, passing cascading waterfalls, tropical rain forest, deep gorge and breathtaking canyon.  A visit to an authentic Fijian village to witness life in the Namosi highlands and experience the real Fiji away from the cares of modern living. 

A refreshing swim at an amazing waterfall pool, riverside lunch with beverages.   A compulsory safety briefing by our guides than enjoy floating downstream on inner tubes interspersed with gentle rapids. After tubing you are back on your longboats for your return trip to base. 

What to bring, Water shoes, Hats, Sunscreen, A bottle of water, Change of clothes, Towel.

Important Information

Departure Point

1. Suva 2. Denarau Island 3. Nadi 4. Pacific Harbour 5. Coral Coast 6. Shangri-La's Fijian Resort & Spa, Yanuca Island, Cuvu Traveler pickup is offered

Departure Time

10 am from Navua Return 3pm to Navua 

Child seats available on request

Mick's is the only tour company 100% owned and operated by local Indigenous Fijians - and we promise to be on time!

Navua River Cruise: 10 Things to Do in Navua, Fiji

•  Colo-i-Suva Forest Park
•  Navua River Cruise
•  Navua River Swimming
•  Navua River
•  Navua Town Beach
•  Navua Town Bird Watching
•  Navua Town Cultural Sites
•  Navua Town Fishing
•  Navua Town Golf Course
•  Navua Town Hiking
•  Navua Town Horse Riding
•  Navua Town Hot Springs
•  Navua Town Market
•  Navua Town Nightlife
•  Navua Town River Rafting
•  Navua Town Shopping
•  Navua Town Zip Lining
•  Navua Town
•  Wainibuka River
•  Wainibuka Waterfall

Jewel of Fiji Day Tour

Navua river eco adventure & fijian culture experience, book and other enquiries, what we offer, find us on social media, where happiness comes naturally, experience location, terms and conditions.

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Jewel of Fiji 4 Tours in one day – Our Review

A full day trip leaving Nadi early morning, and returning in the evening. Explore the Navua river, with highlights being a waterfall and local village visit.

For the Jewel of Fiji tour we had to set the alarm clock for 5am. Our pickup point was in downtown Nadi at 6.30am and this time the bus was only 15 minutes late (that is not too bad for Fiji). The 22 seater bus was clean and tidy, plus we could listen to Fijian music on our long three hour road trip south of Nadi. Yes - three hours on the road to the town of Navua which is sitting on the river bank of the Navua River. There was one short stop of around 15 minutes at a souvenir and coffee shop... the souvenirs were better than the coffee, but give the muffins a miss, they were very stale.   I must say the toilets were clean for a change and the staff were so happy and friendly.

The jumping off point was right in the town of Navua, if you have not seen a down to earth village market this is your chance to have a look around if you are quick.  You get dropped right at the Jewel of Fijis front door, no long walk in the 10 am hot sun.  As we walked into the building we were welcomed with hot tea, coffee and biscuits, just what we needed after the long bus ride and the toilets were also inside.

After the safety brief we were given life jackets, a rubbish bag to put our bags etc in to keep them dry, and a rain coat. All we needed was the rubbish bag because there was a pool of water swilling around on the floor of the long boat, and at a couple of the rapids some water splashed in  which helped to cool us down, it was very refreshing.

The Trip up the River

The ride in the longboats up the Navua River took about 45 minutes;  there was  lots to see so the time flew by fast. One interesting thing we saw was a man trying to get across the Navua River on his bamboo raft (AKA bili-bili, although some locals call them the "HMS Don't Come Back", as they are only good for a one way downstream trip). 15 minutes into the ride we passed the Navua Village, we will be stopping there on the way back from the Navua Falls for the Lovo and Kava ceremony. 

There were only one lot of rapids that made a few people gasp, but it was nothing to worry about. The outboard motors kicked into full power and pushed the longboats through the rapids at a snail’s pace. Thanks to our experienced skipper the rest of the rapids were child’s play.

For those of you that are interested in such things, the longboats are locally made and are actually much more stable than they appear. The length helps with rapids, as there are always multiple points of contact with the waves, meaning less chance of being swamped.

The Waterfall

We pulled in to a small side stream to off load and I was surprised to see a concrete walk way. When you think about 300 people walking off a cruise ship, all doing the Jewel of Fiji tour in one day, a mud track would not suffice. They do split them up into two groups of 150 people, what a nightmare that would be!  We were lucky to have only 23 people divided between three longboats in our tour. The stunning 6 minute walk to the Navua falls was on the concrete walkway with hand rails to give you added support.  Our first glimpse of the falls and rock pool was absolutely breathtaking; we were amazed at the size of the pool and couldn’t wait to swim in it.

We had a relaxing swim in the cool water for about 30 minutes before heading back to the longboats. You should take a look in the creek on the way back; I spotted a number of small fish swimming in the side pools. 

On the way back to the Navua village we changed over to a bili-bili,(a bamboo raft) for a slow peaceful 300m drift down the river. 

Village Visit

Back on the long boats it was a very fast ride running with the current to the Navua Village, this is where the rain coats would have come in handy. Someone started a water fight between the three long boats, it was all out war, with no quarter given.   

As we stepped out of the long boats, we were surprised to be welcomed by a warrior standing at the top of the steps holding his war club, a second warrior was   beating on a drum… another clan has arrived in our village. 

Don’t forget to remove your hats guys.  Ladies should wear a sarong. Before you walk into the meeting house you will have to pick someone in your party to be the chief of your clan. His role will be to sit in the visiting chief’s chair for the welcome speech, as well as sit up front and be the first one to receive the Kava bowl. Your clan chief will also have to make a short thank you speech on behalf of his clan at the end of the ceremony, so try to pick a good speaker.

 The first thing you will want to do when you step into the village is to buy a fresh drinking coconut from the man sitting under the tree. For $3 he will open the coconut for you and even give you a straw, just what you need on a hot day. We then ambled over to the Lovo pit to watch the unwrapping of the food, afterwards heading  off to the meeting house, remove your shoes and hats please. Now the fun starts, this is where your chief has to sit in his special chair and accept the welcome speech from the Navua Village spokesman.  You then move to the centre of the floor to receive the kava, take someone from your group to sit with you to receive a bowl, the more the merrier.

As kava ceremonies go this one was very good. There were members of the chief’s family sitting in the meeting house as well, and after the kava ceremony we watched some exciting war dancing followed by relaxing Fijian singing. The village spokesman then took the floor for the last time to make his farewell speech; he thanked us for coming to his village and wished us a good and happy life. Our chief reciprocates by thanking the village for the wonderful day and for the tremendous welcome our clan received, how he envied the villagers in the way they live on the banks of the Navua River.

Lunch is served; we had fish and spinach cooked in coconut cream, cassava, stir-fry chicken, roast pumpkin in spices, lettuce and potato salad, deep fried chicken, and bread rolls. At the end of the table was a large platter of freshly cut fruit, to drink there were fruit drinks, coffee and tea.

After lunch we strolled outside to watch how to weave a mat and how to make real tapa cloth. This was followed by how to crack open a fresh coconut with your bare hands (the Fijian way).   To finish off the day we visited the village school were we were treated to singing and dancing by four very young happy and smiling children.  

Our Day is Coming to an End

Returning to the Jewel of Fiji tour building only took 15 minutes. We handed in the rain coats and rubbish bags then made a quick toilet stop. Before you leave they will ask you if you would like to buy a DVD of the Jewel of Fiji tour for $20, we did -  but after trying the DVD on three different Laptops we could not get it to work. In their email reply they said "yes other people have complained about the DVD not working", all he suggested was we try it in another Laptop. Thanks a lot!  

We arrived back in Nadi at 6.30pm, it took us another 30 minutes to  get back to our house in Nasoso. It was a long 14 hr day, of which 6 hrs were spent in the bus. If you are staying in Suva the bus ride will only take you 40 minutes.

 If you are one of the 300 people from a cruise ship you get short changed big time! To get you through in a hurry they cut out what I think are the most interesting sections of the day tour. 

Pros and Cons...

• Bus Transfer:  Very long ride there and back from Nadi, a total of 6 hours in a bus, but going from the Coral Coast or Pacific Harbour it's a lot quicker
• Longboat:   Life jackets compulsory. The wooden longboats looked a little flimsy to me but got us there 
• Lunch:  A very small portion of the food was cooked in the Lovo. The rest of the food was cooked in household ovens out in the shed by the back door. Otherwise a very good variety of tasty Fijian food 
• Activities:  Dancing, singing, weaving, tapa making and the kava ceremony were excellent  
• Downside: Too many people can be on this trip.
• Value for money:  Good value for money 
• Would we go again:  Yes 

Book your Jewel of fiji day tour here...

Fiji travel guide....

Email: [email protected] Phone: (+679) 777 6666              (+679) 791 9115

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The bourgeois charm of Siberia's oil capital

If you’re driving west across Russia from the Pacific Ocean, the first thing that you notice upon entering the city of Tyumen is the McDonalds. Tyumen has long been one of the only Siberian cities with a McDonalds restaurant. Although the fast-food giant has plans to open locations in nearby Novosibirsk and other regional cities, Siberia still contains one of the longest distances on earth outside of Africa where you can remain on a major highway and not see a McDonalds. Until you reach Tyumen, that is.

A stop in Tyumen provides an interesting glimpse into how modern Russia’s oil revenue has influenced Siberia’s oldest Russian city. Tyumen is a great stopover point on the Trans-Siberian Railroad and a short ride from Yekaterinburg (five hours) or Tobolsk (four hours).

In the 16th century, Russia started expanding eastward into parts of Central Asia ruled by the Tatars, an Islamic people who still live thoughout Russia. A band of Cossacks wrested control of Tyumen from the Tatars in 1580. Six years later, Russians established a fort in Tyumen on the Tura River.

For centuries, Tyumen vied with the nearby city of Tobolsk—once the official capital of Siberia—for the prestige of the region’s most important city. Tyumen won in the end, when the Trans-Siberian Railroad bypassed Tobolsk and was routed through this now oil-rich city.

Tyumen played an important role in Russian history during times of war. At the beginning of the Russian Civil War, the Bolshevik Red Army slowly pushed the White Army, commanded by Admiral Alexander Kolchak, into Siberia. Kolchak and his anti-Bolshevik forces holed up in Tyumen until the Red Army overtook them in January of 1918.

During the Second World War, many Russian industries were moved away from the front to Siberian cities. Tyumen had already become an industrial capital during the early Soviet era, and the city became an ideal spot to relocate Russia’s western factories. As Nazi forces approached Russia in 1941, the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin was sent from the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow’s Red Square by train to the Tyumen State Agricultural Academy for safekeeping. In 1945, Lenin’s body was shipped back to Moscow.

Some of the factories relocated to Tyumen during wartime remained in the city. The discovery of oil in the region catapulted Siberia’s oldest Russian settlement to further prosperity. Modern Tyumen is a vibrant city with a number of universities and a revamped center well-suited for exploration by foot.

Start your walking tour around central Tyumen on Ulitsa Respubliki. The city’s main drag has fine pedestrian walkways and leads wanderers past an impressive collection of tsarist-era buildings that recall Tyumen’s importance in the beginning of Russia’s colonization of Siberia.

From the southeastern end of Ul. Respubliki, head north toward the Tura River and take a brief side trip onto Ul. Ordzhonikidze to visit the Fine Arts Museum (47 Ul. Ordzhonikidze) which houses exhibits of classical Russian and Soviet art as well as traditional bone carving and works produced by the native people who live in the far north of Tyumen Oblast.

Back on Ul. Respubliki, you’ll soon see the city’s requisite Lenin statue by the local government buildings. A block away, opposite Lenin, is Tyumen’s city park, a delightful place to walk or hop on one of its amusement rides.

Most Siberian cities developed under the watchful eyes of the atheist Soviet regime and churches are usually not Siberia’s strongpoint. But this isn’t true in four-centuries-old Tyumen. Strolling up Ul. Respubliki, you’ll soon come to the Church of the Saviour (41 Ul. Lenina) and the Znamensky Cathedral (13 Ul. Semakova). Each of these stunning Baroque-influenced churches are located right off Ul. Respubliki and were built in the late 18th century.

Tyumen is also famous for its historic wooden houses. Heading further up Ul. Respubliki, stop to wander around some of the side streets and snap photos of these ornate wooden structures which provide a glimpse back in time. Near the Tura River, you’ll pass a civil war monument in remembrance of the Tyumen natives who died fighting the White Army and the Tyumen State Agricultural Academy (7 Ul. Respubliki) an impressive building in its own right where Lenin was stored during the Second World War.

Near the end of Ul. Respubliki, take a walk over the Tura River on the Lover’s Bridge, a suspension bridge open to foot traffic only that has become one of Tyumen’s iconic sights. The other side of the river is a great place to see more of Tyumen’s signature wooden houses as well as take in the churches scattered around the city center.

Save the best for last and visit the Trinity Monastery (10 Ul. Kommunisticheskaya) at the end of Ul. Respubliki. A white wall surrounds the monastery, giving it the appearance of a mini-kremlin, and the golden onion domes of the 18th century churches within should not be missed.

Although navigating Tyumen is straightforward enough, the St. Petersburg-based travel company OSTWEST can arrange a city tour in Tyumen and the surrounding countryside.

All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

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