Thatched roofs
Pointed and golden.
Anton Leddin — CC BY-SA 3.0 · User:Doron — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mark Heard from Canada — CC BY 2.0 · User:Anton Leddin — CC BY-SA 3.0
A village in the green highlands of inland Viti Levu, considered the last in Fiji whose houses are all traditional: some two hundred bure with woven bamboo walls and tall, pointed thatched roofs, lined up on a hillside above a river among grassy mountains. The bure are built the old way from forest materials, their thatch renewed every few years by the whole village working together. From the facing hill the scene looks like a picture from the past: rows of golden pointed roofs among coconut and mango trees. Visits follow custom: the visitor presents a gift of kava root to the village chief in a short welcome ceremony, then walks with a villager among the houses, the school and the river. Hats are not worn in the village, and wrapping a sulu, the traditional cloth, around the legs is appreciated. The visit fee is paid to the village and differs between sources; the rough mountain road is best done on an organised tour. Fiji's cyclone season runs from November to April, so follow weather warnings, per UK travel advice.
Pointed and golden.
Kava gift.
Green mountains.
Ba Highlands, inland Viti Levu, about two and a half hours from Nadi
Present kava root to the chief, wear no hat, dress modestly and walk around with a villager.