Upper Navua River Rafting

The Upper Navua River is born of natural springs and rainfall in the rugged interior of Viti Levu—Fiji's big island. After following a meandering path from its headwaters through rolling rainforested highlands, the Upper Navua then descends into an incredibly narrow gorge, slicing a deep chasm into layers of limestone and volcanic sediment. This canyon is one of the most beautiful features in all of Fiji, if not in the South Pacific and the world. Our day on the river takes us into some of the country's most formidable and phenomenally beautiful terrain and provides access to a Fiji most visitors never see.

Flowing through a gorge that's over 165 feet deep and in sections only 23 feet wide, the Upper Navua is a “River Eden”. We'll ride inflatable rafts through a magical canyon where sunlight illuminates black volcanic rock walls covered by twisting vines and lush ferns and an astounding number of waterfalls plummet directly into the river. In other places, the silence is profound, broken only by tiny droplets of water echoing in the natural acoustics of small riverside caves. Best of all, the Upper Navua's fun, Class II+ whitewater makes this incredible canyon accessible to paddlers of all experience levels & even complete beginners.

Rivers Fiji
In 1997 O.A.R.S. President, George Wendt and longtime O.A.R.S. friends, Nate and Kelly Bricker founded Rivers Fiji as the first whitewater rafting company in Fiji. Since then, Rivers Fiji has employed local residents to manage day-to-day rafting & sea kayaking operations and help guide adventurous travelers from around the globe down the Upper Navua and the ‘Luva River & two of the most beautiful tropical rivers on the planet. Historically Fiji's tourism development has been focused primarily on the coastal communities, with Fiji's interior populations receiving little benefit. Rivers Fiji, however, provides economic alternatives to people whose previous development options were limited to logging and resource extraction. Friendly, knowledgeable and hospitable Fijian guides also make the Highlands to Islands Ultimate Fiji Explorer unlike any other experience O.A.R.S. offers.

1-209-736-4677

Itinerary / Highlights

Sample Itinerary

We pride ourselves on running a relaxed and always flexible schedule. Every trip is different depending on the group and sometimes the weather. The following is a sample of what your trip might be like.

The day begins early with a meeting time of 6:45 AM at the Rivers Fiji office in Pacific Harbour. We'll climb aboard our 4-wheel drive highland carrier and head west along the coast with the sun rising behind us. For those guests coming from Nadi or the Coral Coast who have arranged transportation with us, you will meet the carrier at the junction of the Queens highway and the logging road that leads to the river put-in. Pick-up time from your hotel will vary, depending on location.

The drive along the bumpy but scenic logging track ascends steeply to a coastal ridge before winding into the rainforested interior. After just over an hour, we'll arrive at the end of the road where we'll unload, stretch our legs and enjoy a homemade snack. We'll pack what we need for the day, leaving our dry clothes with the carrier, and begin a short, 15-minute hike to the river and our rafts.

After a safety talk and paddling practice, we'll head down river and into the gorge. The rapids start right away and we'll just be hitting our stride when we come to Moce Falls, the biggest drop of the day, just one half mile downstream. We'll pass a waterfall around almost every bend as we are carried swiftly along.

Come midday, we'll pull over to a sandy beach for a delicious picnic lunch. Your guides will present an abundant spread of cold cuts, cheeses, veggies and bread along with all the fixings, fresh fruit, cookies and juice.

Back on the river, each mile brings more stunning scenery and more fun whitewater. Gradually, the narrow canyon walls fall away and we begin to see signs of civilization. We may encounter a friendly local aboard a bamboo raft on this stretch of the river as we make our way to our take-out at the village of Wainadiro. Here you will have the opportunity to change into dry clothes for the 1-hour drive back to the Rivers Fiji office in Pacific Harbour, arriving at approximately 5:00 PM.

Other Details

Accommodation Details

A Few Important Details

Reservations and Deposits
A $30/person deposit is required at the time of reservation. The balance is due 30 days prior to departure.

Cancellations and Refunds
If you find it necessary to cancel your trip, notify us as soon as possible. All payments are nonrefundable and we regret that we cannot make exceptions for personal emergencies. For this reason, we strongly urge our participants to investigate trip cancellation insurance (see Insurance).

If you transfer from one trip to another, there is a $15/person charge up until 30 days before the trip. Transfers made after this time will be treated as cancellations.

Medical
Under most circumstances, if you are of an adventurous spirit and in reasonably good health, you should have no problem enjoying an O.A.R.S. trip. People with medical conditions, including pregnancy, should have a physician´s approval before taking an adventure travel trip.

Insurance
Although every effort is made to insure a safe trip for all, we strongly recommend that you protect yourself, your belongings, and your vacation through the purchase of a short-term traveler´s policy. A trip cancellation policy covers your non-refundable payments in most cases, should you have to cancel your trip at the last minute due to illness or injury. Trip participants should realize that in the event of illness or injury on an adventure travel trip, evacuation can be prolonged, difficult and expensive. Personal belongings and cameras are carried entirely at the owner´s risk, and O.A.R.S. accepts no responsibility for lost, damaged, delayed or stolen property.

Liability Waiver
Everyone is required to sign a standard release before the trip, acknowledging awareness that some risks are associated with the trip. Safety is of the utmost concern on our trips. However, due to the nature of the activities, a condition of your participation is that you will sign this form and return it to our office before the trip begins. Anyone who refuses to sign the form will not be allowed to participate, and consistent with O.A.R.S. cancellation policy, there will be no refund of the trip fees at that time.