Six months on and my time as a voluntary communications officer for WWF South Pacific is very sadly over.
It has been extraordinary from start to finish and I will never forget the things I’ve see, the places I’ve visited, or the people I’ve met.
Here’s a summary PDF photo essay…
You can download a copy HERE
An article for an In-Flight Magazine.
For those who venture up the Tailevu coast, about 90km north-east of Suva (the last 40km of which is rough unpaved track) there awaits a very special and remote resort, the Natalei Eco-lodge.
The community run tourism project at the village of Natalei-ra was set up in 2002 in order to fund the area’s marine conservation activities and still remains unrivaled in Fiji as a truly genuine, community run, sustainably managed, tourism experience.
Natalei Ecolodge is ideally suited to those looking for an ultimately laid back retreat – one with its own unspoilt beach, one of Viti Levu’s most beautiful waterfalls, and a coral reef populated by large schools of energetic Spinner Dolphins.
The six bures available at Natalei sleep two, six or eight and all are priced at $75 per person per night with three meals. Rooms are clean but basic – toilets and showers (which are cold) are outdoors and shared, while electricity is by generator and only reserved for the evenings.
Reservations a few days ahead of arrival at Natalei is recommended as the villagers must prepare and collect food in advance of your stay, but in return expect the food to be truly Fijian and absolutely delicious! You should bring with you everything you’ll need for your stay including bottled water or other drinks (alcohol if desired) and snacks, as there is no shop or bar nearby. Transport can be chartered for you from Suva or Nadi, you can organize a taxi, or a local bus can be caught from Suva – the guys at Natalei will be happy to help you arrange any of these.
Natalei-ra has recently received recognition for its approach to conservation funding. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) South Pacific team, based in Suva, visited the community to show their support for the project earlier in May 2010.
In 1992 Fiji signed the Convention on Biodiversity and made the commitment to “establish a network of Marine Protected Areas in 20% of its marine areas by 2012”. Incredibly, Fiji is set to be the first country to achieve this goal and it has been the work or organisations like Fiji Locally Managed Marine Protected Areas (FLMMA), and its members like Natalei-ra, that have contributed to this success.
While funding from FLMMA has been instrumental at setting up protected areas in places like Natalei-ra, their funding is not limitless and the challenge of financing these projects into the future has forced communities and Fiji’s environment stakeholders to consider new approaches.
If you’re looking for a sedate, relaxed, uniquely Fijian getaway, while also knowing that your stay is directly contributing to the conservation of Fiji’s spectacular environment and do not mind skipping on the luxuries, then the Natalei Ecolodge will not let you down.
To make a booking at Natalei contact Vili: (679) 949 7460 or koyamaibole_v@usp.ac.fj
