Fiji The only country on Earth where you are welcomed with a warm ‘BULA’ everywhere you go. Bula means “life” and in a greeting it implies wishes for “good health” .

Beautiful weather, and warm authentic hospitality greeted us as we arrived at Nadi airport. Fiji’s archipelago consists of 333 islands and conjures a sense of exoticism from mountain peaks to coral reefs. Boasting stunning tropical landscape, many of the islands are surrounded by soft sandy beaches and caressed by crystal clear waters. Our overnight accommodation at Denarau was situated within walking distance to the many restaurants and shops, and close to where we were to check in the following day for our 7 night cruise to the Yasawa and Mamanuca Islands. In the evening we feasted on local seafood of chilli prawns, caviche and freshly caught reef fish. The following day as we boarded our ship in brilliant sunshine, and were greeted by our Fijian crew who sang a wonderful welcome song.

The next 7 days we swam in turquoise water, snorkelled in marine parks with stunning coral displays and colourful fish. We climbed mountains and on reaching the summit we were rewarded by spectacular vistas of surrounding islands.  We visited villages, attended a remote island church service and were warmly greeted by the smiling and excited faces of children when we visited their school and handed them our gifts of soccer balls, pencils and books. On board the ship we made many new friends from all over the world, we feasted on delicious seafood, and enjoyed beach bbq ‘s whilst being entertained by our crew. This was certainly a trip of a lifetime.