(Pronounced “Fulanga” and sometimes written and pronounced as “Vulanga” or “Vulaga”)
Fulaga is the key island in the southern Lau group. It’s down at the southeast end of Fiji; so getting there involves traveling against prevailing winds. There are no markets so you have to stock up before you go.
Fulaga is an overnight (or two depending on your departure time) trip from pretty much anywhere, and you have to time your arrival to coincide with slack tide in daylight so you can go through the narrow pass into the lagoon. Conversely, you have to time your exit through that same pass and do it in calm weather; so be aware that you can’t just leave whenever it’s convenient. And whenever you move about between anchorages, you will probably want someone keeping a lookout on the bow. This is a place that takes extra effort to visit.
So why go? Because it truly is one of the earth’s most fantastically beautiful places, reminiscent of Palau. In the atoll are rock island groups and long stretches of pristine white beaches. You could probably spend a year exploring this place as clusters of rock islands make their own little worlds, and I’d guess that you could probably find a beach (ranging from tiny to a long stretch) for every day of the year. And the diving and snorkeling are amazing, especially in the pass. (Although there are actually several nice areas to snorkel here.)
If you like village life, there is that, too. Everyone has to begin with the anchorage that has the path to the village. In the past, there was one guy (Tai) who had taken it upon himself to be the main liaison between cruisers and the village. He was great at it, but that didn’t necessarily sit well with the rest of the villagers as they’re all supposed to take turns being a host family. (Tai was away when we went ashore; so we just walked down the path and came across a really nice couple who invited us to their home and took us to the chief.)
Update: Since our visit, the people of Fulaga have really implemented the host family system. Visitors are now strictly assigned to host families. I have more to say about this in another post.
The process for visiting Fulaga goes like this:
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Take your boat to the village anchorage and find a spot. If it’s still relatively early in the day you should go ashore, otherwise head in the following morning.
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When you go ashore, duck into the little storage building there and put on your sulu. If no one has appeared to meet you, follow the path to the village. If you haven’t been met by then, go into the village and someone will greet you and arrange for you to see the chief. At some point, you’ll also be assigned a host family.
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You’ll do your sevusevu and present the fee along with your kava, and if it’s close to Sunday (like Friday or Saturday), you’ll be invited to attend church (and you pretty much should say yes). You’ll also be invited to the Sunday meal (after church) at your host family’s home, and you’ll also say yes to this. We did go to church, and to our host family’s meal, and since this village is so removed, we brought a gift bag with several items we thought they’d like. They have very little and can use things like tools, cookware, anything you can think of.
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The people are of the village are very warm, and they will embrace you to the extent you wish to be embraced. Once again, you choose your experience. While we were there, one cruiser was in the village daily, helping them with projects, going fishing, and spending time. And he had people out to his boat, including watching a movie which was a really neat thing for the kids. At the other end of the spectrum was us who quickly went off to the anchorages, but what made that work is that we were clear with our host family (and at our sevusevu with the chief) that our goals were to snorkel and visit the anchorages. By being clear with our intent, I think they understood when we didn’t return to the village after leaving to visit the anchorages a couple of days later. People spend up to a month here, and some go back for Sunday services and some don’t.
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Update: Since our visit, it seems the host family system has changed things and made it more difficult for cruisers to be independent from village life. It seems the expectation is to come in for Sunday church and lunches, and your host family will expect to be invited to visit you (and be entertained) on your boat. We haven’t visited since these changes have occurred but from what we’ve heard things are quite different.
Note: They do wood working here, and you’ll probably want to buy something not only to support the village, but because they have some really beautiful wares. Plus the village may have a lovo out on the beach. If they do, think of it as a pot luck and bring a dish, maybe provision for this before you come.
Do be aware of the fee (I think it was 50fd if I remember correctly). If you don’t like the fee; you don’t have to come. If you do come, pay it and don’t argue.
We spent nearly 4 weeks here and feel very lucky to have been able to experience this amazing place. There is something here for everyone.
As far as getting here, you need conducive weather, and you need to be stocked up on food and supplies. This means it’s really best to wait for calm weather and do an overnight (or two) motor from Savusavu or Suva. Some people manage to make it from Vanua Balavu, but they have only a very small market with not much in the way of supplies, so you’ll be going to Fuluga with depleted supplies from your time in Vanua Balavu and waiting for a weather window south. If you leave from Savusavu or Suva, you can see a window coming and get fully stocked, then get down to Fuluga. From Fulaga it is much easier to get a weather window to Vanua Balavu than vice versa, and you can go there on your way back north.
(Sevusevu plus fee mandatory)
Below is a list of links to our Fulaga posts in chronological order:
Going Through the Pass at Fulaga
Crossing the Lagoon in Fulaga
Arriving at the Anchorage for Muana i Cake
First Morning in Fulaga
Walking to the Village for Sevusevu
Muana i Cake Village
A Neighborhood Dinghy Ride
Church Day
A Fifty Dollar Pet Peeve
The Changing Light at our Fulaga Anchorage
Dinghy Ride Through the Islets
Back Across the Lagoon
The Sandspit Anchorage
The Blue Pool
Beach Party at the Sandspit
Snorkeling in Fulaga
Swimming Amidst Motus in Fulaga
Fifty Shades of Blue
The Sandspit
Our Sandspit Anchorage Neighborhood
Taking out the Trash
exploring the Sandbar Area
Final Visit to Shark Pass
Snorkeling the Fulaga Pass
Exploring the Motus
Final Evening at the Sandbar Anchorage
Our Motu Anchorage
A Magical Beach and a Perfect Day
Sunset at the Motu Anchorage
Dawn in the Motus
Final Day in Fulaga
Plus these posts Rich did earlier:
Arrived in Paradise
Fulaga Pictures – Round 1
Ramora-Man