Nahehe Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Sigatoka Valley, south west corner of the main island Viti Levu.
Open:	All year Tue, Thu, Sat 10. Only by booking. [2005]
Fee:	Per person FJ$99 (from Coral Coast), FJ$119 (from Nadi). [2005]
Classification:	Karst cave.
Light:	lantern lit
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=6h.
Bibliography:
Address:	Adventures In Paradise Fiji, P.O. Box 910, Sigatoka, Coral Coast, Fiji Islands, Tel: +679-6520-833 Fax: +679-6520-848. E-mail:
Last update:	$Date: 2008/05/30 07:01:05 $

History

Description

The visit to Nahehe Cave is a full day adventure which starts at the hotel either at a Coral Coast or at a Nadi hotel. After a 35min drive into Sigatoka Valley the visitors attend a customary kava ceremony and picnic lunch. Then they are ferried to the other side of the river on a bamboo raft and a short walk brings the group to the Nahehe Cave. After the cave trip another 15 minute walk takes the visitors through native bush and farms down to the river. The last highlight of the tour is a 35 minute bilibili ride, bamboo rafts which are still the traditional mode of transport for river based villages.

The entrance area of Nahehe Cave was once the cave fortress of Fiji's last cannibal tribes, ruled by a pagan priest. Hundreds of people lived inside the cave entrance for months. Highlights are a ritual platform, priest chambers and a cannibal oven. The guides tell the stories of the fascinating history of this area, about notorious Tongan warriors who reigned in this area and ancient hill fortresses called Tavuni and Matanavatu.

The tour now follows the main passage of the cave, which is the bed of a temperate cave river. After wading through several chambers, the visitors reaches pregnancy gap, a stricture of the passage, which opens up into the huge Grand Cathedral Chamber. The cave is rather comfortable despite the water, because of its moderate temperature. Nevertheless, the promise of "no bats or creepy-crawlies" seems a bit disillusioning.

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