Nahehe Cave

Naihehe Cave - Naisese Sacred Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Sigatoka Valley, south west corner of the main island Viti Levu.
Open:	All year Tue, Thu, Sat 10. Only after appointment. [2005]
Fee:	Per person FJD 99 (from Coral Coast), FJD 119 (from Nadi). [2005]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	lantern lit
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=6 h.
Photography:
Accessibility:
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: Waterfall Tours, Coral Adventures, P.O Box 910, Sigatoka, Tel: +679-520833, Fax: +679-520848.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

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 35 min 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.

A cave visit always includes a visit to a typical Fiji village and starts with a sevusevu, a traditional gift the visitor presents to the Turaga ni Koro, the executive head of the village. This gift is normally a pound of yaqona, a local plant and costs about FJ$ 10. Some of the older men of the village will also attend the ceremony, and the yaqona will be pounded into powder, mixed with water, and served. After this traditional welcome ceremony, entertainment and a Fijian luncheon are also part of the tour.

Nahehe Cave is sacred to the local villagers. 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.

A strange sight is a huge, somewhat elliptical rim or ditch in the face of a huge block. It resembles a one meter long footprint. One could also guess it was the vulva of a woman. However, it seems to be man made, not a natural formation. Its actual meaning is unfortunately lost in time.

There is now a second company, called Sigatoka River Safari which also started a cave tour in 2011. The tour is called Sigatoka Off-Road Cave Safari. They included a 45 minutes jet ski ride into the tour.