FJI: Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park

Queens Road, Yadua, Sigatoka, Fiji
Daily: 8.00am - 5.00pm

I didn't know the existence of Fiji's first national park, which was established in 1987, until the driver told us about it and brought my BFF and me there. It wasn't too long a ride from Lawai Pottery Village to the park. It's known that the park also runs a programme at certain times of the year, where visitors help local rangers and local community volunteers replant native trees.

There are two routes that visitors can take, either the short (~1 hour walk) or the long (~2 hours walk) one. Since the sun was fiercely glaring at us, we decided to go for the shorter one. For that, we paid the entrance fee of FJD 10.00 (~S$6.60) per person.

Climbing up a flight of stairs~

The climb was worth the sweat as we were eventually treated to a superb view of the vast expanse of greenery.

The first lookout point encountered: Yataga Lookout

They're not stinky beans, are they?

At that point of time, I was asking my BFF, "Where are the sand dunes?" He shrugged. We continued walking until we reached a sign post directing us to Yatolekaleka, which is the shorter route.

Hey, sand! That wasn't an easy climb due to the soft sand.

The second (and last) lookout point encountered: Ua Lookout

What a magnificent view!

From the vast expanse of greenery, we were suddenly transported to a mini desert. 

Desert flowers? :P

After passing through the sand dunes, we arrived at the beach section of the trail. The waves were strong, but the sound was soothing nonetheless. 

Such a pretty backwash, isn't it?

We were then down to the last kilometer of the trek. 

Instead of red, we were walking on a green carpet.

Subsequently, we were greeted by mahogany trees, which offered us shelter from the UV rays. Somehow, I felt like I was in Silent Hill. I'll tell you why below.

Uhm, what's that? There are quite a few of them along the way.

We finally escaped Silent Hill! Or did we?

Back at the entrance of the park, we took a quick look at some of the artifacts displayed in glass cases. 

To cool ourselves down before entering the car, we grabbed a can of Fanta Pineapple each. Boy, that was truly refreshing!

The friendly person at the counter told us to come again and try the other route next time to see more interesting things. I wonder what one can discover by going for the longer walk.