Tribewanted: Vorovoro

If ever there was a mode of transport that solely runs to the intangible ‘Fiji time’, then boats seem to be number 1! Bligh Water Shipping Limited (BWS) operate a number of services from Viti Levu (Suva & Lautoka) to Vanua Levu (Savusavu), and there after a bus/taxi can get you to Labasa.

BWS regularly revise there timetable, and paper copies of the timetable are available from there offices in Suva, Lautoka, Savusavu and Labasa. They somehow fail to update the timetable to there website (which is well presented by Fijian standards!), so planning a boat trip can sometimes fall foul to inaccurate timetables, Fiji time, complete lack of customer service, the weather, and whatever other new excuse the customer service girl decides on that particular day.

Everyone in Fiji jokes about the Fiji time, and the operating of BWS. I guess the English equivalent would be the train service. Though the service isn’t as ‘bad’ as they jokes make out, I unfortunately have had 2 not so great experiences with BWS (due to cyclone season), but survived, so will be looking for a 3rd experience in a few weeks – fingers crossed!

Boat travel in Fiji will make you feel like you’re Michael Palin, ready to take on the world! It’s an adventure for sure, and can certainly make for interesting stories round the grog bowl. If time allows, then i would hope you can afford to take one of your routes to/from Vorovoro via BWS. Think about your carbon footprint!

Buying tickets

Tickets can be bought from the offices in Lautoka, Suva, Savusavu and Labasa. They can also be bought ‘on board’, though this is dependant on numbers already sold. Advice is to buy them in advance, but not so far in advance it allows for a complete timetable change.

Departure Points

Lautoka
The Lautoka wharf – a small fishing wharf, just on the edge of the town. A $3-$5 taxi ride from Lautoka town. Lautoka is accessible easily from Nadi. Buses and Mini Vans are $2, or taxis $25-$35. If youre looking for a nights accommodation in Lautoka, then try Cathay Hotel (budget), Lautoka Hotel (mid), or The Waterfront (high).

Suva
The Main port. A $3-$5 taxi ride from the Citys bus station. Though the port isn’t the most accessible place, and can get very very busy, so do allow for traffic jams!

BWS recommend arriving 2 hours before departure time – even though there could be a 4 hour or 2 day delay! If traveling on the Suva service then I would definitely recommend this. D-2 hours to D-1 hour, is boarding time, then half an hour of ‘cargo loading’ and then depending how they feel that day, they let on a few more passengers before deciding whenever they like to ‘shut the doors’ and go! (sometimes having a ticket is irrelevant to there decision making!)

Savusavu
The bustling ‘jetty’ is just a 5 minute walk south of the town (keep the sea on your right, and keep walking), or $3 taxi ride. It can get quite busy on the jetty, depending on which service youre after (to Suva or Lautoka), passenger numbers and how much cargo they are trying to squeeze on board.

Routes

Suva – Savusavu

The Suva – Savusavu service is run on the MV Suilven Boat. Often referred to as the ‘blue boat’ in Fiji, due to its colour…erm, blue. The larger of the vessels operated by BWS, its H&S capacity is about 400 – though it is common that this number is exceeded. (word of advice – once on board, familiarize yourself with the location of the Life jackets – and keep them in sight!.......though thankfully BWS does have a clean accident history of recent years)
Large by Fijian standards, to us, its the sort of smaller ferry you might expect crossing the English Channel. Suilven is of good standard, though can become ‘dirty’ mid service due to numbers on board, and lack of cleaners!

Current (paper) timetable is

• Monday – Depart Suva 6pm. Arrive Savusavu Tuesday 5am
• Wednesday – Depart Suva 6pm. Arrive Savusavu Thursday 5am
• Friday – Depart Suva 4pm. Arrive Savusavu Saturday 2.30am.

Return

• Tuesday – Depart Savusavu 8pm. Arrive Suva Wednesday 6am
• Thursday – Depart Savusavu 8pm. Arrive Suva Friday 6am
• Saturday – Depart Savusavu 10pm. Arrive Suva Sunday 8am

Prices from $63 one way

Lautoka to Savusavu

The Lautoka – Savusavu service is run on the smaller MV Westerland Boat. Often referred to as The Westerland – everyone in Fiji knows it!. Mainly as this boat does not have ‘stabilisers’ , so most trips tend to see you ‘sway’ side to side for 12 hours! Though does make for a good game of ‘will the beer bottle slide all the way off the table or not??’ On this boat, you will certainly feel like Michael Palin! It is quite a small boat and wouldn’t look out of place shuttling a few Help the Aged coaches away for there weekend break on the Isle of Wight.
Being the smaller boat, and operating from a quieter part of the country, this service tends to be less popular, and more reliable – but you can pay the price for lack of stabilisers!

Though I would still advise to arrive 2 hours before departure. Partly because that gives you enough time to rearrange your itinerary should there be a big change in the boat timetable.

Current (paper) timetable is

• Wednesday – Depart Lautoka 7pm. Arrive Savusavu Thursday 6.30am
• Friday – Depart Lautoka 7pm. Arrive Savusavu Saturday 6.30am
• Sundau – Depart Lautoka 11pm. Arrive Savusavu Monday 10.30am

Return

• Wednesday – Depart Savusavu 3am. Arrive Lautoka Wednesday 2.30pm
• Friday – Depart Savusavu 3am. Arrive Lautoka 2.30pm
• Sunday – Depart Savusavu 8am. Arrive Lautoka 7.30pm

Prices from $63 one way

Once on board either service, I recommend, find a seat, and keep it! I managed to hide right up top, in the ‘drivers only area’. (a certain acquaintance of mine eventually found refuge in the cupboard full of life jackets…”they were comfy” was the excuse). Once seated, welcome anyone who wants to come and sit near to you, and chat away! It’s a long journey, and the ‘onboard’ cafes/shops shut before departure, so I recommend to take supplies of water, food, and toilet roll! (ipod/cards/a very good book etc…) and perhaps don’t expect to get too much sleep! The ‘lounge areas’ can fill quite quickly, so expect a sea of Fijian families spread out all over the place, with there Fijian mats, bedding, sacks of clothes, and maybe the odd ‘bucket tanoa’ here and there. Even the decks out side become a carpet of sprawled out bodies – tread carefully!

Arrival

Once in Savusavu

You can purchase a boat ticket that also includes the onward bus trip to Labasa, but offers no financial benefit to do so, so plan your own adventure and do it separate.

Bus schedule to Labasa

The ‘normal buses’ are fairly efficient, and only $6 anyway, and there are 4 daily buses to Labasa, running from 7.30, 11.30, 1.30 and 3.30 (subject to a bit of Fiji time – but you should at least catch one of them!) so expect to hang around the bus station for a bit, and once the bus from Labasa has arrived, and emptied, jump on, claim your seat – and pay the driver when he comes round later..)...and then watch anything and everything (including the kitchen sink) get loaded onto the bus around you – but normally its potatoes, dalo, chickens, grass strimmer etc…
So there is time for you to explore the small high street of Savusavu before your onward trip to Labasa. Or perhaps you might need a nights rest in Savusavu following your boat adventure, freshen up, and then ready to catch a bus the following day. (ideally the 7.30 or 11.30 bus. Trip is 2-3 hours, so try and arrive nice and early for your trip to Vorovoro – you don’t want to do that bit in the dark!)

Accommodation in Savusavu

Hidden Guest House (budget $20-30, bfast incl, small, basic, but homely and welcoming) or Hot Springs Hotel (budget – Mid. Ask about the dorm rooms that they don’t advertise! $25!)

Food in Savusavu
Blue Water Cafe (buy your beers from the shop next door!), Copra Shed Cafe or restaurant at Hot Springs.

I currently reside in Lautoka, and will maybe don my ‘Michael Palin cap’ in the next few weeks, but if you need any information, or need clarification on boat experiences or life in Lautoka, Savusavu then please drop me a note – kimbo@tribewanted.com – if i can help, then i will…..maybe for a small fee tho ;0)

Vinaka vakalevu

Happy Travelling!

Talo Na Yaqona.