Mt Tomanivi

At 4,344ft Mt Tomanivi is Fiji's highest mountain and is located on the Central Northern part of the island between Nadi and Suva. The mountain is frequently engulfed in clouds and storms making it muddy and slippery almost year round. That being said there is a well marked track to the summit with a nice clearing at the top that offers a 360 degree view on clear days.

Lookouts

Bird Watching

Scrambling or Climbing

No Navigation Required

Rainforest

1324m

Maximum Elevation

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Getting there

Regardless of whether you are in Suva or Nadi you will have to travel along Queens/Kings Rd (the road that runs along the perimeter of the island) to get to the turn off. Coming from Nadi you will travel roughly 2hrs before you come to the town of Tavua. Upon leaving the town be vigilant because the road will take a 120 degree turn and mid way through this there is a right turn down a paved road that very quickly turns to dirt. From here there is roughly another hour of constant dirt road until you go through a large village that very briefly has a paved road. This signals that you are only about 10 minutes or so from Navai (the next small village). Once there just try and speak to the first local you see and they will point you in the right direction.

Route/Trail notes

Once you have your guide they will inform you of the best place to park and you will commence your hike. Starts off relatively flat making your way to the base of the climb with a few river crossings. Eventually you will get to the base which is marked by 2 poles which used to have a sign attached to it until a cyclone blew it away. From here the hike becomes slippery/muddy and steep but certainly not beyond the capabilities of the average person. The summit features a nice clearing with 360 degree views and a huge sign (which says Mt Victoria - the name in colonial times).

Permits/Costs

$30 Fijian to access the hike, $50 Fijian for a guide

GPS Tracks

No GPS available for this walk yet.

Comments

It's a long drive out of Nadi but in my opinion it was totally worth the effort! The dirt road starts off quite reasonable but gets a bit rougher as you start ascending the mountain range. Would definitely recommend renting a 4wd, mainly for the clearance. Once I got to Navai I spotted two guys standing on the side of the road so stopped to ask them how i would go about climbing the mountain. They explained the pricing structure and one of them offered to be my guide. He hopped in the car and directed me to where I needed to park.

He didn't have a backpack, or a waterbottle, in fact all he did have was a machete which at first was a little intimidating, but it turns out whenever anyone heads up there they use it as an opportunity to clear shrubs off the track. He was a very friendly guy and explained to me that entry/guide fee all goes to the village and as such they love having tourists along to come climb the mountain.

The track is very well marked, it would be hard to miss it or wander off. It is however completely covered in mud so you can pretty much guarantee you will ruin whatever shoes you are wearing. It's also very slippery and at times you'll put your foot down thinking it's firm ground only for it to sink into a massive hole covered by long grass. As you near the top the track will become less muddy and a massive clearing will come into view. From here you can get a 360 degree view of the island. Before the climb I was told it would take 3hrs to reach the top but we did it in around 90 minutes.

Very well spent money in my opinion, thoroughly enjoyed it!
Vonsnrub on 21 Mar, 2019