Conservation & Whitewater Rafting in Fiji

Whitewater Rafting: An Adventure with Purpose

Rivers Fiji run river rafting tours through the highlands of main island, Viti Levu, on a river locals call The River Of Eden. It’s so sacred that they say it’s a pathway directly to their ancestors. 

This river - the Upper Navua River - is Fiji’s best kept secret, by far. It’s one of the South Pacific’s most pristine rivers, protected by one of the most unique conservation co-operations in the world.

Protecting a Sacred River

Nine land-owning clans (mataqali), the Native Land Trust Board, a logging company and rafting company, Rivers Fiji, came together to protect the Upper Navua within the Upper Navua Conservation Area in 1997. The Conservation Area’s management plan promotes sustainable tourism, ensuring everyone who enters leaves no trace, and that the conservation area will never be threatened by activities such as logging or development.  

The area is home to a remarkable number of Fiji’s endemic species, including 15 of Viti Levu’s 17 endemic land birds, including the endangered pink-billed parrot finch. It’s also home to two endemic freshwater fish species considered vulnerable and to one of Fiji’s largest remaining stands of endangered sago palms. The area is 24 kilometres long and stretches for 200 metres beside the river, containing 615 hectares of the most precious highland areas of Fiji. It’s so precious that in 2006 the Conservation Area was recognised as Fiji’s first Wetland Of Importance under the RAMSAR Convention On Wetlands. 

That this conservation area relies on a rafting company taking paying customers right through it speaks volumes about the role ecotourism has played in the preservation of this area. Rivers Fiji contribute to the well-being of those who live along the river by providing jobs as river guides, and by providing income to local landowners through lease payments and user fees. It’s in the interests of local people to look after their river, and the rainforest that surrounds it. 
 

River Rafting Tours

Rivers Fiji offer a full-day white-water rafting trip down the Upper Navua River. It’s a spectacular journey through Fiji’s prettiest hinterland area, with canyons towering above by as much as 75 metres. Meanwhile, the width of the canyon is often as little as five metres.  
 

There’s over 50 waterfalls in the Upper Navua River, some as high as 60 metres. There’s plenty of rapids along the way – but they’re no more severe than an intermediate Grade III level, so the tour is suitable for families. 

Rivers Fiji also run a full-day inflatable kayak tour which passes through the Middle Navua River, in calmer waters.  

As part of its effort to promote the conservation area and provide an income for locals who live beside it, Rivers Fiji were instrumental in ensuring the iconic adventure race series, Eco-Challenge Fiji, rafted the Upper Navua River as part of their 2019 race series. Sixty-six teams from all over the world competed - and the show was presented by Bear Grylls (they also came here in 2002).