Yasawa Islands
Coordinates: 16°55′S 177°20′E / 16.917°S 177.333°E
The Yasawa Group is an archipelago of about 20 volcanic islands in the Western Division of Fiji, with an approximate total area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi).
Geography
The Yasawa volcanic group consists of six main islands and numerous smaller islets. The archipelago, which stretches in a north-easterly direction for more than 80 kilometres (50 mi) from a point 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-west of Lautoka, is volcanic in origin and very mountainous, with peaks ranging from 250 to 600 metres (820 to 1,969 ft) in height. The only safe passage for shipping is between Yasawa Island (the largest in the archipelago, about 22 kilometres (14 mi) long and less than a kilometer wide) and Round Island, 22 kilometers to the north-east.
History
The British navigator William Bligh was the first European to sight the Yasawas in 1789, following the mutiny on the Bounty. Captain Barber in HMS Arthur visited the islands in 1794, but they were not charted until 1840, when they were surveyed and charted by a United States expedition commanded by Charles Wilkes.
Throughout the 1800s, Tongan raiders bartered for, and sometimes stole, the sail mats for which the Yasawa was famous for. The islands were largely ignored by the wider world until World War II, when the United States military used them as communications outposts.
Tourism, economy and culture
Until 1987, it was the policy of the Fiji government that the Yasawa Group was closed to land-based tourism. This was because the King of the Yasawa Group who was not controlled by the government did not want tourism. There were limited cruise operations since the 1950s, but passengers had to stay aboard their ships. Without tourism, the local residents lived in peace and harmony in a communal atmosphere. Since the Fijian government lifted the restrictions on land-based tourism in the Yasawa Group, a number of resorts have been established there. Due to its freehold real-estate status, three budget resorts were operating on Tavewa island since the early 1980s.
Areas of the Yasawas were the locales for both the 1949, and 1980 filming of the romance adventure film The Blue Lagoon, including the Sawa-i-lau caves, and the island Nanuya Levu (now called Turtle Island[1])
Tourism is growing in importance. Permission is required to visit all islands in the group except Tavewa. The home of the Tui Yasawa, the Paramount Chief of the Yasawa Islands, is at Yasawa-i-Rara, on Yasawa Island, but the largest village is Nabukeru.
Getting to the Yasawas
As one of the outer island chains, options to get to the Yasawa Islands are a bit more limited than some of the closer islands to Nadi and Denarau. Sea planes from local airlines (like Turtle Airways) make multiple flights to the Yasawa resorts per day, and charters are also available.[2] Helicopter charters are also available or you can take the Yasawa Flyer, a catamaran.
References
External links
- Backpackers and Billionaires - article about the Yasawa Group's (and Fiji's) history
