A unique experience - TripAdvisor

This place makes you forget about the rest of the world. The staff & management are so friendly, the views are amazing, but you have to put in mind that an enviornment friendly resort means its running on solar energy power, so dont expect ACs or fans, just clean pure air !

I'll be visiting Matava Resort again in the upcoming fishing season for sure.

A unique experience - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor

Matava is Fiji's first Resort member of The International Ecotourism Society - Matava - Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort

Matava recognised as TIES first ever resort member in the Fiji Islands

Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco-Adventure Resort is proud to announce that we are Fiji's first Resort Business member of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES).

As the world's oldest and largest international ecotourism association, TIES seeks to be the global source of knowledge and advocacy uniting communities, conservation, and sustainable travel.

A common question asked is what EXACTLY is ecotourism? Ecotourism is: "Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." (TIES, 1990)

TIES promotes ecotourism, which is defined as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people," by:

• Creating an international network of individuals, institutions and the tourism industry;
• Educating tourists and tourism professionals; and

• Influencing the tourism industry, public institutions and donors to integrate the principles of ecotourism into their operations and policies.

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"Uniting conservation, communities and sustainable travel, TIES promotes responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people."

To achieve and maintain membership of TIES Matava must abide by all the Principles of TIES and Ecotourism.

Principles of Ecotourism:

Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement and participate in ecotourism activities should follow the following ecotourism principles:

• Minimize impact.
• Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
• Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
• Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
• Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people.
• Raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climate.

"At Matava, we are of course both happy and proud to be a Resort member of TIES, the world's oldest and largest international ecotourism association." said Matava Director, Mr Richard Akhtar.

"We also see this as a great step forward and opportunity for all Fiji resorts, both on Kadavu and in the Fiji Islands, to move forward in their standards to achieve truly world class service and capabilities required for this membership level and to do it in the true spirit of ecotourism."

Mr Akhtar finished by saying "We would like to thank all friends and clients of Matava and Mad Fish Dive Centre past and present who have contributed to the success of our eco resort and we look forward to exciting times ahead."

The International Ecotourism Soceity (TIES) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting ecotourism. Founded in 1990, TIES has been in the forefront of the development of ecotourism, providing guidelines and standards, training, technical assistance, research and publications. TIES' global network of ecotourism professionals and travelers is leading the efforts to make tourism a viable tool for conservation, protection of bio-cultural diversity, and sustainable community development. Through membership services, industry outreach and educational programs, TIES is committed to helping organizations, communities and individuals promote and practice the principles of ecotourism. TIES currently has members in more than 90 countries, representing various professional fields and industry segments including: academics, consultants, conservation professionals and organizations, governments, architects, tour operators, lodge owners and managers, general development experts, and ecotourists.

Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, is an eco adventure getaway offering you a fun and unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the environmentally pristine and remote island of Kadavu in the Fiji Islands. Matava - Fiji Premier Eco Adventure Resort is a PADI Dive Resort as well as a Project AWARE GoEco Operator. Matava offers accommodation for up to 22 guests in lush tropical surroundings in traditional thatched Fijian 'bures' with hardwood polished floors, louvre windows and private decks offering privacy, comfort and superb ocean views.

Matava is Fiji's first Resort member of The International Ecotourism Society - Matava - Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort

$863 -- Fiji from Los Angeles (Roundtrip), incl. Taxes

$863 -- Fiji from Los Angeles (Roundtrip), incl. Taxes^*

Fares to Fiji from Los Angeles have been slashed to an amazing price of $863 roundtrip, including taxes. This fare is available for travel June 10 - Dec. 30 on Air Pacific to Nadi on Fiji's the main island of Viti Levu.

This sale ends July 14.

Click here to purchase tickets directly with Air Pacific. Look for the "Get Packing" fare at a base fare of $565. Final price will include approximately $298 in taxes and fees.

Cheap Flights - Flight Specials - Air Pacific

Special place! - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor

Matava is a special place. It is not a luxury eco resort and not for the high maintenance crowd. It is simply a wonderful eco resort with a fantastic staff. The lure of Matava draws the same type of people here. If you want to spend some time with those who like adventure and are well travelled, then you picked the right place. We usually stay at the best places when we travel but we wanted to take it down and notch, kick off our shoes (literally) and enjoy a bit of the “real” Fiji.

Hopefully you’ll be greeted by Maggie when you arrive. He makes the whole place come to life. When he isn’t there you miss him greatly. He’ll have you cracking up laughing every time he talks and don’t believe a word he says! You’ll see what I mean when you get there. .. :)

Speaking of getting there, the boat transfer is an adventure in itself so be prepared. Check out the picture with my husband standing in front of our boat. It takes about an hour to get to the lodge. If it is windy and there are waves, you’ll probably be very wet by time you arrive. They give you raincoats but they are so full of holes they don’t help much. They can’t use large boats because the tide can get VERY low. Large boats can’t make it through the reef passages. If you arrive during low tide be prepared to have to walk through some mud to get to and from shore.

Now I say Matava is not a luxury eco resort but if you stay in the Honeymoon bure it will feel like it is. The Honeymoon bure is beautiful and has the large deck with fantastic views. The mosquito net over the bed adds ambience to the room but it is not just for looks. Luckily, it was cool and windy while we were here so mosquitos only bothered us a bit on one night but we slept with the net every night. There are no ceiling fans or a/c, just the ocean breeze. There is also no heat in the rooms so you bundle up or snuggle to get warm. We were there at the end of May and it was chilly, almost cold. Bring a jacket or long sleeve shirt and pants.

All power is solar and there are on-demand gas water heaters. There is a charging station in the main lodge where you can charge batteries, laptops, etc… There are no plugs in the rooms and they do not allow hairdryers to run. In your bure there is a welcome book and it explains that running a hairdryer for 5 minutes uses enough power to run the resort for a week. The book continues to say that however, they will give you a ride in one of their boats for 5 minutes to give you what they like to call the windswept and wild look. I cracked up when I read it!

Adding to the laid-back appeal of Matava is they ask you to go barefoot in the main lodge. In the evening, they sound the drum at 6pm to let everyone know the bar is open (if you want something before then you can get it). This lets all know that if they want to come down to share stories of the day, come on down. Gas lanterns provide light giving everything a warm feeling. One night we had a kava ceremony during the cocktail hour. After we started dinner, the Fijians who were still drinking began singing. It was magical and they were in perfect harmony. It was a very special evening.

Dinner is served at 7pm (or around there in Fijian time). The food here is FANTASTIC, especially the soups! There is lots of variety, fresh ingredients, and flavor. We were here for 5 days and we had something new every day.

When you are finished socializing for the night and ready to go back to your bure, you either use a flashlight or take one of their lanterns to light the way. Once you get back to your bure, look up. The night sky here is unbelievable! The Milky Way is right above you. It is awesome what you can see without any light pollution.

Staying at Matava is a special experience and one we are glad we did. We wanted a true Fijian experience before we went to Taveuni for a completely over the top one. The Fijians here are extra warm and welcoming. We met Jennie, one of the owners, and she was equally as friendly and welcoming. Visiting Kadavu and getting away from all the super touristy stuff gives you a chance to be a part of the real Fiji.

Things to do:

If you want some exercise, take a walk up the trails behind the property. Hike up to the house at the top, go right then keep taking the trails to the left and you’ll go up, up, up to some great views overlooking the ocean and the island.

Definitely hike to the waterfall in the village. It is beautiful!

Dive Manta reef. They try to make sure everyone that stays here goes at least once. We were lucky and saw 3. We hung out by one just watching him feed. It was wonderful! The only thing is we were surprised at how poor visibility was. We had expected better but they also said it was the time of year. Taveuni has much better visibility but you rarely see any big stuff there. We also found out about a place on Viti Levu called Pacific Harbor that is known for Tiger sharks.

Special place! - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor

Heaven!! - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor

Our stay was UNBELIEVABLE! We have travelled extensively, but this far exceeded our expectations. The lodge was remote enough to escape the typical tourism crowd, but still provided so much.

The bures were incredibly comfortable with amazing views to the ocean and the staff were like family. We felt welcome as soon as we stepped off the boat.

The food was also amazing. Every meal was a wonderful surprise of fresh ingredients and spices (and plenty of it).

We were so sad to leave because after only one week, we felt as if we belonged at Matava. We will definitely be back.

Thanks so much to every single person at Matava. We will be forever grateful for such a wonderful experience.

Heaven!! - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor

Seminar : Coconut Oil as Fuel for Diesel Engines

A Seminar, "Coconut Oil as Fuel for Diesel Engines" will be held on Monday, 15 June 2009, from 10am at the Staff Canteen, Fiji Institute of Technology, Samabula, Suva. The speaker will be Dr Gilles Vaitilingom, Engineer at CIRAD, France. Topics to be covered include :

• Diesel engine - History, Theory, Fundamentals, Architecture;
• Quality of Vegetable Oils (including coconut oil) as fuel for diesel engine;
• Combustion of coconut oil as fuel;
• Effects of temperature;
• Adaptations to reduce viscosity;
• Adaptations of fuel filtration;
• Adaptations of the tank;
• Settings of opening pressure of injectors;
• Modification of Direction Injection engines; and
• Case Studies of Coconut Oil for Diesel Gensets (Fiji, New Caledonia, etc).

All are welcome to attend.

Suva Fiji Activities

Tell the Travel Industry How You Want Them to Get Greener

Tell the Travel Industry How You Want Them to Get Greener

from Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Blog by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)

Tourism and hospitality leaders want to make your vacations and business travel a "greener" experience for you, and for the planet. Global environmental and travel organizations, suppliers and media have joined with CMI Green and BBMG to produce this first-ever, comprehensive Green Traveler Survey. Your important feedback will help airlines, cruise lines, hotels, tour operators and destinations make their operations and communications greener.

Your answers are strictly confidential - none of the information you provide will be used for marketing purposes, nor will you be added to any lists without your optional, express consent at the conclusion of the survey.

Completing the online survey takes only 12-15 minutes, and as an incentive to complete it, TEN WINNERS will receive a choice of a $50 iTunes gift card, or a $50 Amazon credit, or a $50 donation to the charity of your choice.

Please take a moment now to take the survey. Your feedback really matters! Please also email the link to your friends and colleagues, and ask them to complete their survey by June 15th.