May 5, 2009

Fiji zip trekking

Fiji zip trekking

As Kelly Landry discovered, Fiji isn't just about sun, sand and water — it has thousands of hectares of fantastic rainforest. However, if you aren't particularly enamoured by bushwalking but still enjoy an adventure, do what Kelly did and take a canopy tour, known as zip trekking.

Zip trekking originated in Costa Rica and uses specialised climbing equipment to ride steel cables between two fixed points, in the case of Fiji, platforms as high as 45m off the ground.

You are strapped into a harness and connected to a wire known as a zip line and you slide along, making stops at 10 platforms along the way. There you can enjoy the beauty of the rainforest canopy and chat to local guides about the area.

It takes around an hour to do the eight runs on the canopy tour, but you can go around as many times as you wish. You do have a brake to slow things down, but once you feel confident and give the brake a miss, you will fly above the trees at about 60km/h.

At the end of the ride you encounter the Scream line, the longest zip in the South Pacific, running 200m across a river.

While a little apprehensive at first and admitting a zip experience is not for the faint hearted, Kelly ended up pronouncing it was great fun. But she was pleased to know there were plenty of guides to keep you safe and who will tow you in if you should get stuck.

Location

Pacific Harbour, two hours from Nadi on Viti Levu.

Cost

Zip Fiji has two-hour zip line tours including equipment and guide costing $100 for adults and $55 for children. It opens every day from 8am to 8pm and if you book online you will receive a 10 percent discount.

Pacific Blue has flights to Nadi.

One-way fares from:

  • Brisbane $269
  • Sydney $289
  • Melbourne $329
  • Canberra $339
  • Darwin $379
  • Adelaide $399
  • Perth $409
  • Hobart $429

There are limited seats which may not be available at peak times or on all flights. Fares quoted are one-way booked on the Internet. An extra $15 will be charged for phone bookings. A credit card surcharge of an additional $2 per person per one-way flight is applicable. Fares are correct at April 2, 2009 and are subject to change.

Prices correct at April 2, 2009.

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Fiji zip trekking