Fiji Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving In Fiji
Fijidrives on the left and you can use the photo licence of any country to drive here, providing it’s written in Roman alphabet. Drivers from other countries need their own licence plus an international driving permit. Speed limits range from 80kmh on main roads to 50kmh in towns and as low as 20kmh near schools.
90% of Fiji’s population live on the two main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu and these islands are the location of most of Fiji’s 11,000km of roads. Main roads on both islands are paved and in good condition and the Suva-Nadi-Lautoka route has some sections of dual carriageway near the cities.
To drive right round Viti Levu via Kings Road and Queens Roads takes about 12 hours in total and I’ve done the drive in a small two wheel car with no problem. Many visitors want to visit Navala which is billed as the last traditional village in Fiji with 200 thatched dwellings. It is sited in the mountainous region inland from Ba on Viti Levu’s North coast. In 2019 we were told that this dirt road was only passable using a 4×4, and our vehicle had very low clearance. After consulting local taxi drivers we decided to attempt it and managed the drive. It was slow going and the road was certainly rough. It took almost 2 hours of driving but the scenery is great. Therefore, this drive certainly IS possible in a normal car though after rain I would guess it would be very difficult. If you an afford a 4X4 it’s worth getting one!
On Vanua Levu, the road system is not as developed as on the main island but there are good paved roads paved roads between Savusavu and Labasa and along the scenic 70km Hibiscus Highway which follows the coast from Savusavu towards Natewa Bay and Bagasau village.
Though paved roads are usually well-constructed, drivers should keep an eye out for potholes, as well as speed bumps on roads near some villages.Pedestrians also tend to walk along roadsides near villages. Drivers receive little formal training so driving standards can be variable, though in my experience most locals were courteous road users. Animals, such as cattle, goats and horses, are other dangers to watch out for while driving, especially at night, since they feed on the edges of highways and can wander across. Roads in the main towns are fairly simple to navigate and shouldn’t present too much of a challenge to negotiate. After rain roads in the mountains can be treacherous and may only be driveable with a 4WD.
There are car ferries operating between Fiji’s islands. Vehicle ferries leave most days from Natovi Landing on Viti Levu to Vanua Levu and Ovalau . Patterson Brothers Shipping, Venu Shipping and Blighwater Shipping all seem to run services but none had a function website when I checked. This site provides an indication of pricing and schedule. http://www.fijisearoad.com/rates.html
Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.
Fiji Car Rental –
Hertz, Europcar, Avis, Budget, Thrifty, all have branches in Fiji .Also usually features on larger broker sites and Web discount sites such as LastMinute.com.
We currently have no local car rental partners in Fiji. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com
Fiji Self Driving Rules-
None of the companies specifically mention restrictions on taking their vehicles between Islands so my assumption is this is possible. Check when booking.
