Editor Pick
Sand dunes of Sigatoka
- October 22, 2004
- Rated 2 of 5 by
Smitha Guru from Atlanta, Georgia
Sigatoka Sand Dunes, about 2km from Sigatoka, is Fiji's first National Park and is spread across 650 hectares. Archaeological excavations have revealed skeletons that form part of a more burial complex of ancient Fijian civilisation. They are also rich in ancient pottery artifacts that continue to surface as erosion continues. These artifacts give important clues to the origin of the early inhabitants of Fiji.
Apart from this historic background, the sand dunes were a disappointment to us. The information is a tiny little place with photos and the person there was not able to provide any more information. The ecosystem in the dunes is truly amazing - seeing the range of plants growing, it was very easy to forget that it was all on sand. But the sand dunes itself were very minimal. We could not see the vast expanses of windswept dunes that resembled a scene from Arabian nights (as one of information brochures described it). While I understand that the wind continuously changes the dunes, I was unprepared to be greeted with the sight of bottles and crates on the beach.
There was one very, very steep sand dune to climb before getting to the point on the beach. This is a difficult climb, not only because of the steepness, but also because it is sand and every step sinks into the ground and it is difficult to get a foothold. I feel that visitors should be warned of this climb. I'm sure it will be a shock for less fit visitors when they see the climb.
It is nevertheless, in a childish way, very exciting to leave your footprints on the sands. I would recommend this to someone staying in the coral coast and the distance to the dunes is less than the drive we had from Nadi. We had only one day from 12pm to 4pm to explore all of Sigatoka area and did not appreciate the dunes to its full extent.
From journal Unwinding in Fiji: On Bula time