Travel Guide > Oceania > Fiji > Levuka
Levuka on Ovalau Island, was the first capital of Fiji from 1874 until 1883, before it was moved to Suva. Levuka has been designated an historic town and is short-listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, considering its importance in the 19th Century as the first permanent settlement of Europeans in the South Pacific.
The town is located on Ovalau Island, a lush tropical volcanic island of about 100 square kilometers surrounded by large coral reefs. Levuka is the administrative centre of the Lomaiviti Group of Islands which inclue Moturiki, Makogai, Koro, Wakaya, Batiki, Nairai, Gau and Ovalau. The islands are the peaks of deep-sea volcanoes that became extinct millions of years ago.
Levuka and Ovalau are off the main tourist track and offer a chance to experience the "real" Fiji, a trip into the past, "the way Fiji used to be".
Air Fiji has daily flights from Suva to Ovalau and the airstrip is about 40 minutes from Levuka.
Patterson Brothers Shipping has a bus/ferry/bus service from Levuka to Suva via Natovi (four hours).
Levuka is small enough to walk around, but you can rent mountain bikes if you want to go a little further away.
This is version 8. Last edited at 20:09 on Nov 12, 09 by Utrecht (+381). 1 article links to this page.

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