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Come home to happiness

Take the family on a pursuit of happiness in sun-kissed Fiji.

There is a place in the South Pacific Ocean, where genuine smiles beam from friendly faces and where happiness lives. That place is Fiji — a cluster of 333 islands that is as famed for its warm people as its rugged beauty.

The Fijians are such welcoming folks that setting foot in the local airport to a chorus of “bula” (hello in Fijian) feels like a homecoming.

Say bula!

Fijians are one of the happiest people in the world and kava may just be a factor. This root, when made into a drink, is known to induce a relaxing effect. Culturally, kava is integral to a traditional ceremony that is done to seek the village chief’s blessing and welcome visitors to a village.

Fijians love their food so perhaps learning to cook Fijian cuisine is another way to learn more about their secret to happiness. Find out how to transform coconut cream, fish and lime juice into mouth-watering dishes like kokoda, a refreshing ceviche. Half-day cooking classes are available, and both adults and children from ages eight up can practise their skills. The best part is getting to eat all that delicious food afterwards.

Don’t miss out on the ancient fire-walking ceremony either. This ritual, involving warriors and white-hot stones, is only performed by people of a certain island who are said to have healing power over burns.

Action time

Instead of herding everyone into the family car to beat the daily rush-hour commute, create awesome memories rafting down the Navua River. It’s a great bonding experience and the best Geography lesson your kids can get in nature’s classroom of carved gorge and canyon, and breathtaking waterfalls.

And when a happy day at the beach is as simple as splashing about in the water with the family, this jewel of the Pacific delivers beyond that premise. Take your pick of Fiji’s pristine islands, some as tiny as a sandbar peeking out of the gentle waves. Go on an exciting banana boat or jetski ride, get aerial with a tandem parasail, or simply build cities in the soft sand.

Fiji's Great Astrolabe Reef off Kadavu Island is perfect for peering into coral crevices to see industrious reef fish and colourful sea slugs. If the kids aren’t keen to dive or snorkel, Sea Fiji’s hydrofoil glass-bottom boat ensures they won’t miss out on the fun.

Take it up a notch

Up for something adventurous? Give the off-road cave safari a shot. Rough it out in an all-terrain Land Rover as it conquers rugged roads and streams. Let your family meet the families of Sigatoka Valley, a land where time forgot. Then, cruise down the river on a traditional bilibili (a bamboo raft) to get to a 170m cave system that was once used by cannibals.

Quad bike and buggy tours let you ride rough on the dusty backroads of Fiji’s big island. Choose from a jungle or pine-forest adventure with some cool add-ons like a waterfall picnic or an epic helicopter ride back to base.

And if that’s not exciting enough, try flying through the Fijian bush at Momi Bay Zip, a short 35-minute drive outside Nadi. This tree-top adventure boasts 16 giant ziplines, panoramic views, a cave tour and a scrumptious lunch. Combine the zips with cave abseils for an even more action-packed day.

Getting there

Fiji Airways flies non-stop from Singapore twice a week. Tap into more enriching experiences at fiji.travel/sg.

Produced by the TODAY Special Projects Team.

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