Yasawa Islands

The Yasawa Group is an archipelago of about 20 volcanic islands in the Western Division of Fiji, with an approximate total area of 135 square kilometers.The Yasawa volcanic group consists of six main islands and numerous smaller islets. The archipelago, which stretches in a north-easterly direction for more than 80 kilometers from a point 40 kilometers north-west of Lautoka, is volcanic in origin and very mountainous, with peaks ranging from 250 to 600 meters in height.

Until 1987, it was the policy of the Fiji government that the Yasawa Group was closed to land-based tourism. There has been limited cruise operations since the 1950s, but passengers had to stay aboard their ships. Local residents benefited little from the passengers presence.Due to its freehold real-estate status, three budget resorts were operating on Tavewa island since the early 1980s.Nanuya Levu, also known as Turtle Island, is one of Fiji's most famous resorts. Areas of the Yasawas were the locales for the 1980 filming of the romance adventure film The Blue Lagoon.