Fauna and Flora

It’s easy to see how Taveuni lives up to its nickname of The Garden Island. It’s an archetypically beautiful volcanic tropical island, thick with vegetation and resplendent with tropical flowers. Much of the island is pristine rainforest, around 80 percent of which is protected by forest reserve and the Bouma National Heritage Park.

Taveuni also boasts an eye-catching array of birdlife with about 80 species of terrestrial and freshwater birds. Fortunately, unlike other Fijian islands, Taveuni escaped the introduction of the mongoose, so birds that have vanished elsewhere still thrive here. You’ll see red-breasted red parrots, honeyeaters, silktails, fern-tails, goshawks, and orange-breasted doves. You can also expect to catch sight of the jungle fowl, banded rail and purple swamp hen. And don’t forget the Fiji flying fox and mastiff bat.