Koroyanitu National Park — Attraction in Western

The nature is truly incredible - wonderful views, rainforest, cliffs. And sleeping at the Mt. Batilamu at the altitude 1200 m and enjoying the views feels truly great. HOWEVER, on the other hand:

1. There is little to no information provided, you need to obtain it all by yourself, send emails and call people.
2. The transfer from Lautoka is 40 one-way per vehicle (max 4 ppl) and the communication was fine after I got the driver's phone.
3. The receptionist tried to charge different charges than we got through email ($25pp for entry instead of $20 and $35pp for Mt. Batilamu hut instead of $25). Eventually we managed to get the 'old' price, but was told to expect to be charged the 'new' price next time. Looking at the other reviews, the prices charged vary.
4. You're expected to bring traditional kava to the village, so expect to spend another $25 if you like to stick to traditions.
5. For all you've paid so far, you get virtually NO customer service except for the possibility to sleep at the mountain and enter the park. You get no map, you're instead offered a guide for another $50. The trails are overgrown and are not marked at all. There are few educational boards.
6. We planned to go to the waterfalls and then hike to Mt. Batilamu to sleep there. We were told not to do the waterfalls that day as the trail was supposedly being cleared. The next day we tried to get there, but it was not clear at all, it was overgrown and we were not able to reach the big waterfall at all.

All things considered, the National Park might be nice for real adventurers only. For the others, Abaca people should start actually providing customer oriented service to justify all the fees they collect. I'm used to paying National Park entry fees in Europe, but always get clear, marked trails with signs and in this way I was very disappointed.

Some practical info for people interested: Hike to Mt. Batilamu takes around 4-5 hours return, 2-3 hours up, 1.5-2 hours down if you fit. Mt. Batilamu hut offers great views of Lautoka and the nearby cliff (around 5 mins) lets you see Nadi and mountains all around. The stove and dishes are provided. Bring your own water, you might manage to obtain some up there, but don't rely on that. On the way, you cross numerous springs to refresh yourself and refill water. The trails leads through jungle, expect...

Forest here is beautiful. Great if you want to get “the jungle-like” feel. Still it is on the dry side of the island, so not a “green over green” rainforest. Takes cca 40 min from Lautoka on the gravel road! Not that bad, but experience driving bumpy roads would help. And I definitely would never go when wet! Once you enter the village, just wait by the visitor centre and someone will come. Fee is $25pp. If interested, they can prepare a lunch, this is $20pp. Looks like traditional gifts are not needed / expected. We did waterfall hike. 2 hours of walking net, but with the stops for pictures and some refreshment took almost 3 hours. Path finding skills are needed!!! Especialy on the way back from waterfall. Waterfall itself is not strong - at least in winter. If you have less time, I recommend to follow the path until you reach big banyan tree and a bit further - there the path offers amazing views. Once you enter the forest again, go back - for me this was anyway the most beautiful part. In total this can be done within...

All you need to know! ⛰️ 🥾 🇫🇯

Location Google maps is reliable and brings you to the village were you find the ticket office 🎟️

Entrance Fee | Parking 25$ per person without a guide / extra fees for a guide | free parking at the site

Trail The park officer will explain the trails to you and you can choose which one you want to hike! It’s best to wear hiking shoes, long trousers (high grass which causes skin irritation) or proper shoes / no sandals. I would say the trail difficult is a T1 to T2 Level

We have done the waterfall trail up the stream which took around 2 hours in total.

Food You can order food before you head up the trail and a friendly village family will prepare it for you

Wildlife If you are lucky you’ll spot the famous Kaka 🦜, other birds and squirrels

Hope this helps. Have a nice hike ⭐️

All the...