from $139 Monuriki Cast Away Island Cruise with Lovo Lunch
- Three stops: Mana Sand Bar, Monu Cove and Monuriki
- Traditional lovo lunch cooked by the crew, beer and wine included
- Free return transfers from Denarau Island hotels
Mamanuca Islands Tours
Sand bars surface at low tide off Mana, sergeant majors swarm the reef at Beachcomber, and Monuriki still looks the way it did in the film. Compare Mamanuca Islands tours by what each boat includes, and cancel free up to 24 hours out.
- Day trips from $90
- Free cancellation 24h
- Denarau hotel pickup
Quick answer
Almost every Mamanuca Islands tour leaves Port Denarau or Wailoaloa Beach near Nadi, and the choice comes down to how far west you want to get. Half-day snorkel trips reach Treasure and Beachcomber in 30 to 45 minutes and cost around $90. Full-day cruises of seven to eight hours run $123 to $139 and reach Monuriki, Mana and the outer sand cays with lunch on board. A 25-minute scenic flight covers the same water from the air for $370.
Key takeaways
- Most-booked trip: the 8-hour Monuriki, Mana Sand Bar and snorkelling cruise, $139 per person, rated 4.8 from 499 reviews
- Cheapest way out: the 5.5 hours snorkel and turtle sanctuary trip at $90, plus a FJ$15 landing fee paid on Treasure Island
- Lunch is included on both sailing days, $123 for seven hours with South Sea Cruises and $132 for eight hours on the Sabre
- Only the flight skips the water: 25 minutes over Cloudbreak and the lower islands for $370, private group, hotel pickup in the Nadi and Denarau corridor
- Every trip here cancels free up to 24 hours ahead, and GetYourGuide lets you reserve now and pay later
- Dry season runs May to October, when the trade winds drop the humidity and the reef water clears
top pick The Cruise Most People Book
Monuriki Cast Away Island Cruise with Lovo Lunch
A Fijian family-run day cruise from Port Denarau to Mana Sand Bar, Monu Cove and Monuriki, the island where Cast Away was filmed. Lovo lunch, snacks, snorkel gear and Denarau hotel transfers are included.
- Duration
- 8 hours
- Stops
- Mana Sand Bar, Monu Cove, Monuriki
- Departs
- Port Denarau, free transfers from Denarau hotels
- Price Range
- $139 per person, lunch and drinks included
Check Dates and Availability
Live departures for the Monuriki and Mana Sand Bar cruise. It runs daily and sells out in the July and August peak.
Mamanuca Islands Tours Running Now
Five trips, sorted from the half-day snorkel run to the scenic flight. Prices are per person in US dollars and exclude the landing fee and fuel surcharge each operator collects separately.
from $139 
from $90 Snorkel, Turtle Sanctuary & Treasure Island Day Trip
- Guided snorkelling on the reef beside Beachcomber Island
- Turtle sanctuary and iguana nesting area on Treasure Island
- Small groups, often under 15 people
from $370 25-Minute Helicopter Flight Over the Mamanucas
- Cloudbreak, Wilkes Passage and Namotu Lefts from the air
- Heart-shaped Tavarua and the Likuliku overwater bungalows
- Private flight with headset commentary
from $123 South Sea Sailing Day with Buffet Lunch and Drinks
- Reef snorkel stop plus swimming at a deserted sand cay
- Buffet lunch, morning tea, beer and wine for two hours
- Water slide, paddleboards and shaded day beds on deck
from $132 Sabre Catamaran Sail to a Private Sand Cay
- 78-foot catamaran with bean bags, booths and shaded canopies
- Snorkel stop and time on the private South Sea Cay
- Gourmet morning tea and buffet lunch on board
Which Trip Suits Your Day
The difference that matters is whether you set foot on an island or stay on the boat. Prices exclude the extras each operator adds on the day.
| Trip | Time | Price | Book | Islands you land on | Food | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monuriki day cruise | 8 h | $139 | Check | Mana Sand Bar, Monuriki | Lovo lunch, beer, wine | The Cast Away island in one day |
| Snorkel and turtle sanctuary | 5.5 h | $90 | Check | Treasure Island | Island restaurant, pay on the day | Half a day, small group, wildlife |
| South Sea sailing day | 7 h | $123 | Check | Deserted sand cay | Morning tea and buffet lunch | Sailing with kids aged 5 and up |
| Sabre catamaran day | 8 h | $132 | Check | South Sea Cay | Morning tea and buffet lunch | The same boat, an hour longer |
| Scenic flight | 25 min | $370 | Check | None, you stay airborne | None | Photographers and short layovers |
What You Pay on Top of the Ticket
Fijian operators price the boat and collect the rest at the dock. None of these show up at checkout, so carry Fijian dollars.
FJ$15
Treasure Island landing fee
Snorkel and turtle sanctuary trip, about US$7, paid on arrival
$10
Fuel surcharge, adult
South Sea sailing day, in force since 3 July 2026, $5 for children aged 2-15
FJ$10
Fuel surcharge, Sabre
Collected at check-in, FJ$5 per child
3.5%
Card fee on the flight
Heli-Tours charges it on all major cards, 3% on Union Pay, nothing on debit
2.5–3%
Operator card fee
Standard on Fijian booking desks, which is why prepaid tickets in USD work out cheaper
FJ$159
Scenic cruise, no landing
South Sea Cruises' 3-hour Island Explorer, about US$70, child FJ$89
Planning a Day in the Mamanucas
Twenty Islands, and the Ones Boats Actually Stop At
The Mamanuca group sits west of Nadi between Viti Levu and the Yasawas. It counts about 20 islands, and about seven of them vanish under the sea at high tide, which is why a sand bar you walked across at 10am is gone by early afternoon.
Malolo is the largest island in the group and the one most resorts sit on. Around it the ring of small cays does the day-trip work: South Sea Island and Malamala closest to Denarau, Beachcomber and Treasure a little further, Mana and Monuriki out west where the water goes deep blue.
No day boat visits all of them. Each operator picks two or three stops and builds the day around them, so read the itinerary before the price.
- South Sea Island: a speck of sand 30 minutes out, the standard short-hop stop
- Malamala: a day club with an infinity pool, 30 minutes from Port Denarau
- Beachcomber and Treasure: the snorkel and wildlife pair, 45 minutes to an hour
- Mana: sand bar at low tide, Survivor camps on the far side
- Monuriki: uninhabited, the Cast Away island, about two hours out
- Tavarua and Namotu: surf islands, day visitors rarely land
Monuriki, and What the Film Left Behind
Monuriki is 1.15 km long, rises to 178 m of volcanic rock and has nobody living on it. The people of Yanuya hold custodianship, and boats pay them for access. Tom Hanks spent Cast Away here in 2000, and the crew edited the neighbouring islands out of frame to sell the isolation. Stand on the beach today and you can see Yanuya and Mana from the same spot.
Since 2011 the National Trust of Fiji and BirdLife International have run a recovery project for the Fiji crested iguana on the island, clearing goats and rats off the slopes. Guides keep groups on the beach and the marked track for that reason.
Survivor has filmed across these islands since April 2016, starting with season 33. Crews work out of Mana and the channels around it, and skippers will point out the beaches you have seen on television.
| Island | Known for | Reached by |
|---|---|---|
| Monuriki | Cast Away, crested iguana project | Full-day cruise only |
| Mana | Sand bar, Survivor filming | Full-day cruise, ferry |
| Treasure | Turtle sanctuary, iguana enclosure | Half-day snorkel trip |
| Beachcomber | Reef and fish feeding | Half-day snorkel trip |
| Malolo | Largest island, resorts | Ferry, 1 hour 35 |
Getting Out There from Nadi
Port Denarau is the hub. It sits about 10 km from Nadi town and 20 minutes by road from Nadi International Airport, and nearly every catamaran, ferry and day cruise leaves from its passenger terminal. The turtle sanctuary trip is the exception, boarding at Wailoaloa Beach through the Smugglers Cove bar.
Operators run a free return coach transfer from hotels in Nadi, Denarau and Wailoaloa when you book it in advance, and South Sea Cruises stretches that as far as the Coral Coast, Natadola, Momi Bay and Sonaisali. Check-in closes 30 minutes before departure and the boats leave on time.
How long you sit on the water depends entirely on which island you booked.
| From Port Denarau | Crossing |
|---|---|
| South Sea Island | 30 minutes |
| Treasure, Beachcomber | 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Mana, Matamanoa | 1 hour 15 |
| Castaway | 1 hour 30 |
| Malolo, Tropica | 1 hour 35 to 1 hour 45 |
| Tokoriki | 1 hour 45 |
Where the Snorkelling Is Worth It
The reef inside the lagoon stays calm because the outer barrier takes the swell. Visibility runs 15 to 25 metres on a settled day, and you swim over hard coral, giant clams and the usual reef crowd of parrotfish, wrasse, sergeant majors and butterflyfish.
On the half-day trip the skipper feeds bread off the back near Beachcomber, and several hundred sergeant majors arrive within seconds. It photographs well and it costs nothing extra. Turtles show up around Treasure, where a sanctuary raises hatchlings before release, with an iguana enclosure next to it.
The full-day boats snorkel at Monu Cove instead, a sheltered bay with better coral and fewer people. Gear comes with every trip on this page, but bring your own mask if your face is hard to fit.
- Reef shoes or old trainers for the sand bars, the coral rubble cuts
- Reef-safe sunscreen, and a shirt for the middle of the day
- Motion-sickness tablets an hour before a full-day crossing
- Cash in Fijian dollars for landing fees and the island bar
- A dry bag, since spray reaches the seats on the outer decks
Sailing, Snorkelling or a Scenic Flight
Two of the boats here are the same 78-foot Sabre catamaran sold by different agents. South Sea Cruises runs it as a seven-hour sailing day at $123 with a water slide, paddleboards and a buffet lunch by their executive chef. Rosie Holidays sells eight hours on the same hull at $132. Neither takes children under five, and both add a fuel surcharge at the dock.
The scenic flight is a different product altogether. The 25-minute scenic flight from the Heli-Tours base on Denarau Road, next door to Skydive Fiji, buys a private cabin and a window over Cloudbreak, Wilkes Passage, Namotu Lefts and the heart-shaped outline of Tavarua. You also pass Likuliku, which opened Fiji's first overwater bungalows, and the World War Two gun tower above Malolo. There is a 136 kg limit per seat and the pilot cancels on weather without argument.
If you want one boat and one day, take the eight-hour cruise to Monuriki and Mana Sand Bar. If you have a morning free before a flight home, the half-day snorkel and turtle sanctuary trip fits.
When to Go, and What the Weather Does
The dry season runs May to October. Trade winds cut the humidity, rain comes in short bursts, and July is the driest month of the year with around 50 mm. That is also when Australian and New Zealand school holidays land, so book the popular cruises a week or two out.
February is the wettest month at roughly 281 mm and sits inside the cyclone season, which officially covers November to April. Even then the islands average five to six hours of sun a day, and rain here usually falls hard for an hour rather than all afternoon. Water temperature holds between 26°C and 29°C year round, so nobody needs a wetsuit.
Wind matters more than rain for a day boat. A strong southeasterly chops up the outer channels, and skippers switch the snorkel stop to a sheltered bay rather than cancel.
| Months | Water | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| May to July | 26°C | Driest, coolest nights, best visibility |
| August to October | 26–27°C | Dry and windy, strong trades in the afternoon |
| November to January | 28–29°C | Hot, humid, short heavy showers |
| February to April | 29°C | Wettest, cyclone season, cheapest fares |
Prices in Fijian Dollars
Tours sold online are priced in US dollars, and everything on the island runs in Fijian dollars. On 27 July 2026 FJ$1 bought US$0.44, so US$1 gets you about FJ$2.25. Use that rate for the fees you pay in person.
South Sea Cruises' three-hour Mamanuca Island Explorer shows what the local pricing looks like: FJ$159 per adult and FJ$89 per child aged 5-15, infants free, on fares valid from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. It is a scenic cruise that drops guests at resorts, so you stay on board the whole time. At about US$70 it costs less than the day cruises here, and you set foot on nothing.
One more line to watch. Fijian operators add a 2.5 to 3 per cent card fee on credit and debit payments taken at their own desks, and the amount is not refundable. A prepaid ticket avoids it.
- FJ$159 adult, FJ$89 child: 3-hour scenic cruise, no island landing
- FJ$15: Treasure Island landing fee on the snorkel trip
- FJ$10 adult, FJ$5 child: fuel surcharge on the Sabre catamaran
- 2.5-3%: card fee on payments taken in Fiji
- FJ$2.25 to the US dollar as of 27 July 2026
Mamanuca Water Temperature Month by Month
The lagoon never drops below swimming temperature. What changes is the rain and the wind, which is what decides whether a day boat sails.
Dry season
Cyclone season
Peak crowds
Sea temperature in °C. July averages about 50 mm of rain, February about 281 mm.
Where the Boats Go
Departures cluster at Port Denarau and Wailoaloa Beach. The short trips work the inner cays; the full-day cruises run west to Mana and Monuriki, and the flight covers the surf reefs in the south.
Islands and stops
Departure points
Four Ways to See the Mamanucas
Same islands, four formats. This is what separates them once you strip the marketing off.
| Format | Length | Price | In the water | Lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-day cruise | 8 hours | $139 | Two snorkel stops, sand bar | Lovo lunch included |
| Sailing day | 7-8 hours | $123-$132 | Reef stop, sand cay | Buffet, chef-designed |
| Half-day snorkel | 5.5 hours | $90 | Guided reef, fish feeding | Island restaurant, extra |
| Scenic flight | 25 minutes | $370 | None | None |
Prices per adult, before landing fees and fuel surcharges.
What Travellers Say
★★★★★
★★★★★
We had a great time on our tour to the mamanuca islands! The food was delicious, the reef amazing and above all the crew were so much fun and really made our trip special!
★★★★★
★★★★★
We loved snorkeling at the sandbank, seeing beautiful coral and colourful fish, and jumping off the roof of the boat at the second stop. Castaway Beach was the highlight, with plenty of time to relax and explore. Lunch was outstanding. We're both vegan, and the crew prepared delicious vegan dishes.
★★★★★
★★★★★
The snorkelling was awesome, lots of coral and fish. The skipper made sure that he put us in nice calm water on very good reefs. The turtles and iguana were an awesome experience. We like that the group was small with only 13 all together. We had a little trouble in the morning finding the meeting point, it is just a walk through Smugglers Cove Bar on the seaward side.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Such a great tour. Our guides Manoa and Lombao were the best; super lovely and helpful and the fish feeding was definitely a highlight. SO many fish! Overall really awesome day and would totally recommend!
★★★★★
★★★★★
Easily one of our best days out the entire trip, it was well run, the staff are incredibly friendly, we never felt rushed and enjoyed a day on the water, jumping off the Catamaran, snorkling, having a few drinks on the island, using the paddleboards. The only pit fall was that we were last back to the boat and missed the buffet lunch.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Amazing day out for our family! We loved the boat and the snorkeling was beautiful. Delicious fresh food and great entertainment! 10/10 would definitely recommend!! Best day ever
Quotes come from the GetYourGuide listings for the trips on this page, reproduced as written and dated by the platform.
Booking It This Way
The itinerary is the product
Two boats can both say Mamanuca day cruise and one of them never stops. We list the actual islands each trip lands on so you know what you booked.
Fees named before you pay
The FJ$15 landing fee, the $10 fuel surcharge and the 3.5 per cent card fee on the flight all appear here, not at the dock.
Two agents, one catamaran
The seven-hour and eight-hour sailing days use the same 78-foot Sabre. Worth knowing before you pay $9 more for an extra hour.
Cancel free until the day before
Every trip on this page refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead, which covers a cyclone warning or a change of plan.
Written from Nadi
Sereana has worked these boats out of Port Denarau and Wailoaloa since 2014. The crossing times and meeting points come from the trips, not a brochure.
We take no payment
Bookings run through GetYourGuide with their terms and their customer service. We compare the trips, they handle the money.
Questions People Ask Before Booking
What are the best things to do in the Mamanuca Islands?
Snorkelling and island hopping carry the day here. The most-booked trip is the 8-hour cruise to Mana Sand Bar, Monu Cove and Monuriki at $139, rated 4.8 from 499 reviews, with a lovo lunch cooked on board. Next to it sit the sailing days at $123 to $132, the 5.5 hours snorkel and turtle sanctuary trip at $90, and a 25-minute scenic flight at $370. Off the boats, the draws are the surf breaks at Cloudbreak and Namotu, the floating bar at Cloud 9, and the beach club on Malamala.
How long is it from Nadi to the Mamanuca Islands?
Twenty minutes by road from Nadi International Airport to Port Denarau, then 30 minutes on the water to South Sea Island, the nearest cay. Treasure and Beachcomber take 45 minutes to an hour, Mana about 1 hour 15, Malolo about 1 hour 35, and Tokoriki about 1 hour 45. The furthest resorts run close to two hours. A full-day cruise to Monuriki spends roughly four hours of its eight underway.
How much does a Mamanuca Islands day trip cost?
From $90 for 5.5 hours with guided snorkelling and the Treasure Island turtle sanctuary, up to $370 for the private 25-minute flight. Full-day cruises with lunch land between $123 and $139. Add the extras collected in Fiji: a FJ$15 landing fee on the snorkel trip, a $10 adult fuel surcharge on the South Sea sailing day, and a 2.5 to 3 per cent card fee if you pay an operator directly.
Which Mamanuca island is the Cast Away island?
Monuriki, sometimes written Modriki, out on the western edge of the group. Tom Hanks filmed Cast Away there in 2000 and the production edited neighbouring islands out of shot. It is uninhabited, 1.15 km long and 178 m high, held in custodianship by the people of Yanuya, and since 2011 the National Trust of Fiji has run a Fiji crested iguana recovery project on it. The eight-hour cruise is the way to get there.
Can you visit the Mamanuca Islands without staying at a resort?
Yes. Every trip on this page starts and ends near Nadi on the same day, and resort guests get no priority on the boats. Day visitors land on Treasure, Mana Sand Bar, Monuriki and the sand cays, and the island restaurants serve them. If you want a resort pool and lunch without booking a room, Malamala Beach Club sells a day pass and sits 30 minutes from Port Denarau.
What is the best time of year for a Mamanuca Islands tour?
May to October. The trade winds hold, humidity drops, and July averages about 50 mm of rain against February's 281 mm. Cyclone season runs November to April, when the water is warmest at 29°C and fares are lowest. Boats sail through the wet season too, since the islands still get five to six hours of sun on a typical day, and skippers move the snorkel stop when the wind picks up.
Which island is best for snorkelling?
For a half day, the reef between Beachcomber and Treasure on the turtle sanctuary trip. It is shallow, sheltered and busy with sergeant majors, and the guides feed the fish off the back of the boat. For better coral and fewer swimmers, Monu Cove on the full-day cruise. Turtles are most reliable around Treasure, where a sanctuary raises hatchlings. Visibility across the lagoon usually runs 15 to 25 metres.
Do tours include hotel transfers from Nadi and Denarau?
Mostly. The Monuriki cruise includes a free return transfer from Denarau Island hotels and charges a fee from anywhere else. South Sea Cruises runs a pre-booked coach transfer from Nadi, Denarau, Wailoaloa, the Coral Coast, Natadola, Momi Bay and Sonaisali. The helicopter includes pickup inside the Nadi airport and Denarau corridor only. Give your hotel name when booking, and be at the desk 30 minutes before departure.
Are the boats suitable for children?
The Monuriki cruise takes all ages. Both sailing catamarans refuse children under five, and the South Sea day sets a minimum age of five with a $5 fuel surcharge for ages 2-15. The helicopter refuses babies under one year and caps each seat at 136 kg. The half-day snorkel trip works well for families with teenagers, since the water is shallow and the group is small.
What happens if the weather turns?
Skippers and pilots make the call, and they make it late. Boats reschedule or refund when the harbour is closed, and Heli-Tours cancels flights on weather without charge. Every trip here also carries free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, so a bad forecast the night before costs you nothing. Book a morning departure in cyclone season, since afternoon squalls build over Viti Levu.