Sandbar connecting the islands of Waya and Wayasewa
Nanuya Lai Lai
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 kilometres (50 mi) from a point 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-west of Lautoka, is volcanic in origin and very mountainous, with peaks ranging from 250 to 600 metres (820 to 1,969 ft) in height. The only safe passage for shipping is between Yasawa Island (the second largest in the archipelago, about 22 kilometres (14 mi) long and less than a kilometer wide) and Round Island, 22 kilometers to the north-east.
History
The British navigator William Bligh was the first European to sight the Yasawas in 1789, following the Mutiny on the Bounty. Captain Barber in HMS Arthur visited the islands in 1794, but they were not charted until 1840, when they were surveyed and charted by a United States expedition commanded by Charles Wilkes.
Throughout the 1800s, Tongan raiders bartered for, and sometimes stole, the sail mats for which the Yasawas were famous. The islands were largely ignored by the wider world until World War II, when the United States military used them as communications outposts.
Until 1987, it was the policy of the Fiji government that the Yasawa Group was closed to land-based tourism because the king of the Yasawa Group, who was not controlled by the government, did not want tourism. There were limited cruise operations since the 1950s, but passengers had to stay aboard their ships. Without tourism, the local residents lived in peace and harmony in a communal atmosphere. Since the Fijian government lifted the restrictions on land-based tourism in the Yasawa Group, a number of resorts have been established there. Due to its freehold real-estate status, three budget resorts have been operating on Tavewa island since the early 1980s.
Access
The Yasawa Flyer connects Port Denarau with the Yasawa Islands.
As one of the outer island chains, options to get to the Yasawa Islands are a bit more limited than some of the closer islands to Nadi and Denarau. Sea planes from local airlines (like Turtle Airways) make multiple flights to the Yasawa resorts per day, and charters are also available.[1] Helicopter charters are also available or one can take the Yasawa Flyer, a catamaran.
yasawa, islands, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, february, . 16 55 S 177 20 E 16 917 S 177 333 E 16 917 177 333 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Yasawa Islands news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Map of Viti Levu with the Yasawa Islands displayed on the top left 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 kilometres 52 sq mi Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Tourism economy and culture 4 Access 5 References 6 External linksGeography Edit Bay of Yalobi Waya Island Sandbar connecting the islands of Waya and Wayasewa Nanuya Lai Lai 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 kilometres 50 mi from a point 40 kilometres 25 mi north west of Lautoka is volcanic in origin and very mountainous with peaks ranging from 250 to 600 metres 820 to 1 969 ft in height The only safe passage for shipping is between Yasawa Island the second largest in the archipelago about 22 kilometres 14 mi long and less than a kilometer wide and Round Island 22 kilometers to the north east History EditThe British navigator William Bligh was the first European to sight the Yasawas in 1789 following the Mutiny on the Bounty Captain Barber in HMS Arthur visited the islands in 1794 but they were not charted until 1840 when they were surveyed and charted by a United States expedition commanded by Charles Wilkes Throughout the 1800s Tongan raiders bartered for and sometimes stole the sail mats for which the Yasawas were famous The islands were largely ignored by the wider world until World War II when the United States military used them as communications outposts Tourism economy and culture EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed September 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Until 1987 it was the policy of the Fiji government that the Yasawa Group was closed to land based tourism because the king of the Yasawa Group who was not controlled by the government did not want tourism There were limited cruise operations since the 1950s but passengers had to stay aboard their ships Without tourism the local residents lived in peace and harmony in a communal atmosphere Since the Fijian government lifted the restrictions on land based tourism in the Yasawa Group a number of resorts have been established there Due to its freehold real estate status three budget resorts have been operating on Tavewa island since the early 1980s Access Edit The Yasawa Flyer connects Port Denarau with the Yasawa Islands As one of the outer island chains options to get to the Yasawa Islands are a bit more limited than some of the closer islands to Nadi and Denarau Sea planes from local airlines like Turtle Airways make multiple flights to the Yasawa resorts per day and charters are also available 1 Helicopter charters are also available or one can take the Yasawa Flyer a catamaran References Edit Resort Transfers Fiji Seaplane flights Turtle Airways Turtle Airways Fiji Seaplane Transfer Service Retrieved 2020 07 20 External links EditBackpackers and Billionaires article about the Yasawa Group s and Fiji s history Yasawa Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage This article about a geographical location in Fiji is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Yasawa Islands amp oldid 1016326393, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
