Upper Navua Gorge: Fiji Whitewater Rafting

On Upper Navua rafting trips, our guides use paddle rafts with oar assist. The most agile boat in our fleet, your guide powers the raft with two hefty oars on a rear-mounted frame, while the crew of  4 – 8 guests paddle up front for added horsepower. Helmets are required.

Lunch is a delicious riverside picnic. Your guides will present an abundant spread of meats, cheeses, veggies, and bread with all the fixings, fresh fruit, cookies, and juice.

We need to know as soon as possible about any dietary restrictions we must consider in planning your trip. If you have additional food allergies or necessary restrictions, we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

The Fijian archipelago has a mild tropical maritime climate and generally stable temperatures all year round. Fiji’s so-called ‘wet season’ is from November to April and is the hotter part of the year, while the ‘dry season’ is from May to October. The reality, however, is that rainfall is fairly consistent each month of the year. Because it is on the windward side of Viti Levu (Fiji’s largest island), Pacific Harbour receives more annual rainfall than resort areas closer to Nadi on the leeward side. In our case, this increased rainfall translates to more water in the Upper Navua River and more fun in the rapids!

The Whitewater is Fresh

The water in the Upper Navua River is gloriously fresh, flowing from highland springs and collected rainwater. A day in the highlands rafting fun Class II-III rapids is the perfect reprieve from the salty ocean water and crowds on the coast.

In 1997, OARS President George Wendt and longtime OARS friends Nate and Kelly Bricker founded Rivers Fiji as the first whitewater rafting company in Fiji. Since then, Rivers Fiji has employed local residents to manage day-to-day rafting & sea kayaking operations and to help guide adventurous travelers from around the globe down the Upper Navua River and the ‘Luva River–two of the most beautiful tropical rivers on the planet.

Historically, Fiji’s tourism development has been focused primarily on the coastal communities, with Fiji’s interior populations receiving little benefit. Rivers Fiji, however, provides economic alternatives to people whose previous development options were limited to logging and resource extraction. Friendly, knowledgeable, and hospitable Fijian guides make the trips here unlike any other experience OARS offers. 

We are proud to operate our Upper Navua River trips in the Upper Navua Conservation Area, and a percentage of your trip cost is paid in use fees to nine land-owning families, two villages, and the Native Land Trust Board. To learn more about this unique partnership, check out our short film, River of Eden.

Reservations and Payments

Full payment is required at the time of booking.

Payments can be made by check, money order, eCheck, wire transfer, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. Prices are in US Dollars and all payments must be made in US Dollars. Payment of the deposit establishes your acceptance of our complete Terms and Conditions. Individual departures and trip capacity are strictly limited by the managing agency. Your payment is fully refundable for 7 days, less a 3% processing fee, after making a reservation when you reserve a trip 7 days or more prior to the final payment due date.

Cancellations and Refunds

Canceling your trip after your payment is processed will incur cancellation fees because OARS has absorbed costs on your behalf and will turn others away who would like to book the spaces we’re holding for you. If you must cancel your reservation after the rescission period described above, your cancellation fee will be determined according to the schedule below.

We regret we cannot make exceptions to the cancellation policy for any reason, including foul weather, poor air quality, wildfire activity, acts of terrorism, civil unrest, or personal emergencies. For these reasons, we strongly urge you to consider purchasing a travel protection plan.

Transfers

If you need to move your reservation to a different trip during the same year, or to a credit account for the following year, there is a $15/person fee up until 30 days prior to departure for a one-time transfer of your payment. If we are 29-7 days prior to your trip departure, there is a $50/person fee to transfer to another trip, within the same year or to a credit account for the following year. Transfer requests made 6 days or less prior to departure, 50% of your trip cost can be credited to another trip within the same year only. Transfer requests made the day of departure will be treated like a cancellation according to the schedule above.

Canceled Trips

OARS International and the outfitter Rivers Fiji reserve the right to cancel any trip due to insufficient registration or other factors that make the trip impractical to operate. In such instances, we will inform you at least 30 days prior to departure. Do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until you have verified with OARS that your trip is confirmed.

If a trip must be canceled or postponed due to force majeure (factors outside the control of OARS), OARS will provide full credit for payments made toward future travel, or a refund less the initial deposit amount and any non-refundable payments made on your behalf to 3rd-party suppliers. OARS will make good faith efforts to recover deposits made on your behalf to 3rd-party suppliers; however, we cannot guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made. OARS is not responsible for expenses incurred by participants in preparation for a canceled trip.