Koroyanitu National Heritage Park

Koroyanitu covers the mountains behind Lautoka and protects one of the last stands of natural forest in western Viti Levu, a mix of cloud forest on the tops and grassland below. It is managed by the landowning villages rather than by a national parks service, with Abaca village as the base: there is a lodge, marked trails, a waterfall, and a walk up Mount Batilamu with a night at the ridge hut for those who want the sunrise over the coast.

What you actually see

• The cloud forest - natural forest on the upper slopes, rare on this side of the island.
• The Batilamu walk - a climb to the ridge with a hut for an overnight.
• The waterfall - a fall in the forest reached on a shorter walk from the village.
• The village management - the community-run arrangement the park operates under.

When to go

May to October is the drier season and the best for walking. The wet season makes the tracks difficult and the ridge is often in cloud. Nights on the ridge are cool.

Honest expectations

Everything runs through Abaca village and arrangements are made there rather than online. The road in needs a four-wheel drive. Facilities are village-level: the lodge is basic and the hut on the ridge is very basic.

Nearby

Lautoka is on the coast below, and Nadi is south.