Natadola Beach

Natadola is the exception on Viti Levu: most of the island's beaches sit behind a reef flat that empties at low tide, but Natadola shelves into deep water close to shore, which makes it the one place on the main island where you can swim properly at any state of the tide. It is a wide curve of white sand backed by casuarina, with a resort at one end and village horses offering rides along the sand.

What you actually see

• The beach - a wide curve of white sand, the best on the main island.
• The deep water - a shelving bottom that allows swimming at any tide.
• The surf - a break offshore, worked by bodyboarders and surfers.
• The horses - village horses offered for rides along the sand.

When to go

May to October is the drier season. Unlike most Fijian beaches the tide does not govern swimming here. Cyclone season runs November to April.

Honest expectations

There is a current and the shore break can be strong; this is the one beach on the coast where swimming is genuinely deep, which cuts both ways. Facilities outside the resort are limited. Horse and vendor approaches are persistent.

Nearby

The Coral Coast begins east, and Nadi is north.