Lautoka Bula Discovery Tour

A great introduction to Fiji
September 03, 2023
We choose this tour for our shore day in Lautoka despite it being more expensive than ship tours because we wanted a more authentic and personalised tour of the island. Henry, our guide met me and my husband at 8:15am & then proceeded to drive us in air conditioned comfort to Nadi, the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, a fresh food market, Fijian country side, shopping at the local tourist souvenir store and some the housing districts. He was very knowledgeable and informative and was happy to answer my many questions about Fiji! downside was was that the village we were meant to have a tour through was apparently not taking visitors that day- hence Henry improvising and driving us through the housing districts as an alternative instead. whilst it is no reflection on the Shore Tours company, because the ship docked at Lautoka on a Sunday, pretty much all shops were closed, the fruit markets were also pretty much dead and I suspect that is perhaps why we were not able to visit the village.
Reviewer: Samantha Ridgeway
4 Stars
Lautoka Fiji and the Garden of the Sleeping Giants
May 03, 2023
April 12 2023.This was a lovely tour of the western part of Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji. The modern bus for the tour was clearly marked (in amongst lots of buses from the cruise line and others) and easy to find. The tour guide Emmi and driver Simon were great. Cold bottled water and AC on full made a welcome relief from the local heat and humidity. The mid size (25-30 seats) was a perfect size to easily get to all the attractions and sights, and only 20 on the tour made it easy to hear the guide and other speakers experience explain the local culture, plants and features of the area. The driver was very mindful of everyone's comfort by adjusting his speed to the very poor state of many of the local roads. Will use SEG on next cruise next year.
Reviewer: Phil
5 Stars
Jeep tour
April 18, 2023
Had a great guide, Emi. Very personable and knowledgeable about her country. Had a few good stops and the Garden of the Sleeping Giant was the highlight for me.
Reviewer: Trudy Mervyn
5 Stars
Jeep tour
April 06, 2023
We were on some very 'interesting' back roads...luckily we had very good drivers! Saw a lot of the countryside. Worth the trip!
Reviewer: Trudy Mervyn
5 Stars
Lautoka Bulla Discovery Tour
March 14, 2023
Emmi great guide, Muhammed safe driver. Knowledge outstanding, Sleeping Giant beautiful gardens and orchids, delicious refreshment drink. Good experience at Hindu Temple. Interesting market place. Loved the visit to the village, gave insight as to what life there is like and the culture. Interesting the chiefs hut and the four doors. A lovely Methodist church. People beautiful and welcoming. Thank you.
Reviewer: Donna Hill
5 Stars
Lautoka Bula Discovery Tour
February 21, 2023
We were met by our Guide "R2" (I'm sure his name isn't spelt like this) and taken to an air conditioned coach. We visited R2's village were he explained the origin of the indigenous people along with life in the village. This was the highlight of the tour. We visited the orchid garden (previously owned by the late actor Raymond Burr. R2 was an excellent guide and made this tour extremely interesting. I would recommend this tour.
Reviewer: Adrian
5 Stars
Lautoka Bula Discovery Tour
February 16, 2023
The day started with a very warm welcome to all on our cruise ship from singers and dancers of the local community - what a lovely heartwarming sight. We joined our tour and Tour Guide "R2" yes his name was R2, perhaps spelt differently. What a warm, welcome and knowledgeable guide. He took us to his local village (the highlight of the tour for us) and told us about village life, the Chief ancestory and their for founders. Thanks for a lovely day thouroughly enjoyed it and the company of R2 our guide.
Reviewer: Adrian
5 Stars
good value
May 18, 2019
This tour was well organized, the bus comfortable, and we enjoyed the Gardens of the Sleeping Giant. Visiting the Fiji Village was very interesting. Bus driver and tour guide were informative and friendly.
Reviewer: Gabriele Butz
4 Stars
Excellent overview of Lautoka for a good price
May 06, 2019
Our guide promptly picked our group of 6 up at the port and began our tour (keeping us ahead of the big ship tours) at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant. All along the way he provided facts about Lautoka. The Temple was beautiful and there was a young couple having their new truck blessed (fascinating!). The tour of the local market with all its sights and smells was interesting. The only activity we weren't wild about was the time spent shopping at a souvenir shop in town. We returned to the boat in plenty of time.
Reviewer: Heather Densmore
5 Stars
Wish there was more cultural depth!
November 24, 2018
We enjoyed the tour, and we learned some about the the everyday village life and history of the Island. Scenery was good and our guide was knowledgeable. Do bear in mind, this is 3rd world Polynesia, not the paradise of being in a luxury resort!
Reviewer: Henry Werch
4 Stars
Lautoka Bula Discovery Tour
May 14, 2018
Very good guide Nice small group comfortable bus interesting stops to give a good overview of island good value
Reviewer: Alex Bissett
5 Stars
Lautoka Bula Discovery Tour
April 09, 2018
We had an excellent guide. The visit to one of the villages was very insightful as was the Garden of the Sleeping Giant. The highlight, however, was the visit to a local market. It was massive and the variety of products was mind boggling. The air conditioned van was a welcome relief from the hot, humid temperatures. However, the suspension needed repair/replacement because it was very difficult to hear the guide even with the use of a microphone because the van made so much noise travelling the uneven roads.
Reviewer: Alan Kazuta
5 Stars
Bula Discovery
May 05, 2017
This tour was very nice the orchid gardens were beautiful but because it was a Sunday we could not visit a village but did get to see ancient ruins of what was left of an original settlement.
Reviewer: Donna
5 Stars
Lautoke Bula
April 21, 2017
Great, very informative and enjoyable. Friendly, knowledgeable guide.
Reviewer: Victor
5 Stars
Lautoka discovery tour
March 08, 2017
We were met outside after disembarking and were taken by a van on an amazing tour of Lautoka and several highlighted area, Hindu Temple, Orchid Garden and the ride of the village of Lajutoka. We were overwhelmed by this experience and would highly recommend this tour.
Reviewer: Louis Suarez
5 Stars
The Garden was Great
February 17, 2017
Visiting Raymond Burr's private estate garden was the highlight. The Hindu temple stop was a letdown as we expected a more elaborate structure. This one is gaudy. They make you remove your shoes at the entrance, requiring a walk across very hot pavement to reach the "temple". A visit to a produce market was interesting but the stop for shopping not so much.
Reviewer: Frank
4 Stars
Great expectations
February 15, 2017
Our tour was a highlight of our cruis. The orchid garden tour was beautiful and given by a very knowledgeable woman. After we visited the largest Hindu Temple and were amazed at its beauty and our tour guide Amy gave extensive explanations for all of us who had limited knowledge. The visit to the,native village was awesome and informative for all of us with little knowledge of the history of Figi and the rise of Christianity.
Reviewer: Louis Suarez
5 Stars