Zip lining Fiji: The Sleeping Giant

With just one full day to spend on Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu, before departing for the Yasawa Islands, I decided to escape the resort for the afternoon and try something a little more active than just walking between the pool and nearby bar – zip lining Fiji at the Sleeping Giant!

Credit where it’s due, when the day is looking as good as this one by the pool it can be difficult to pull away. The only offer that had me enthusiastic to bid adieu to my deck chair was the promise of an afternoon spent hurtling through a tropical rainforest canopy.

A relaxing 25 minute drive by Jeep to Lakouta took us back through the city of Nadi and out into the lush green Fijian countryside.

We were greeted warmly by the crew at Sleeping Giant Zip Line. With fewer visitors in the park on a hot and humid afternoon, we were quickly kitted out with harness, helmet and gloves. Then it was off to explore the 35 acre Eco adventure park in a unique way – through the air!

This wasn’t my first time zip lining, having previously flown among the gibbons in Chiang Mai, so I felt pretty confident to get into it straight away.

The course spans over 1.3km, with five separate zips ranging from 80m to 160m in length. The highlight is definitely the longest zip, which flings riders out across a small waterfall near the base of the course.

The surrounding scenery of jungle vines, surging streams and the sound of native bird calls made channelling Tarzan vibes a breeze. While the course is not very long, it was a lot of fun and the hilarious crew had us laughing the whole way around.

With only short walks between some of the lines and the bonus of a relatively empty park, we finished the course pretty quickly. Unlike other zip lines, your ticket to Sleeping Giant gives you access to the park for the day, so you can technically do the course as many times as you want.

Now that we had the hang of it (pun intended), it was time for a second swing through the trees. This time, the crew showed us how to do tricks on the zip line like hanging upside down – which I was able to replicate with some success.

If you’ve zip lined before, this course won’t be the most challenging or thrill-inducing, but it sure is a special way to see a different side to the island.

Next up was a jungle trek to the Orchard Falls. The walk up the mountain is not too strenuous, taking only 30 minutes. Our guide Meme identified interesting native plants, fruit, wild coffee bushes and sights along the way, including a brief detour to see cannibal rock.

Swimming in the cool waters at the waterfall’s base was a welcome treat after trekking in the hottest part of the day. Especially as we had the place to ourselves!

Overall, we loved our time with the crew at Sleeping Giant Zip Line and would recommend it to anyone who wants a bit more adventure injected into their Fiji resort holiday.