Monuriki vs Other Mamanuca Day Trips
Monuriki or another Mamanuca day from Port Denarau? Beach clubs, resorts, sailing days and floating bars side by side: time, food, price and which one lands on Monuriki.
Most day trips from Port Denarau go to a beach club, a resort island, a sand cay or a floating bar, and none of the ones carded here goes to Monuriki except Cruisin’ Fiji’s day cruise, listed as Fiji: Monuriki, Mana Sand Bar & Snorkelling Cruise, from US$135 a person (checked November 2026). Pick Monuriki for the Cast Away island and a day mostly in the water; pick a beach club or resort day for a pool, a bar and shade, often closer to Denarau.
The calendar above is the Monuriki day cruise, with 686 reviews (checked November 2026).
The short answer
If the film is why you are going, or you want to spend the day swimming and snorkelling and then eat lunch on an island with nothing built on it, take the Monuriki cruise. If you want a lounger, a pool, cocktails and a short boat ride, take a beach club or a floating bar. If you have children and want everything included, Captain Cook Cruises’ island day is the closest to a resort day with the food and drink paid for. None of the other days below goes to Monuriki.
Where each day goes
In a straight line from Port Denarau Marina, Malamala Island is 12.5 km away, Castaway Island 27 km, Mana Island 30.5 km and Monuriki 41 km. Malamala Beach Club is 30 minutes from Port Denarau and the Seventh Heaven floating bar about 45 minutes; Monuriki is the far end of the day, reached after two stops on the way out.
The days side by side
| Day trip | Where it goes | Time | Food and drink | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Monuriki day cruise (GetYourGuide) | Mana Sand Bar, Monu Cove, Monuriki | 8 hours | Lovo lunch, snacks, fruit and drinks included | US$135 |
| The same Monuriki cruise (Viator) | Mana Sand Bar, Monu Cove, Monuriki | 8 hours | Morning tea, lovo lunch on Monuriki, drinks | US$138 |
| Captain Cook Cruises' island and reef day sail (GetYourGuide) | A private beach on Kadavu Lailai | A full day | BBQ lunch, teas and drinks included | US$112 in current promotion (usually US$132) |
| Malamala Beach Club day pass (GetYourGuide) | Malamala Island, 30 minutes out | 6 to 7 hours | Not included | US$99 |
| South Sea Sailing Experience (GetYourGuide) | A reef snorkel and a sand cay, by sailing catamaran | 7 hours | Buffet lunch and drinks included | US$132 |
| Castaway Island Resort day cruise (GetYourGuide) | The resort on Castaway Island (Qalito) | A full day, about 5 hours on the island | Two-course lunch; drinks extra | US$171 |
| Seventh Heaven floating bar day trip (GetYourGuide) | A floating pontoon in the Mamanucas, about 45 minutes out | 6 hours | Not included; no food or drink of your own | US$77 |
| Cloud 9 floating bar and pizzeria (GetYourGuide) | A two-level floating bar | 6 hours | Not included; bought on board | US$108 |
Prices per person from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season. Three South Sea Cruises days add a mandatory fuel surcharge on top of the price: $10 per adult and per child aged 5 to 15 on Malamala, $10 per adult and $5 to $7.50 per child aged 5 to 15 on Castaway Island, and $5 per adult and $5 per child on the sailing day. The currency is not stated.
Monuriki: the island itself
Cruisin’ Fiji’s day spends 2.5 to 3 hours on Monuriki, which is uninhabited, with a guided walk to the places where Cast Away was filmed, a coconut husking demonstration, an optional hike to the summit and the lovo lunch beneath bures, after snorkel stops at Mana Sand Bar and Monu Cove. Snorkelling equipment and life jackets are included, and pickups from Denarau Island resorts are free. It is the day for people who want to be in the water and on a wild island, and it is a long one, 9:00 am to about 4:30 or 5 pm.
Check dates for the Monuriki day
Beach clubs and resort islands
Malamala Beach Club is a beach club on its own small island, 30 minutes from Port Denarau, with an infinity-edge pool, beachside cabanas for hire, and snorkelling, kayak and paddleboard gear and towels included; food and drinks are extra. The Castaway Island day goes to a resort with pools, bars and a beachside restaurant, where the two-course lunch is included and drinks are not. Both suit a slow day by a pool more than a day in the water, and neither goes near Monuriki. Why Castaway Island is not the film island is on the Cast Away island page.
All-inclusive and sailing days
Captain Cook Cruises’ island and reef day sails about an hour each way to a private beach on Kadavu Lailai, with a BBQ lunch, morning and afternoon tea and drinks included, snorkelling from the beach, kayaks, paddleboards, a glass-bottom boat, talks by marine biologists and a kids club. The South Sea Sailing Experience spends 7 hours on a sailing catamaran with a reef snorkel and a sand cay, a buffet lunch, and beer and wine for two hours from lunchtime; it is for ages 5 and over. These are the families’ choice when everyone wants the food and drink sorted.
Floating bars
Seventh Heaven and Cloud 9 are floating bars moored in the Mamanucas: a boat out, sun decks, a swim and a bar. Food and drinks are bought on board, and on Seventh Heaven you cannot bring your own; children under 8 cannot go on Seventh Heaven, and Cloud 9 is not suitable for children under 10 and is a bar where people drink and can smoke. They are the most social day out, and the furthest thing from Monuriki.
More in the Mamanucas
Island Days and Cruises with Open Dates
Other day trips from Port Denarau and Nadi with live availability. Most do not go to Monuriki; what each includes is on its listing.
If It Is Monuriki You Want
The day cruise from Port Denarau with two snorkel stops and 2.5 to 3 hours on Monuriki, lunch and drinks included.
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