Welcome back to Wakaya, a private island.  We continue our explorations of this beautiful piece of Fijian paradise.

The Wakaya Island Resort and Spa allow us to explore their island, despite it being an exclusive resort.

The Chieftain’s Leap

During 1800’s the neighboring island of Ovalu successfully attacked and conquered the island of Wakaya.  The strong warriors with “white men and guns” were no match for the three local Wakayan villages.

The warriors killed the men and kidnapped the women.  The chief, 20 warriors and a few remaining villagers fled to the hills.  With no possibility of a truce, the chief decided to leap off the cliff to avoid torture and capture.  20 of his warriors followed.

The locals now refer to the cliff as “The Chieftain’s Leap.”

We drive 20 minutes down a bumpy dirt road to the bottom of the tallest cliff.

It is a short 20 minute walk to the cliff.  The path is well marked and is mostly flat.  There are a few places you have to scurry over tree roots, rocks and boulders.

At the top of the cliff, we were rewarded with amazing views.  It was truly a spectacular experience.

Staff Village

After we visited the Chieftain’s Leap we stopped by the staff village. 

There is a multi-denominational church, nurse’s station, community center, and school (K-8).

We visited the school which was by far the highlight of my year! 

The 23 students sang “Lean on Me” which made me cry and then they sang “We are the World.”  It was so beautiful!

Wakaya Island Resort and Spa

Some more pretty photos of the resort from the anchorage.

We enjoyed a most delicious meal.

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.  We were visiting Wakaya around the end of July 2025.

Don’t miss part I of our Wakaya Stay called “Wakaya, a Private Island.”