Koro Island is the seventh largest island in Fiji. The island is tucked halfway between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. It is the shy gorgeous cousin of those two more famous islands.  However, it is less touristy, more authentic, and packed with charm.

Koro island has a rugged and hilly terrain, lush with rainforest, coconut plantations, and beautiful views. 

There are 14 traditional villages with a population of a 5,000 Fijians.

Koro is the most fertile island in Fiji.  It boasts of large plantations and thriving tropical forests.

Most of inhabitants are subsistence farmers growing kava and selling copra.  However,  forestry and timber logging are also important economic factors.

The volcanic island has a ridge in the middle which runs from North to South and reaches 561 meters at its highest point.

Forests cover the center of the island and coconut trees line the coasts. 

History

Captain William Bligh of HMS Bounty was the first European to discover Koro and Maokgai Islands in May 1789.

American Marine Regiments used Koro Island as part of Operation Dovetail during WWII.

Explores named the Koro Sea after this volcanic island.  

Tropical cyclone Winston devasted the island in February 2016.  Winston was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere on record.  The center of the storm passed right over the island.

Around 3000 people of its population were homeless after the storm. Since then the island, the resilient Fijians have slowly recovered from this disaster.

Life at Koro Island

We went to the next bay over to do our sevusevu with the chief. 

Most of the 200+ locals were up at the farm leaving the village completely desolate. 

The chief and his brother accepted our sevusevu and showed us around.

We had hoped to go to shore to walk the beach and find a path over to the other side of the island. 

However, it was king tide making the beaches inaccessible during low tide.  And during high tide there was not much of a beach to walk on.

There is a very yacht friendly resort being built called Koro Island Resort.  They are located just over the hill. 

They installed (4) moorings for visiting yachts and they allow yachties to enjoy the facilities.

Nature blesses us with this beautiful sunrise on our last day at Koro Island.

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events.  We motored to Koro Island around mid-July 2025.

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We encounter a humpback whale and a pod of pilot whales in the span of 1 hour! Check it out.