Going On An ATV Tour In Nadi, Fiji 🇫🇯: Go Dirty Tours
- Konrad Tillman
- Jun 19
- 6 min read
Intro
During my time in Fiji, I got up to many activities, and honestly, didn't really sleep. However, one of the highlights of this long weekend getaway had to be going on an ATV tour with Go Dirty Tours. Man, I'm not one to fall for a tourist trap, but this was pretty damn fun.
I don't make any money (at all) but just want to help. If you want the link to book, here it is in full (just click).
Location+Booking
Finishing up my coffee at The Coffee Hub nearby, I embarked on the long walk over to Go Dirty Tours. You can look it up online, but it is about a 5-10 minute drive from downtown, and sort of hard to find without Google Maps.
Nah, but honestly, enjoy my cheeky beer, I managed to locate the place I was looking for. I mean, I would have to be another 7 beers in before I would think a place filled with ATVs might be a rebel camp in Rakhine state.
Jokes aside, upon arriving, I saw a group of people sitting down in the main room. As I approached the main room, a man came up to me and said, "Do you have a reservation?" (like I would book in advance, pffttt) (actually, please do book in advance, it makes life easier), and I replied, "Nope".
He said, "Not an issue. We are just about to send a group out now, and you can join if you would like". Perfect!
As I began filling out the paperwork and handing in a picture of my driver's license (yes, you need one), they informed me about insurance. You have two options:
Pay a 45 Fijian Dollars (about 22$), which is non-refundable, but even if you crash, you don't have to pay a dime.
The company takes a 2000$ hold (I believe, might be 5), but if you crash or someone else crashes into you, you have to pay the whole thing.
So, how much was it? After the insurance and all, the price came out to 394 Fijian for one person (I believe an extra 50$ per passenger).
For those that are too lazy to look online: that is 174 USD, and some change.
The Tour
With all of the boring paperwork finished, it was time to embark on the tour. You have the option to book many different tours on their website, such as including a helicopter (and not the one your mum tells you as a kid "open wide"), but I stuck with the simple 3-hour tour.
Naturally, we had a safety briefing before leaving and were instructed to do so. Press gas. Press break. Follow instructions, etc.
Unlike with airlines, where I can recite the safety briefing, I paid attention to this one, as the last time I rode an ATV, I flipped one and it came inches from killing me. Scary stuff, after that, my semi-professional career as a dirt car racer ended.
Vamos! Let's begin
For those who are worried about driving an ATV, you only spend about the first 10 minutes driving on an actual road, with actual cars. Yes, you have to follow the laws of the road, and please be respectful.
However, once you are off the road, the guide takes you up into the mountains in your group of 4-5. You enter tribal lands and get to see the natural beauty that Fiji has to offer. Interestingly, there are many tribes in Fiji, and the lands you go through have actually been separated into 2 different tribal regions.
It was about 25 minutes of driving before we stopped off at our first viewpoint.
Once picture time was over, we trodded along (they reach up to about 60 km/hr) and made our way up to the last viewpoint for the day, which took about 15 minutes! Equally, this was just as gorgeous. What a time to be alive.
Naturally, this is not just a review of an ATV Tour. Once at the top, the whole group and the two guides came together to begin chatting. I met a lovely bloke from New Zealand who was here on a layover, and we began getting to know about the real side of Fiji from the guide.
It's moments like this, where you reach that peak of mindfulness. Not a soul in sight but your group, a beautiful backdrop, and being with people that are open. That's the beauty in life ❤️.
Deeply engaged in chatter, our guide informed us that we had to get going if we wanted to make it to the beach. I mean, I didn't want to leave, but I ain't got a choice 😅.
It was roughly another 45 minutes back down to the town, and once we arrived, we had to cross through town on our ATVs looking like damn tourists. It's embarrassing, at least for me it is. 😅
All I can think about is some Fijians enjoying a coffee thinking, "who are these muppets all in a line following some guide" 😂.
With 15 minutes left in the tour, it was time to; Cue Nascar broadcaster, "Gentleman, Start... Your... Engines". Not really, you just sort of flick the switch 😘.
Anyhoo, we headed back to basecamp, which was no more than 7 minutes away, and headed back to where we did orientation.
Waiting for us was the kind manager with a heap of food ready to be eaten by all (included in the price, by the way). It was sort of the perfect way to end the day, as we had turned from 5 random strangers into 5 new friends who would happen to meet for drinks later.
Just remember, "if you don't put yourself out there, you don't know what is in store for you".
Final Thoughts
Whether you are here in Fiji on a layover for a day or on holiday for a week, I cannot recommend heading out on an ATV Tour. While it might be a little pricy at 174 USD for a 3-hour tour, you get to see the native tribal lands, with people who are actually from there. You get to meet new people, share laughs, and hopefully create memories that last a lifetime. ❤️
BTW: It doesn't have to be with Go Dirty Tours, but that's what I recommend since I can vouch personally for them.
Also: Pay the 20 USD for the insurance...
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