Getting Dirty in Fiji

Who said you can’t get clean by getting a little dirty?? As some of you may have read on our Fiji Bucket list, one of the top things we wanted to do while in Fiji was take a dip in the Sabeto Mud Pools, and take a dip we did!

The drive to the mud pools is like nothing we’ve ever experienced before. While it’s only a short distance from the Nadi International Airport, once you turn off the main highway you end up driving down a semi-paved road along the mountains of Fiji. The drive to the mud pools is an adventure on it’s own. The views are incredible and looks like a scene from Jurassic Park. We literally thought a Velociraptor was going to jump out of the weeds at any minute… all we needed was Jeff Goldblum to be in the backseat with us and we were there. In addition to the scenery, the Fijian people are equally as incredible. As we were driving down the road everyone was waving and saying hello to welcome us to their village. This is very different from the greetings we’re used to when driving into New York City.

After the short drive we arrived at the Tifajek Mud Pool & Hot Spring. As soon as you pull in you can instantly tell that this is a very special place. We were immediately welcomed by our guide, Ilami, who began explaining the history and healing properties of the Mud Pools. After a brief lesson we changed into our bathing suites and headed over to cover ourselves in mud.

This is where things start to get dirty!

Ilami told us that we had to be all black from head to to toe and not to be shy. As we were lathering ourselves in the mud, our guide continued to explain how unique of a place the Tifajek Mud Pools really were. The mud at these pools is volcanic mud and supposedly contains nearly every mineral found on earth with the exception of Chlorine. There are only a handful of other places in the world where you can find mud with so many types of minerals and special healing properties.

After putting mud in places where it probably shouldn’t go and striking some warrior poses we sat for several minutes to let it harden and dry. While we were waiting Ilami explained how these mud pools are a large part of the local community. All of the people working there are from the surrounding villages and rely on these pools as a large part of their income.

Next we headed into the hot springs to wash away the mud. Biggest bathtub ever! After cleaning ourselves off and getting out of the hot springs you could feel a noticeable difference in your skin. Smooth like a baby’s bottom!