Short answer: the Fiji Bula Pass costs from $399 per person for 5 days to $599 for 15 days, in AUD. It covers the boat and nothing else: unlimited hop-on hop-off travel on the Yasawa Flyer catamaran from Port Denarau through the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands, plus hotel coach transfers. Beds are extra, and so are meals. Every island resort charges a compulsory meal plan of FJ$135 to FJ$209 a day (about A$86 to A$133). All-in, a 7-day island-hop in dorms comes to about A$1,450 per person before activities.
That last number is the one most Bula Pass guides leave out. (Today’s best-value picks across passes, island stays and packages: Fiji backpacker deals.) This one works it out line by line. It also shows when the Bula Pass is the right ticket and when a pass with beds included is better value.
Prices are per person in AUD, from our listings on 25 October 2026, and can change. Meal plan prices are the ferry operator’s published rates for travel from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027, converted at FJ$1 = A$0.63 (24 October 2026).
Bula Pass prices by length
| Pass length | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 5 days | $399 |
| 6 days | $419 |
| 7 days | $419 |
| 8 days | $459 |
| 9 days | $479 |
| 10 days | $479 |
| 11 days | $519 |
| 12 days | $539 |
| 13 days | $559 |
| 14 days | $579 |
| 15 days | $599 |
Each extra day adds only a little, so the cost per day falls as the pass gets longer. Where two lengths cost the same, take the longer one. The extra day is free, and it gives you slack if the weather holds a boat or you fall for an island.
Island meal plans: the cost nobody puts up front
Most Yasawa islands have few or no shops or cafes, so each resort sells a daily meal plan (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and makes it compulsory. You pay it on the island, on top of your bed. These are the published daily rates for the backpacker resorts on the Flyer’s route:
| Resort | Meal plan per person per day | In AUD |
|---|---|---|
| South Sea Island | FJ$135 | about $86 |
| Boathouse Nanuya | FJ$149 | about $95 |
| Barefoot Kuata | FJ$167 | about $106 |
| Barefoot Manta | FJ$167 | about $106 |
| Mantaray Island | FJ$179 | about $114 |
| Coconut Beach | FJ$180 | about $114 |
| Mai Sunset Beach | FJ$185 | about $117 |
| Blue Lagoon Beach | FJ$209 | about $133 |
| Octopus Resort | FJ$209 | about $133 |
| Paradise Cove | breakfast included; lunch and dinner FJ$249 | about $158 |
Over a week that’s often more than the pass itself. Budget about A$100 to A$115 a day for food on a typical backpacker route, plus drinks.
What a week really costs, all-in
Three ways to spend 7 days in the Yasawas, on the same route: 2 nights at Blue Lagoon Beach, 2 at Mantaray, 1 at Kuata and 1 at South Sea Island, all in dorms. Meal plans on that route come to FJ$1,078, about A$684. Everyone pays the ferry fuel surcharge, currently FJ$20 (about A$13).
| Bula Pass, 7 days | Yasawa Pass, 7 days | Set package: Fiji 7 Days, 4 Islands | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket price | $419 | $759 | $1,279 |
| Boat and hotel coach | Included | Included | Included |
| 6 nights in dorms | Not included: book and pay as you go | Included, booked before you fly | Included, booked before you fly |
| Activities | Pay as you go | Pay as you go | Sawa-i-Lau caves, village visit, manta swim in season, reef-shark snorkel, tube ride and summit hike included |
| Meal plans (this route) | about $684 | about $684 | about $684 |
| Total before drinks | $419 + beds + about $684 | about $1,455 | about $1,980 |
How to read it:
- The Yasawa Pass costs $759 for 7 days with 6 dorm nights, against $419 for the Bula Pass with none. That makes each dorm night roughly A$57, booked and confirmed before you leave. Booked ahead, you never step off the boat at an island with no dorm bed free.
- The set package costs about A$520 more than the Yasawa Pass and includes the paid activities. If you were going to do the caves, the manta swim and the shark snorkel anyway, it’s the easier booking. If you’d rather lie on the beach, it isn’t.
- The Bula Pass on its own suits travellers who already have beds sorted, who want total freedom to change islands every morning, or who are stopping at only one or two resorts.
How the Bula Pass works
- Coach to Port Denarau. On day one a coach collects you from your hotel (most Nadi, Denarau, Vuda and Wailoaloa hotels are covered) and drops you at the marina.
- Board the Yasawa Flyer. The catamaran leaves Port Denarau at 8.45am every day and heads out through the Mamanuca Islands and up the Yasawa chain. Resort boats meet it offshore to carry you in.
- Get off where you like. Step off at any island on the route and stay as long as you want. When you’re ready to move, catch the Flyer on its next pass and ride to the next island.
- Book beds as you go. The onboard travel desk books your accommodation and transfers, at least a day ahead, so you can change plans mid-trip without hunting for wifi.
- Back to the mainland. Ride the Flyer back to Port Denarau before the pass runs out (it’s back around 5.45pm), and the coach takes you to your hotel.
The pass also gets you discounted access to Malamala Beach Club or South Sea Sailing.
How many days to buy
- 5 days: two or three islands, mostly in the south of the chain. Enough for a taste, but a good share of it is spent on the boat.
- 7 days: the classic run, three or four islands without rushing, with time for the manta ray channel in season (May to October).
- 10 days or more: room for the far north of the chain, the Blue Lagoon and a day trip to the Sawa-i-Lau caves, plus a spare day for weather.
If you’re unsure, price the length that matches your whole time on the islands, not the number of boat rides you expect to take.
What’s included and what’s extra
Included in the Bula Pass:
- Coach transfers between most Nadi, Denarau, Vuda and Wailoaloa hotels and Port Denarau
- Unlimited Yasawa Flyer travel along the route for the life of the pass
- The onboard travel desk for booking beds and transfers
Not included:
- Accommodation. Every island night is booked and paid separately, through the onboard desk or before you go.
- Meal plans. Compulsory at most island resorts, FJ$135 to FJ$209 per person per day (see the table above).
- Fuel surcharge. Mandatory and paid to the ferry operator at check-in or online before you travel. It’s currently FJ$20 (Fiji dollars) per person and is set monthly.
- Activities. Manta snorkels, cave trips, dives and village visits are paid as you go.
- Your mainland nights. The night you land and the night before you fly aren’t part of the pass.
Sort the mainland end before you go
The last day is where island trips get messy: you step off the boat at Port Denarau with a flight the next day and nowhere booked. Our departure packs fix that in one booking: a coach from Port Denarau to your hotel, one night or more, then a shared transfer to Nadi International Airport.
- Fiji Departure Pack, Club Fiji Resort from $85, from dorm beds up to beachfront bures.
- Fiji Departure Pack, Aquarius on the Beach from $127, from budget rooms up to ocean-view rooms, right on the sand.
Want the pass, your island beds and both Nadi nights sorted in one go? Tell us your dates on the Fiji trip planner and your personalised quote comes within hours, as one package price.
Bundle your Fiji trip and save up to 8%. On trips that combine 2 or more parts (5% for 2, up to 8% for 3+), quoted in one package price.
Every Fiji trip we sell, sorted by price, is on Fiji tour prices. For the rest of the country, from the Sabeto mud pools to Monuriki, see our Fiji travel guide.
FAQs
What is the Bula Pass?
A hop-on hop-off ticket for the Yasawa Flyer, the catamaran that runs from Port Denarau through the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands in Fiji. You choose a length from 5 to 15 days, get off at any island on the route and catch the boat again when you want to move on. It covers transport only. Beds and meals are paid separately.
How much is the Bula Pass in 2026?
From $399 per person for 5 days to $599 for 15 days, in AUD. The 7-day pass is $419 and the 10-day pass is $479. A mandatory fuel surcharge, currently FJ$20 per person, is paid to the ferry operator on top.
How much does a week on the Bula Pass really cost?
About A$1,450 per person for 7 days in dorms, on 25 October 2026 prices. That’s a 7-day pass with 6 dorm nights included (the Yasawa Pass, $759), about A$684 of compulsory meal plans and the FJ$20 fuel surcharge. Drinks and activities are extra.
Are meals included on the Bula Pass?
No. Most island resorts charge a compulsory daily meal plan of FJ$135 to FJ$209 per person (about A$86 to A$133), paid at the resort. There are few or no shops on the islands, so budget for it on every island night.
What’s the difference between the Bula Pass and the Yasawa Pass?
The Bula Pass is the boat only. The Yasawa Pass is the same boat plus a bed every night at the island resorts you choose, booked before you fly. For 7 days the gap is $419 against $759, which works out at about A$57 per dorm night.
Does the Bula Pass include accommodation?
No. The pass covers the boat and the hotel coach transfers. You book island accommodation separately, and the onboard travel desk can do it for you as you go, at least a day ahead.
Can I get off at any island?
Yes, at any island on the Yasawa Flyer’s route. Stay as long as you like, then catch the boat on a later pass when you want to move on.
Where does the Bula Pass start?
At Port Denarau marina, near Nadi. The Flyer leaves at 8.45am daily. The coach transfer from most Nadi, Denarau, Vuda and Wailoaloa hotels is included.
What is the best time to use a Bula Pass?
May to October, Fiji’s dry season, brings calmer seas for island hopping, lower humidity and manta rays in the southern Yasawas. It’s also the busiest time, so book your beds early. November to April is hotter, wetter and cyclone-prone, but quieter.
Can I buy the Bula Pass through Wanderlust?
Yes. Choose your pass length on the Bula Pass page and pay on our site, and we book it for you. If you’d rather have your beds sorted too, the Yasawa Pass lets you pick your islands and we book every night before you fly.
Tagged
