Oct 2026
- 5MonSaturn at its brightestUp all night. A small telescope shows its rings.
- 11SunNew moonDarkest nights of the month.
- 21WedOrionid meteorsPeak 21 to 22 Oct. Best after the moon sets, around 2.30am.
- 26MonFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
About
A hidden retreat in the heart of Gaia Earth Estate
Dark Sky Fiji sits inside a 250-acre sanctuary of protected rainforest, bordering 5 km of the Dreketi River Marine Sanctuary in northern Vanua Levu. There are no city lights for a very long way in any direction, so the sky here is truly among the darkest on Earth.
Days are for the forest and the river. Nights are for the stars. We blend comfort, culture and conservation so you and your family can reconnect with nature and with the universe.
A star dome in the rainforest, powered by its own solar panels
The experience
One day, one night, forever
Forest bathing by day. Stargazing by night. Self-guided and self-paced, so you move at your own speed.
By day...
The Earth, up close
- ExploreAn ancient raintree forest, a cacao (chocolate) forest and a cinnamon park and picnic areas.
- LearnWhere healthy superfoods come from, in an organic, permaculture-based agri-forest.
- TasteFresh aquifer water from deep in the earth.
- KayakAlong the calm Dreketi River.
- JourneyTo a waterfall, with lunch and a visit to the village craft market.
By night...
The Universe, up close
- DineTraditional village dining under the stars, with fresh, organic, local food.
- Look upA guided tour of the night sky by our astronomy experts, told through Fijian myths and legends.
- RelaxYour own cabin or star dome, tucked into the rainforest.
- Shower by starlightA private outdoor shower by starlight, with our own forest-grown wild ginger soap.
Time slows down here. Every moment becomes a forever memory.
Your stay
Bamboo Cabins & Star Domes
Each one is tucked away in its own quiet part of the rainforest.
Family retreats
Make new memories with your children. Learn ancient cultural knowledge together under a huge, humbling sky.
Couples retreats
Our private star domes are tucked away in secluded parts of the rainforest. Rekindle wild hearts and recall whispered promises under endless bejewelled skies.
Coming to the estate - in design
Dreketi Sky Circle
For thousands of years people have built in stone to follow the sky. Stonehenge in England lines up with the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset. At Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, India, giant masonry instruments built in the early 1700s still tell the time and track the stars.
We have visited and studied these and other culturally significant astronomical "instruments" around the world, and with the guidance of experts we are designing our own: a 36 metre stone circle on a flat clearing of the estate, made to follow the sun, the moon and the stars from Dreketi through the whole year.
What makes the Dreketi Sky Circle a unique experience?
Most of the world's famous sky monuments, like Stonehenge, the pyramids of Giza and Jantar Mantar, sit far north of the tropics. Dreketi sits in the southern tropics, and that changes the whole sky. Here the sun passes straight overhead twice a year and the moon does so every month, something none of those great sites will ever see. The Southern Cross wheels around the south pole above you. Inspired by the ancient sky watchers who came before us, we are setting every stone for Dreketi's own sky. The circle honours their wisdom, opens a stargate to the Pacific heavens above us, and looks to a future where people everywhere slow down, look up and feel connected to the universe and to each other.
An instrument of stone and sky
Part monument, part observatory, part stargate to the southern skies, the circle will let anyone read the heavens with their own eyes, just as our ancestors did, and carry that knowledge forward to the generations still to come.
- Solar gatesIn the spirit of Stonehenge, four pairs of 4.5 metre stone pillars will frame the sunrise and sunset on the longest and shortest days, marking the turning of the seasons as people have for five thousand years.
- Equinox stonesMark the two days of balance each year, in March and September, when the sun rises due east and sets due west.
- Zenith needleInspired by the great sundials of Jantar Mantar, a 4.5 metre stone needle stands at the heart of the circle. Twice a year, at noon, it casts no shadow at all.
- South pole tubeA sighting tube aimed at the south celestial pole, the still point the whole southern sky turns around, honouring the Pacific voyagers who read these same stars to cross the ocean.
- Moon stonesEight stones for the moon's 18.6 year cycle. A child who visits today can return around 2043 and watch the moon rise at these stones, further north and south than the sun can ever reach.
Why Dreketi's sky is special
2
times a year the sun passes directly overhead, around 8 November and 3 February. Stand in the circle at noon and you cast no shadow. This never happens at Stonehenge, Giza or Jaipur.
13
times a year, once every lunar month, the moon passes directly overhead. At Stonehenge, Giza and Jaipur it never does.
98%
of the whole sky rises above Dreketi over a year, compared with about 81% at Stonehenge. The Southern Cross and Orion are both on show.
Sky calendar
Dreketi sky calendar
Plan your stay around the sky. New moons bring the darkest nights for stargazing; full moons light up the forest. Dates are in Fiji time.
- Moon
- Sun and seasons
- Meteor showers
- Planets
- Stars
Nov 2026
- 8SunSun overhead at noon8 and 9 Nov. Stand in the circle and cast no shadow.
- 9MonNew moonDarkest nights of the month.
- 17TueLeonid meteorsPeak night 17 to 18 Nov. Best after midnight.
- 25WedFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
Dec 2026
- 9WedNew moonDarkest nights of the month.
- 14MonGeminid meteorsPeak night 13 to 14 Dec, with a dark, young moon.
- 22TueSummer solsticeLongest day. Sunrise at 115 degrees.
- 24ThuFull moonChristmas Eve moonrise.
Jan 2027
- 8FriNew moonDarkest nights of the month.
- 23SatFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
Feb 2027
- 3WedSun overhead at noon3 and 4 Feb. The second no-shadow noon of the year.
- 7SunNew moonDarkest nights of the month.
- 11ThuJupiter at its brightestUp all night. Even binoculars show its four largest moons.
- 20SatMars at its brightestThe red planet closest to Earth for two years.
- 21SunFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
Mar 2027
- 8MonNew moonDarkest nights of the month.
- 21SunAutumn equinoxSun rises due east and sets due west.
- 22MonFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
Apr 2027
- 7WedNew moonMilky Way core season begins before dawn.
- 21WedFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
May 2027
- 6ThuEta Aquariid meteorsPeak 5 to 6 May on a new moon. Best from the southern hemisphere.
- 15SatSouthern Cross at its highestHigh in the early evening sky all month.
- 20ThuFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
Jun 2027
- 5SatNew moonThe Milky Way arches overhead.
- 19SatFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
- 22TueWinter solsticeShortest day. Sunrise at 66 degrees.
Jul 2027
- 4SunNew moonGalactic core overhead in the evening. Peak Milky Way season.
- 19MonFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
- 30FriSouthern Delta Aquariid meteorsPeak 29 to 30 Jul, with a dark sky.
Aug 2027
- 2MonNew moonDarkest nights of the month.
- 17TueFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
Sep 2027
- 1WedNew moonDarkest nights of the month.
- 16ThuFull moonMoonlit forest walks.
- 23ThuSpring equinoxSun rises due east and sets due west.
- 30ThuNew moonA second dark window this month.
How dark is Dark?
Light Pollution
Light pollution maps show how much artificial light brightens the night sky. Red and white mean bright city glow. Grey and black mean a truly dark sky. Dreketi sits in the dark zone of Vanua Levu, far from the "halo" of town lights of Labsasa and Savusavu.
The Bortle scale
Astronomers rate night skies from 9 (inner city, only a few bright stars) to 1 (an excellent dark sky site, where the Milky Way is bright enough to cast shadows).
Most of our guests live under a 7 to 9 sky. At Dreketi you can see what the night sky looked like before electric light.
Light pollution maps: cleardarksky.com
Advocacy
Protecting the dark
A night sky worth saving ... forever.
In 2025 an eCoast study for the New Zealand chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association assessed the Dreketi River area as dark-sky habitat. It is home to the only known maternity roost of the Fijian free-tailed bat and to river shark nursery habitat.
We have made a submission to Fiji's Ministry of Environment asking for Dreketi to follow Denmark's lead. In Gladsaxe, near Copenhagen, white streetlights along a bat corridor have been replaced with bat-friendly red light. We want the same thinking here, to protect the bats and to future-proof a dark sky zone for generations to come.
Our founder, Dr Darius Singh, presented this work to the international dark sky community at the Starlight Conference in Tekapo, New Zealand, in his talk "Gaia (Earth) Estate - Fiji's 1st Dark Sky Project".
Book now
Book your Dark Sky escape
A romantic getaway, a digital detox or an astro-tourism adventure with the kids. Send us your details and we will reply with available dates and prices.
Places are limited and seasonal, so we recommend booking early.