Taveuni is known as the Garden Island, for it has an abundance of flora and is surrounded by reefs which make it one of the world's top dive sites. Strong currents in the strait between the two islands nurture the corals which are truly magnificent. It offers the visitor a rich natural history, in particular, a fine array of birdlife. Fortunately (unlike other island in the Fiji archipelago) the mongoose was never introduced to Taveuni and consequently many of the birds that have vanished on Viti Levu and Vanua Levu still thrive on the Garden Island. There are many wild chickens, kula parrots and orange doves, which makes it a special place for bird fanciers and bush walkers. A breathtakingly beautiful island, Taveuni has winding roads which weave through lush tropical forest, past magnificent waterfalls to suddenly reveal a sparkling white beach where yours are the only footprints in the sand. Hundreds of waterfalls crash down around the coastline, their waters so clean it is said that in the days of the sailing ships, they would back up to them to refill their water tanks.