Monuriki is the island people picture when they think of being shipwrecked — because the picture in their heads is from “Cast Away”. The 2000 film with Tom Hanks was shot here, on a kilometre-long volcanic outcrop with a white beach, leaning palms and cliffs behind.
You will see it spelled Modriki as well; it is the same island. It is uninhabited and belongs to the people of nearby Yanuya, whose village some cruises also visit. Monuriki is also one of the last refuges of the critically endangered Fijian crested iguana, and conservation work has removed goats and rats to let the dry forest recover.
Top things to do: Monuriki (Modriki)
Stand on the beach from the film
Boats anchor off the main beach and you wade or swim ashore. Visitors sometimes spell out “HELP” in coconuts for the photograph. Wilson, sadly, is not provided.
Snorkel the fringing reef
The water around Monuriki and neighbouring Monu is among the clearest in the group, with healthy coral close to the surface. Most cruises include a guided snorkel here.
Combine it with a sandbar
Day cruises usually pair Monuriki with a stop on a sandbank near Mana that surfaces at lower tides — a strip of sand in open sea.
How to get to Monuriki (Modriki)
- By day cruise: this is how almost everyone visits. Full-day trips from the Nadi and Denarau area take about eight hours in all — see the Monuriki cruise on our day cruises page.
- From an island resort: Mana, Matamanoa, Tokoriki and Castaway are the closest, and all run half-day boat trips.
Insider tips
- There are no facilities of any kind: no shade structures, toilets or fresh water. Bring what you need and take everything away.
- Landings depend on swell and tide; operators may switch to another beach.
- Stay on the beach and marked areas — the forest is habitat for the iguanas.
- A landing fee to the island’s owners is normally included in tour prices.
Tours that include Monuriki (Modriki)
These bookable experiences are the easiest way to see Monuriki (Modriki):
Island day cruise from €120 Fiji: Monuriki, Mana Sand Bar & Snorkelling Cruise
The most-reviewed Mamanuca day trip on GetYourGuide by a wide margin. A Fijian family-owned boat heads for the outer islands: a sandbar stop near Mana, snorkelling at Monu Cove and time ashore on Monuriki, the uninhabited island used for the film “Cast Away”. It is a full day and a long way out, which is exactly the point.
- Walk the beach of Monuriki (Modriki), the “Cast Away” island
- Swim off the Mana sandbar and snorkel at Monu Cove
- Run by a Fijian family-owned crew
