Study Abroad in Cairns and Fiji: Itinerary

AIFS Flight Dates
Program code	Outbound	Inbound	Course dates
TO2025:05	June 13 to Fiji	July 12 from Cairns	June 16 - July 11

James Cook University Itinerary
Sunday, June 13	Depart the U.S. for Fiji.
Tuesday, June 15	Group flight arrives at Nadi, Fiji. Beachcomber Island - swimming and snorkeling. Evening orientation.
Wednesday, June 16	Morning trip to Sigatoka and Suva. Welcome ceremony at the University of South Pacific. Meet with host families.
Thursday, June 17	Morning and afternoon lectures.
Friday, June 18	Morning lectures.
Saturday, June 19	Exam, followed by free time with Fijian families. Farewell feast.
Sunday, June 20	Morning lectures. Free day with Fijian families.
Monday, June 21	Departure to Nadi, visiting the Kula Bird Eco park en-route. Check into your hotel followed by dinner.
Tuesday, June 22	Koroyanitu eco-tour day trip. Free time in Nadi. Dinner at hotel.
Wednesday, June 23	Early morning flight from Nadi Airport to Sydney. Meet your tour manager and transfer to hotel. Overnight in Sydney.
Thursday, June 24	After breakfast in the hotel, enjoy a sight-seeing tour with a professional guide. Visit Sydney’s famous sights including Darling Harbour, The Rocks and Sydney Opera House. Later, enjoy dinner on a sunset cruise on Sydney Harbour, perfect for great night time views of the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the mansions, bays and inlets which make up the Harbour area. Overnight in Sydney.
Friday, June 25	Free day in Sydney for independent sightseeing (try the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb for spectacular views of the city or spend the day on Bondi beach). Overnight in Sydney.
Saturday, June 26	Morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Cairns. Transfer to your accommodation. Overnight in Cairns.
Sunday, June 27	Campus tour followed by beach barbeque. Overnight in Cairns.
Monday, June 28 to Sunday, July 4	“Australian Life and Culture” and “Australian Ecotourism and Wildlife Tourism Management” courses begin. These courses are made up of lectures, seminars, guest speakers and field trips. Attendance on all lectures and visits is mandatory.
Monday, July 5	Work on field trip reports. Overnight in Cairns.
Tuesday, July 6	Work on field trip reports. Overnight in Cairns.
Wednesday, July 7	Depart Cairns for a 2-day boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef. This is the largest coral reef system in the world and the largest single protected natural area on the continent. It has developed a huge tourism industry but with many rules and regulations in place to protect the environment. Opportunity to snorkel by the reef. Overnight on a boat.
Thursday, July 8	Day spent on board your boat snorkeling or just relaxing before returning to Cairns. Overnight in Cairns. Students will have the option of scuba diving on this trip for a supplemental fee.
Friday, July 9	You will depart Cairns for Cape Tribulation with a lunch stop at Port Douglas. Cape Tribulation is one of Australia’s best places for real wildlife tourism and you will stay in one of the nature lodges in the middle of the jungle. After an afternoon spent sea kayaking you will have the option of a guided night walk through the mangroves and a night beach walk. Overnight in Cape Tribulation.
Saturday, July 10	Free day to relax or enjoy some optional activities such as horse riding, jungle surfing or a full-day reef trip. Overnight in Cape Tribulation.
Sunday, July 11	After breakfast at the lodge, you will depart for Cairns. Farewell group meal. Overnight in Cairns.
Monday, July 12	Coach transfer to Cairns airport for group flight to U.S.
AIFS reserves the right to modify the itinerary. Students planning to make their own flight arrangements to Fiji and Australia should note that the program starts in Fiji, moves onto Sydney, and ends in Cairns. Students should ensure that their outbound flight from the U.S. is into Nadi Airport, Fiji, and their return flight from Australia to the U.S. is from Cairns airport. One-way flights from Fiji to Sydney on June 23 and from Sydney to Cairns on June 26 are included in the program fee, but if students choose to fly home from Sydney they must make their own arrangements for getting from Cairns to Sydney at the end of the program.

Why not study abroad for a semester?

The AIFS semester program at Macquarie University in Sydney begins just as this summer program ends. Why not spend the fall semester at Macquarie taking courses in Australian area studies, liberal arts, business or science? Students staying on for the semester receive an automatic fee reduction of $1,000 toward the semester fee. Call 800.727.2437 for more details.