Labasa sits on the dry northern plain of Vanua Levu and is the island's largest town by population, though far less visited than Savusavu. It is a working town rather than a resort, predominantly Indo-Fijian in character, with busy markets, Hindu temples, and the infrastructure of the sugar industry visible everywhere — the mill is the town's largest employer and its most prominent feature during the cutting season.
Visitors who make the effort to get to Labasa (a two-hour drive from Savusavu on the road through the mountains) find a genuinely Fijian town unshaped by tourism. The Sunday market at the centre of town is the most interesting time to visit, when producers from across the district come in with tropical fruit, vegetables, and handicrafts. There is little in the way of accommodation or restaurants by Savusavu standards, but the experience of an unfiltered provincial Fijian town is worth the detour.