Mo'orea
The spectacular Cook’s Bay is something of a misnomer because Cook actually anchored in Opunohu Bay. With Mt Rotui as a backdrop, Cook’s Bay is a lovely…
Must-see attractions in French Polynesia
Mo'orea
Magnificent Opunohu Bay feels wonderfully fresh and isolated. The coastal road rounds Mt Rotui, and at about PK14 turns inland along the eastern side of…
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Nuku Hiva
About 300m towards Taipivai from the Hikokua site, these three connecting sites make up the largest excavated archaeological area of Nuku Hiva. A team led…
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Nuku Hiva
It’s believed that this extensive communal site, with its paved esplanade, belonged to the war chief Pakoko, who was killed by the French in 1845. Today…
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The Marquesas
This glorious bay is caressed by jade-green waters and is studded with a broad strand of golden sand. It’s a good picnic spot (despite a number of pesky…
The Tuamotus
Most islanders live in Tuherahera, in the southwest of the atoll. Find peace in this pretty village, bursting with uru (breadfruit), coconut trees,…
The Tuamotus
Marae Papiro is a well-kept marae (traditional temple) on the edge of a hoa, about 14km from the village. In the centre of this marae you can see the…
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Nuku Hiva
One of the most powerful archaeological sites in the Marquesas, Hikokua was discovered by the archaeologist Robert Suggs in 1957 and has been restored and…
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Mo'orea
The coastal road rounds Hauru Point, the northwestern corner of the island, between PK25 and PK30. Hauru Point has one of the best beaches on the island,…
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The Marquesas
This tiny village, built against the steep slopes of the central ridge, retains a few vestiges of its stormy past. On the seafront stands a modest…
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The Marquesas
Hanavave boasts a splendid setting, at the mouth of a steep-sided valley, best enjoyed from the sea (lucky yachties!). When the setting sun bounces purple…
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The Marquesas
Time moves at a crawl in Omoa. The most striking monument is the Catholic church, with its red roof, white facade and slender spire. It makes a colourful…
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The Marquesas
High up in the valley of Hane, the site of Meiaute includes three 1m-high, red-tuff tiki that watch over a group of stone structures, pae pae and me’ae,…
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The Marquesas
Thousands of kaveka (sooty terns) nest year-round on these islets and lay thousands of eggs daily.
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The Marquesas
Hapatoni curves around a wide bay and is accessible by boat in less than 15 minutes from Vaitahu, or by a track.
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The Marquesas
Experts believe that the first Polynesian settlement on the Marquesas was here, tucked away in a bay protected on the east by the impressive Motu Hane…
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Mo'orea
This delightfully peaceful property perched on a small plateau is heaven on earth for the sweet-toothed, who can sample (and buy) homemade organic jams,…
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The Marquesas
Built for the 2013 Mini Marquesas Festival, this beautiful site holds a large performance area and the island's main museum. The Marquesas's largest tiki,…
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Mo'orea
A small shop at the college sells jams in local flavours as well as honey, coffee, fruit juices and, on occasion, ice cream. If you’ve got itchy feet,…
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Marae Titiroa & Marae Ahu-o-Mahine
Mo'orea
Past the agricultural college, the valley road comes to a parking area beside this vast complex, on the edge of a dense forest of magnificent chestnut…
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Ra'iatea & Taha'a
On Taha’a, if you’re willing to take a bit of a walk you can get to deserted Joe Dassin Beach, on the southwest side of the island, a 15-minute walk along…
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Nuku Hiva
Most tours stop in Taipivai to visit the Paeke archaeological site, which lies on a hillside at the exit of the village on the way to Hatiheu (the path…
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Mo'orea
At last, a public beach! Ta’ahiamanu (Mareto) Beach is one of the few public access beaches on the island. This narrow stretch of white sand is a popular…
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French Polynesia
Raivavae’s stunning lagoon, brimming with marine life and ringed by ironwood-covered motu, is one of the treasures of the South Pacific. Motu Piscine …
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Mo'orea
At PK21, a cement road veers inland and makes a very steep climb to a lookout called ‘Magical Mountain’, at a height of 209m. It's an arduous, 45-minute…
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Bora Bora
The island’s main settlement, Vaitape is not the most evocative town, but it's a great place to do a bit of shopping, take care of banking needs and just…
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Mo'orea
The best beach on the east coast, and the widest perhaps in all of French Polynesia, stretches from Teavaro round to the airport. The Sofitel Ia Ora…
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Marae Raitoro, Haunarei & Harii
French Polynesia
More than 200 marae have been found in Tubuai and the few that have been cleared are among the most fascinating in the country. Raitoru and Haunarei Marae…
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Mo'orea
A busy little village with a few shops and services, Papetoai was established as the Pacific headquarters of the London Missionary Society (LMS) in 1811…
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Tahiti
Teahupoo is world famous among surfing circles for its monster wave. Until the early 2000s, the Teahupoo wave was only known to local surfers. It now…
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Bora Bora
Faanui Bay was the site of the US military base during WWII. At the southwestern end of the bay, a steep and often muddy track climbs up to an old WWII…
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The Marquesas
Tiny and scenic Hokatu, about 3km east of Hane, lies in a sheltered bay edged with a pebble beach pounded by azure seas with direct views of imposing,…
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Tahiti
Just outside Pape’ete’s urban sprawl, the Lagoonarium is a pleasant tourist trap with a meshed-in area of lagoon with a modest underwater viewing room; it…
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Distillerie et Usine de Jus de Fruits de Moorea
Mo'orea
About 300m inland from the coastal road, this juice-processing factory and distillery is well worth a stop. It produces various juices and alcoholic…
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French Polynesia
The only remaining tiki (carved humanlike statue) on the island stands in a private garden just to the west of the village of Mahanatoa. About 1m in…
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The Tuamotus
Île d’Eden is not a traditional tourist site per se, but a working farm operated by a handful of families belonging to the Church of the New Testament…
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Bora Bora
Up a small hill on the eastern coast, a track peels off to the east and leads to two massive WWII coastal guns and a concrete bunker that were left by the…
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Mo'orea
In Maharepa, you can't miss this early-20th-century building on the mountain side of the road. It's a fine example of a fare vanira, a plantation house…
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The Marquesas
At the far end of the village, make a beeline for this grandiose tohua, which hosted numerous dance and cultural performances during the Marquesas Arts…
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Ra'iatea & Taha'a
An exceptionally friendly, family-run pearl farm right on the seashore, approximately halfway between Tapuamu and Patio. Visitors learn about the…
