French Polynesia

French Polynesia, in a few days

From Tahiti to the pineapple valleys of Moorea and the lagoon of Bora Bora below Mount Otemanu, day by day: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Tahiti

Days 1-2

The main island and the way in: the Papeete market, waterfalls down the valleys, and beaches of black volcanic sand.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Island tour and waterfalls, guidedFull day · from €55
  A day round Tahiti, with stops at the waterfalls, blowholes and black beaches of the east coast.
• Reef diveHalf day · from €75
  A dive on the reef among rays and blacktip reef sharks.

✦ Free to visit

• Papeete market
• The black sand beach at Point Venus
• The Vaipahi water gardens
• The roulottes, food trucks on the Papeete waterfront

📲 Book things to do in Tahiti on GetYourGuide

2

Moorea

Days 3-4 · ⛴️ Ferry 30 min

Tahiti's neighbour, roughly the shape of a heart, with two deep bays, Mount Rotui standing between them, and a lagoon full of fish.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Swimming with rays and sharksHalf day · from €60
  Waist-deep in the lagoon with stingrays that glide around your legs, and blacktip reef sharks circling at a distance.
• 4x4 through the pineapple valleysHalf day · from €45
  Up through the pineapple fields of the Opunohu valley to the Belvedere lookout over both bays.

✦ Free to visit

• Opunohu Bay
• The Belvedere lookout below Mount Rotui
• Temae beach
• Snorkelling in the lagoon

📲 Book things to do in Moorea on GetYourGuide

3

Bora Bora

Days 5-7 · ✈️ Inter-island flight 50 min

A lagoon in every shade of blue around the basalt peak of Mount Otemanu, and the overwater bungalows the island made famous.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Lagoon tour and picnicFull day · from €90
  A day round the lagoon by boat, swimming with rays and eating lunch on a motu, one of the small islets on the reef.
• A night in an overwater bungalow1 night · from €450
  A room on stilts above the lagoon, often with a glass panel in the floor to watch the fish go by.

✦ Free to visit

• Mount Otemanu, seen from the lagoon
• Matira beach
• Snorkelling the coral gardens
• Sunset over the lagoon

📲 Book things to do in Bora Bora on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Ferries and island flights · The fast ferry from Papeete crosses to Moorea in under an hour, and Air Tahiti flies on to Bora Bora in about fifty minutes. Book the flights early.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Poisson cru: raw tuna marinated in lime and coconut milk (e'ia ota), the national dish.
• Grilled fish: tuna and mahi-mahi fresh off the boats, with lagoon seafood alongside.
• Po'e: a baked fruit pudding, banana or papaya, served with coconut milk.
• Uru: breadfruit, cooked in the ahima'a, the Tahitian earth oven.
• Fruit and coconut: fresh juice at every roulotte, and coconut water drunk straight from the nut.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Expect high prices: almost everything is imported.
• Do not stand on the coral, even where it looks dead.
• The sun is fierce: wear reef-safe sun cream and a lycra top in the water.
• Book guesthouses and inter-island flights early, above all for July and August.

Words that help

English ↔ Tahitian

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/french-polynesia

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.