Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora are the three names most vacationers know in French Polynesia, and they’re very completely different locations. Tahiti is the busy most important island and worldwide gateway, finest for a brief stopover with tradition, markets and black-sand seashores. Moorea, a brief ferry journey away, affords dramatic mountains, mountaineering and good-value lagoon time. Bora Bora is the postcard: probably the most well-known lagoon within the South Pacific, overwater bungalows and costs to match.
Fast reply: should you can solely choose one island for a beach-and-lagoon journey, select Bora Bora for a honeymoon-style splurge or Moorea for nature and higher worth. Most guests mix them, spending an evening or two on Tahiti on arrival or departure, a couple of days on Moorea and the remainder on Bora Bora.
Fast Comparability
| Tahiti | Moorea | Bora Bora | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finest for | Stopovers, tradition, meals, browsing | Mountain climbing, snorkeling, worth, households | Lagoon views, honeymoons, luxurious |
| Lagoon and seashores | Restricted; largely black sand, a couple of white-sand spots | Good lagoon, a number of small white-sand seashores | World-famous turquoise lagoon; Matira Seashore |
| Surroundings | Huge, inexperienced, mountainous inside | Jagged peaks, two deep bays | Mount Otemanu above the lagoon |
| Lodging | Metropolis lodges, resorts close to Papeete, guesthouses | Resorts with overwater bungalows, many family-run pensions | Largely high-end resorts on the motus, some pensions on the primary island |
| Value stage | $$ | $$–$$$ | $$$$ |
| get there | Worldwide flights land right here | Ferry from Papeete (about 30–45 minutes) | Home flight from Tahiti (about 50 minutes) |
| Ideally suited keep | 1–2 nights | 3–5 nights | 3–5 nights |
Tahiti: Gateway and Tradition
Each worldwide flight lands at Faa’a Worldwide Airport on Tahiti, so virtually each journey begins right here. Many vacationers rush straight by means of, which is a mistake should you arrive drained after a long-haul flight: one evening close to Papeete makes the onward connection simpler and offers you a style of on a regular basis Polynesian life.
- Papeete: browse the Papeete Marketplace for fruit, vanilla, pareos and monoi oil (it’s liveliest early within the morning), then eat on the roulottes, the meals vehicles that collect within the night close to the waterfront.
- Tradition: the Musée de Tahiti et des Îles in Punaauia is one of the best introduction to Polynesian historical past and navigation. Examine present opening hours earlier than you go.
- Nature: a drive across the island takes in waterfalls, blowholes and black-sand seashores corresponding to Pointe Vénus. Inland valleys just like the Papenoo are finest explored on a 4×4 tour.
- Browsing: Teahupo’o on Tahiti Iti, the smaller a part of the island, is without doubt one of the world’s most well-known waves and hosted the browsing occasions of the Paris 2024 Olympics. You possibly can watch from a ship when circumstances are proper.
What Tahiti doesn’t have is the traditional shallow turquoise lagoon proper exterior your door. If that’s the most important purpose you’re flying to French Polynesia, deal with Tahiti as a stopover somewhat than the primary occasion.
Moorea: Nature and Worth
Moorea sits about 17 km from Tahiti and is seen from Papeete. Its jagged volcanic peaks, pineapple fields and two deep bays, Prepare dinner’s Bay and Opunohu Bay, make it probably the most photogenic island to discover on land. It is usually extra relaxed than Tahiti and noticeably cheaper than Bora Bora.
- Mountain climbing and lookouts: drive or hike as much as the Belvedere lookout for the traditional view of each bays. Guided hikes such because the Three Coconuts path add extra effort and fewer individuals.
- Lagoon journeys: half-day boat or kayak journeys go to sandbanks the place you possibly can swim with stingrays and see blacktip reef sharks in shallow water. Select operators that respect wildlife tips.
- Whales: humpback whales go to the waters of French Polynesia roughly from July to October or November, and Moorea is a well-liked base for regulated whale-watching journeys.
- Seashores: Moorea’s seashores are smaller than Bora Bora’s Matira, however there are good public spots, and plenty of lodges and pensions have their very own stretch of sand and snorkeling.
Lodging ranges from resorts with overwater bungalows to easy family-run pensions. As a result of it’s so near Tahiti, Moorea additionally works as a day journey should you solely have a brief stopover, though you get way more from staying a couple of nights.
Bora Bora: Lagoon and Overwater Bungalows
Bora Bora lies about 260 km northwest of Tahiti. The island itself is small, however it’s surrounded by a large lagoon in each shade of blue and ringed by motus, the low sandy islets the place most luxurious resorts stand. Mount Otemanu rises within the center and offers the island its well-known silhouette.
- Overwater bungalows: Bora Bora is the place most individuals image after they consider them, and the views of Otemanu from the lagoon are arduous to beat.
- Lagoon excursions: full or half-day boat excursions mix snorkeling with rays and reef sharks, coral gardens and a picnic on a motu.
- Matira Seashore: the island’s best-known public seaside, on the southern tip of the primary island, is free and a straightforward method to benefit from the lagoon with out a resort.
- Land: a 4×4 tour exhibits the island’s WWII cannons and viewpoints. Guided hikes exist, however Bora Bora is principally a water vacation spot.
The trade-off is value. Resorts on the motus are among the many costliest lodges on the earth, meals and boat transfers add up, and there are fewer price range alternate options than on Moorea. A small variety of pensions and guesthouses on the primary island make a keep potential on a tighter price range.
Value Comparability
French Polynesia is an costly vacation spot total: virtually every little thing is imported and the native forex, the CFP franc (XPF), is pegged to the euro. For extra element, see our information to whether or not French Polynesia is pricey. As a tough information:
| Expense | Tahiti | Moorea | Bora Bora |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price range keep | Guesthouses and metropolis lodges | Pensions and small bungalows | Few choices, totally on the primary island |
| Mid-range | Resort lodges close to Papeete | Extensive selection of resorts and boutique lodges | Restricted mid-range selection |
| Luxurious | A couple of resorts with overwater bungalows | A number of resorts with overwater bungalows | The biggest focus of luxurious resorts |
| Consuming out | Most cost-effective, due to roulottes and snack bars | Average, with snack bars and native eating places | Highest, particularly on resort islets |
Overwater bungalow costs differ enormously by season and resort, so evaluate present charges straight. Packages that mix flights, lodges and inter-island transfers can work out cheaper than reserving every half individually.
Getting Between the Islands
- Tahiti to Moorea: passenger and automobile ferries run a number of instances a day from Papeete, and the crossing takes about 30 to 45 minutes relying on the boat. There is no such thing as a must e book far forward exterior of vacation weekends.
- Tahiti to Bora Bora: most individuals fly. Home flights take about 50 minutes, and Bora Bora’s airport is on a motu, so that you switch by boat to the primary city of Vaitape or on to your resort.
- Air Tahiti Multi-Island Go: should you plan to go to a number of islands, Air Tahiti’s island passes may be cheaper than particular person tickets. Examine present routes and circumstances, together with baggage allowances on the smaller plane.
- Moorea to Bora Bora: there isn’t any direct ferry, so that you normally return to Tahiti and fly onward.
Which Island for Honeymooners, Households and Price range Vacationers?
Honeymooners
Bora Bora is the traditional honeymoon selection for its lagoon views and overwater bungalows. Moorea is a romantic and cheaper various, and splitting the journey between the 2 provides selection. If you’re nonetheless evaluating choices, see our information to the finest honeymoon locations in France.
Households
Moorea fits households finest: there are extra apartment-style pensions, loads of land actions, calm lagoon spots and decrease prices. Tahiti is sensible for an evening or two due to its supermarkets and providers.
Price range vacationers
Tahiti and Moorea supply probably the most reasonably priced lodging and meals. If Bora Bora is a should, contemplate a pension on the primary island and day excursions as an alternative of a resort, or take a look at different islands corresponding to Huahine or Raiatea, which characteristic in our listing of the most stunning islands in French Polynesia.
Lively vacationers
Moorea for mountaineering, Tahiti for browsing and inland 4×4 journeys, and Bora Bora or Moorea for snorkeling. Divers typically add Rangiroa or Fakarava within the Tuamotu atolls.
Combining Islands in One Journey
| Journey size | Urged cut up |
|---|---|
| 7 nights | 1 evening Tahiti, 3 nights Moorea, 3 nights Bora Bora |
| 10 nights | 1 evening Tahiti, 4 nights Moorea, 4 nights Bora Bora, 1 evening Tahiti earlier than departure |
| 14 nights | Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine or Raiatea and Bora Bora, or add an atoll corresponding to Rangiroa |
Many individuals finish the journey on Bora Bora so probably the most memorable half comes final. Plan round flight instances: worldwide departures from Tahiti are sometimes late within the night, so you might want a day room or a last evening close to the airport. The dry season, roughly Might to October, is the preferred time to go. See our information to the finest time to go to French Polynesia for month-by-month particulars.
Sensible Suggestions
- French Polynesia is a part of France however has its personal entry guidelines and is exterior the Schengen Space. Examine the most recent entry necessities earlier than you journey.
- Deliver reef footwear and reef-safe sunscreen, and by no means stand on coral.
- Money is helpful for roulottes and small pensions; playing cards are broadly accepted in lodges.
- For concepts past these three islands, see our listing of one of the best issues to do in French Polynesia.
Abstract
Select Tahiti as a brief gateway cease for tradition and meals, Moorea for surroundings, mountaineering and higher worth, and Bora Bora for the long-lasting lagoon and overwater bungalows. If time and price range enable, mix Moorea and Bora Bora for one of the best of each, with an evening on Tahiti at both finish.
