Tahiti Travel Guide
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Tahiti Islands
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Tahiti
Travel Guide
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Of all the Tahiti travel destinations, the main island of Tahiti has the best scope for exploring with fantastic tropical scenery and mountain ranges. Here, the rainforest and mountains are its most spectacular on Tahiti Iti, and in this region you'll find some of the friendliest most traditional villages in the region. Unfortunately there are few decent beaches on Tahiti, the best stretch being a coarse sand beach with bedrock on the west coast facing the island of Moorea. Day tours into the mountains to visit the wild mountains and waterfalls are popular. The capital Papeete, on the north west coast a few minutes drive north of the international airport is a busy town with French flavour. There are some nice but expensive shops, outside cafes and a pleasant harbour setting but the traffic is terrible and pollution mounting. Traffic along the west coast road is as bad as it gets in the worst American and European cities.
Moorea is a charming island, clearly visible from Tahiti and just a 15-minute flight or hour ferry ride. Moorea is much more laid back than Tahiti, has some nice beaches along its north and west coasts and the spectacular settings of Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay.
The glamour island of Bora Bora has become a total catastrophe. Inundated with tourists, cruise ships, pollution and several large dilapidated hotels, the stunning lagoon island is one of the South Pacific icons that seem to be on the "must see" list. It's better you don't disappoint yourself and instead visit one of the equally attractive but far less visited islands in the other of the Society Islands. Huahine is perhaps the most scenic, with gorgeous beaches and lagoon islands. The rugged island of Raiatea & Tahaa are exceptional sailing destinations and offers some good scuba diving sites - these adjoining islands are a good choice for those who want to experience the Tahiti of old, with a few gem islands to visit in the lagoon on a day tour.
The Tuamotu Group to the east of Tahiti is a large expanse of tiny coral islands with palm fringed beaches and great snorkelling and scuba diving. These islands are for those looking for R&R - there are few exploring opportunities but several lovely (but expensive) resorts.
For those who like off the beaten track exploring, both the Marquesas in the far north and the Austral Islands in the far south are stunning wild islands with amazing coastlines and rich in history. These islands have little accommodation and few tourists, and remain the best islands in Tahiti to experience Polynesian life.
Readers may also be interested in the following destinations:
Cook Islands Travel Guide
Fiji Travel Guide
Samoa Travel Guide
Tonga Travel Guide
Tahiti Travel Guide
Hawaii Travel Guide
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