Discover our top-picked islands to visit in French Polynesia. From Bora Bora to hidden gems like Raʻiatea. Read on to find out more.
Mention the word ‘Tahiti,’ and it typically conjures images of cocktails by the pool and bungalows over turquoise water.
But there’s so much more to this autonomous territory of France – French Polynesia – which covers an area the size of Europe.
Our top 5 islands to visit in French Polynesia
- Tahiti
- Bora Bora
- Mo’orea
- Raʻiatea
- Taha’a
1. Where is Tahiti exactly?
When people say ‘Tahiti’ or ‘the Islands of Tahiti,’ they are usually referring to French Polynesia, of which Tahiti makes up one of 118 islands spread across 5.3 million square kilometres in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean.
Bora Bora is arguably the most well-known of these islands, but with more than 100 to choose from, it’s easy (and worthwhile) to get off the main tourist trail.
That said, Tahiti is the main hub, as it’s home to the international airport, and Aussies can reach the capital, Papeete, from Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne via Auckland.
Tahiti is one of nine islands (including Bora Bora) that make up the Society Islands, and this archipelago offers the perfect introduction to French Polynesia.
Things to do in Tahiti – Exploring culture and nature
After landing in Papeete, the busy (by island standards) capital, a fantastic way to get acquainted with the local culture and geography is to visit Te Fare Iamanaha.
This museum of the Islands of Tahiti has a permanent exhibition of 18,500 objects and specimens, artfully laid out in themes across a modern gallery space.
The displays educate visitors about Polynesian culture, the natural environment, and the impacts of colonisation, and can be explored with an audio guide (most information is also in English).
You can then hire a car to explore the rest of the island (they drive on the right, like France), or, better still, join a half- or full-day tour with a local guide to discover waterfalls, grottoes, lush gardens, and black sand beaches dotted around the island’s 114km perimeter.
Back in the capital, don’t miss the vibrant Papeete Market, brimming with colourful tropical fruit and vegetables, and stalls selling local handicrafts, including Tahiti’s famous black pearls. Then take a stroll along the waterfront and browse boutique shops in the small city centre.
Polynesian handbags for sale at Papeete Market.
2. Bora Bora and Mo’orea: Nearby islands to visit
If Papeete feels a little dusty and polluted for your liking, you’ll be pleased to know that the real beauty of French Polynesia lies beyond the city. From downtown Papeete, you can catch a ferry to Tahiti’s neighbouring island, Mo’orea, and arrive in just 30 minutes.
Alongside Bora Bora, Mo’orea is a popular island to visit – not least because of its easy access – and has French Polynesia’s iconic overwater bungalows, which let you wake up to views of a perfect blue sea.
It would be a shame not to explore further than a resort, however, so book yourself another guided tour to see the greater island.
We opt for a private boat tour with Moorea Fishing Adventures, which lets us appreciate Mo’orea’s rugged, jungle landscape between swims in the glistening aqua water, alongside stingrays, green turtles, and black-tip reef sharks.
On land, we join local guide Gerard from Moorea Albert Jeep Tours on a safari, bumping along in the back of an open-sided 4x4.
We stop to view a vast field of prickly pineapples – the island’s signature fruit – and visit a juice and wine manufacturer (where the wine is made from pineapples, too). We then stop at a shady river and feed enormous freshwater eels (I wasn’t game to touch them).
We finish with sorbet at a tropical garden perched high on a hill with 180-degree sea views and appreciate the warm sun and feeling of being on island time.
Overwater bungalows at Mo'orea.
3. Island of Ra’iatea – The perfect spot for relaxation
Most of French Polynesia operates on a relaxed island time (a common greeting is the shake of a thumb and pinky finger in a shaka sign, popular among surfers), and the further out you get, the more chilled life becomes.
After visiting Mo’orea, we take a 50-minute flight to Raʻiatea, the second largest of the Society Islands.
Raʻiatea feels far more rural than touristy Mo’orea, and here you’ll find cute, boutique guesthouses and locals casually cruising along the roadside on bikes, dodging chickens that cluck and peck casually on the roadside.
The island was the first to be inhabited in the region and is home to the marae of Taputapuatea – a sacred, UNESCO World Heritage-listed site that was once the religious and political nexus of Polynesia, from Easter Island, to New Zealand, to Hawaii.
We wander the large outdoor area, past open plazas made of volcanic stone and coral dedicated to the god ‘Oro.
4. Taha’a – Discovering the ‘Vanilla Island’
Across the lagoon from Raʻiatea is the flower-shaped island of Taha’a, which we reach in less than 15 minutes after being picked up in a small boat by our guesthouse.
Taha’a is known as French Polynesia’s ‘vanilla island’ for its abundant vanilla plantations and has a pace that’s even more laid-back than Raʻiatea, with just 5,000 residents calling the island home.
Joining another guided tour, we visit a cooperative to learn about the vanilla growing and harvesting process, a rum distillery, where the island’s equally plentiful sugarcane is put to use, and then a pearl farm, to learn about the cultivation of Tahiti’s prized black pearls, which are unique to the Islands of Tahiti because of their dark-rimmed oysters.
Not to miss French Polynesia’s most prized asset, its crystal-clear turquoise water, the following day we head out on another boat tour to snorkel; first with giant, graceful manta rays, then schools of colourful fish darting around a shallow coral garden, and then black-tip reef sharks, which curiously circle us as soon as our boat drops anchor on a sandbank.
Our tour ends at a small, private island called a motu, where we snack on fresh fruit and fish cooked in coconut milk, and laze beneath swaying palm trees.
It feels like a stereotypical Tahitian island experience, and isn’t that what you visit for?
Learn more at tahititourisme.com.
The writer travelled as a guest of Tahiti Tourism and Air Tahiti Nui.
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