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Tahiti Travel Gallery

tahiti	tahiti	moorea	moorea	huahine	tahaa
raiatea	bora bora	bora bora	maupiti	maupiti	tuamotu

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Tahiti Travel Guide


Papeete & Tahiti Island
Papeete is the main centre of Tahiti on the north west coast and location of Faaa International Airport. It is a busy harbour town with French style promenades, fashionable shops, outside restaurants and cafes and lots of traffic. The west coast of Tahiti is home to several large international resorts and whilst the beaches are not picture postcard, these lifestyle resorts offer excellent views of Moorea and stunning sunsets. The mountain scenery along the north and east coast is lush and vibrant offering some of the best hiking and tropical scenes in the South Pacific. Hiking tours and 4-wheel drive scenic tours are popular. The beaches here are wild and windswept and of volcanic black sands. In the summer months between November and April this is an excellent spot for beach surfing.


Moorea Island
Moorea has lots of pleasant beaches, notably on the east coast at the Ia Orana Sofitel Resort and on the north west coast where a string of hotels line the beach. There are also nice beaches at the large international resorts along the north coast, though most have been unnaturally enhanced. The attractive setting of Cook's Bay is a draw card for tourists. Rugged mountains and a deep harbour make this an attrcative location for large cruise ships and sailors. Most resorts offer lots of water activities - kayaking, waterskiing and even kite boarding - and snorkelling is good too.


Bora Bora Lagoon
The famous lagoon island of Bora Bora offers an enchanting setting combined with commercial tourism. Large international resort complexes fill the coastline and traditional life has all but faded away. The best places to stay are on the tiny islets surrounding the lagoon with their gorgeous beaches, turquoise lagoons, fantastic snorkelling and splendid views looking back to the main central island. The main island of Bora has some excellent walks and offers more affordable accommodation than on the surrounding motu islands - although these are still easly accessable for day trips. Matira Beach on the southern point of the island is the hub of the islands tourism with over a dozen beachfront hotels and a lazy lagoon.


Other Society Islands
The charming Fare Town on the north coast has the highest proportion of native Polynesians in Tahiti. Huahine has some excellent inland walks and stunnig mountain scenery. Outrigger canoes are used by fishermen in the evenings and early morning to fish in the lagoon.

The stunning offshore motu islets surrounding Tahaa are the location of several up market private island resorts. Tahaa, like its neighbour Raiatea, has a rugged coastline and is popular for hiking and sailing. Raiatea, the third largest island in Tahiti, has a rugged beach-less coastline but offers picture postcard palm fringed lagoons on its offshore uninhabited islets. Raiatea is the centre of sailing in Tahiti with several charter companies and fully serviced marina.

The stunning island of Maupiti, just west of Bora Bora, is a smaller version of its commercial neighbour with stunning peaks, and tiny offshore islands with deserted sandy beaches beckoning the more intrepid traveller. There are no resorts in Maupiti but instead guests are welcomed by locals and stay in family run pensions.


Tuamotu Islands
The vast expanse of ocean to the east of Tahiti is home to the Tuamotu Islands. Here are lots of huge coral atolls, each with many fringing islets most of which are uninhabited,. Here you'll find traditional fishing villages and small resorts overlooking a crystal clear lagoon with excellent snorkellng and diving. If you're after seclusion in a pristine setting, this is the place to stay.


Marquesas Islands
The remore Marquesas islands lie far to the north of Tahiti and offer high volcanic islands with stunning mountain wilderness and a rich cultural and archaelogical environment. made famous through the paintings of Paul Gauguin who lived here in the latter part of his life, The Marquesas is a great destination to get away from modern life.


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Tahiti Travel Guide