Bora Bora and Moorea
Seven days across two Society Islands, splitting the lagoon that everyone knows with the one worth staying on.
Island Escape · 7 days · May to October
Bora Bora is the postcard and Moorea is the island, and doing both in one week is the whole argument here. Bora's lagoon genuinely is the best water in the Pacific and the overwater bungalow was invented on it, but the island itself is small and the resorts are on motus you cannot leave. Moorea has mountains, a road you can drive round, pineapple farms and two bays that look like nowhere else, at roughly half the price. Four nights there, three on Bora, and the inter-island flight is forty minutes.
Day by day
- Day 1
Papeete to Moorea
Land, cross the channel by ferry, and let the island do the rest.
09:00Marche de Papeete
The only real market in the territory, and the one place to understand what actually grows and swims here before you are inside a resort.
Busiest and best very early. The upper floor is monoi, pareu and black pearls; the ground floor is fish and fruit.
12:00Ferry to Moorea
Moorea rises out of the sea in front of you the whole way over, which is a better introduction to the island than any arrival by air.
Thirty minutes across, several times a day, and far cheaper than the flight. Sit on the upper deck.
15:30Temae beach
The longest white sand beach on Moorea, facing the channel with Tahiti's peaks on the other side of it.
The public access is signposted off the ring road near the airport. Reef shoes help at the entry.
- Day 2
The two bays
Inland and upward, which is what Moorea has and Bora Bora does not.
08:30Belvedere Lookout
Cook's Bay on one side, Opunohu on the other, and Mount Rotui between them: the single view that explains the shape of a collapsed volcano.
The road up passes the agricultural school; the juice and jam stand there is worth the stop.
11:00Marae Titiroa and the Opunohu valley
Stone temple platforms in the forest below the lookout, the ceremonial centre of the valley before the missionaries arrived.
A short forest walk links several of the platforms. Do not climb on the stonework.
16:30Magic Mountain
A ridge above the west coast with the whole lagoon, the reef pass and the sunset lined up in one direction.
The track is steep, loose and privately owned; access is by quad tour or on foot with permission, and it closes in wet weather.
- Day 3
Moorea lagoon
A day on the water, which on this island means rays and reef rather than a pontoon.
08:30Stingray and blacktip shark shallows
Waist-deep sand flats where southern stingrays and blacktip reef sharks congregate, close enough to the shore that no boat is strictly needed.
Feeding is now discouraged and restricted; choose an operator that does not do it. Shuffle your feet and never grab an animal.
13:00Motu picnic and coral garden
A sand islet on the reef with the coral garden on its ocean side, which is where Moorea's snorkelling is actually best.
Most lagoon tours include this. Reef-safe sunscreen only, and do not stand on coral.
- Day 4
West to Bora Bora
Forty minutes by air to the most photographed lagoon on earth.
14:00Matira Point
A shallow sand spit at the southern tip of the main island, wadeable a long way out, with Otemanu behind you rather than in front.
The only substantial public beach on the island; the rest of the shoreline is resort or private.
17:30Sunset from the west lagoon
The island's silhouette from outside the reef, with Otemanu and Pahia lit from behind.
Most resort boats will do a short sunset run; the west-facing motus are the only place the sun sets over water here.
- Day 5
The lagoon, all day
The reason Bora Bora exists as a destination, done properly rather than in an hour.
08:30Lagoon circuit and the coral gardens
Water in about eight distinct colours over a sand and coral floor, inside a barrier reef that encloses the entire island.
A full-day outrigger circuit with a motu lunch is the standard format. Manta and eagle ray sites depend on the season and the tide.
- Day 6
The island itself
Thirty-two kilometres of ring road, a wartime gun emplacement, and the mountain from below.
09:00Bora Bora ring road and Vaitape
The whole island in a morning, including the marae on the east coast and the American coastal guns still in place from 1942.
Thirty-two kilometres, mostly flat, and easily done by bicycle or scooter. There is one fuel station.
14:00Mount Pahia lower trail
Otemanu itself is unclimbable basalt, so Pahia's shoulder is the only way to look down on the lagoon from the island rather than from a boat.
Steep, slippery and roped in places. A guide is strongly advised and the full summit is a serious scramble.
- Day 7
Last morning on the water
One swim, then the flight back to Papeete and out.
08:00Anau ray and reef shark shallows
Manta rays feed on this side of the lagoon and the shallow sand here is where the reef sharks patrol: the last swim before an eight-hour flight.
On the eastern side of the lagoon. Morning trips are calmer and the light is better for seeing into the water.
Questions
- How long is the Bora Bora and Moorea itinerary?
- The Bora Bora and Moorea itinerary runs 7 days and covers 14 stops across Bora Bora, Moorea, Papeete.
- When is the best time to do the Bora Bora and Moorea itinerary?
- May to October is the best window for the Bora Bora and Moorea itinerary.
- What happens on day one of the Bora Bora and Moorea itinerary?
- Day one is papeete to moorea: Land, cross the channel by ferry, and let the island do the rest.
Sources
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