If you’re keen on Hawaii, French Polynesia must be in your radar too

Hawaiians revere Tahiti as a part of their ancestral homeland, known as Kahiki. But with French Polynesia’s capital, Papeete, situated greater than 2,700 miles south of Hawaii’s capital in Honolulu, the variations relating to visiting these legendary Pacific Island archipelagos stretch past the gap dividing them. 

Hawaii’s Aloha spirit and French Polynesia’s spirit of Iorana draw from a shared breath associated to the non secular life drive vitality of mana. Both greetings, spoken to vacationers and exchanged amongst locals alike, reference heat, kindness, concord, and a reference to nature and man that’s intrinsic to Polynesian tradition. 

The Hawaiian Islands draw greater than 9 million guests annually, primarily from the mainland United States. But French Polynesia’s record tourism arrivals in 2024 noticed simply 264,000 guests, primarily from France, descend upon its 118 islands and atolls—greater than 60 of that are inhabited. 

Hawaii, by comparability, has eight major islands, six of that are open to guests, making French Polynesia an interesting various with fewer crowds. Keep in thoughts that Papeete takes roughly 3 hours longer to achieve by air from Los Angeles than Honolulu. 

“If you like Hawaii, you’re going to love Tahiti,” says Tahitian Heimata Hall, who owns Tahiti Food Tours and lives in Mo’orea. “We go more into the history, more into the culture, more into the food, and more into the people,” she says. 

When planning a trip to this South Pacific various to Hawaii, right here’s what it is best to know earlier than you begin exploring the 5 archipelagos that make up the 118 islands of French Polynesia. 

(How Tahitian ladies struggle for recognition within the conventional outrigger canoeing.)

Go for lagoon life and epic scuba diving

While Hawaii is thought for its spectacular array of volcanic sand and white sand seashores from Waikiki Beach on Oahu to Punalu’u Black Sand Beach on the Big Island, French Polynesia’s contribution to screensavers is the shimmering lagoons of its islands and atolls fringed by coral reefs in locations like Bora Bora and the Tuamotu Archipelago. 

Scuba diving is a well-liked pursuit in each the Hawaiian Islands and French Polynesia. Hawaii is maybe greatest identified for night time dives to see manta rays in Kona on the Big Island and the possibility to dive in lava tubes on the Kohala Coast. French Polynesia’s underwater wonders embody thrilling shark and drift dives within the atoll passages of Rangiroa and Fakarava, the place gray reef sharks typically congregate by the a whole lot.

Snorkelers often get into the water to swim alongside migrating humpback whales from July to November simply offshore from Rururtu, Mo’orea, and Tahiti. And in Nuku Hiva within the Marquesas, house to only one dive store, Nuku Dive, divers generally see scalloped hammerhead sharks and manta rays.  

(Diving to new depths in French Polynesia)

7 really useful islands and atolls to discover

With 118 islands and atolls unfold throughout an space of water roughly the dimensions of Western Europe, these spectacular locations in French Polynesia are value visiting.

Tahiti
The largest and highest island is Tahiti (Mount Orohena right here is 7,352 ft excessive), house to about 190,000 individuals and roughly 70 p.c of French Polynesia’s inhabitants. Its landscapes embody deep valleys and roaring waterfalls, maybe most spectacular on the presqu’ȋle, Tahiti Iti, a peninsula on the island’s largely untamed east finish.  

Hawaii is named the birthplace of recent browsing. For surfers, a pilgrimage to Tahiti Iti is a should to surf or at the least watch different boardriders hold ten. One of the world’s heaviest waves breaks simply offshore from the village of Teahupo’o, the location of browsing occasions throughout the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

“The waves are much more prolific in Hawaii, there are many, many more waves there…big waves, small waves, reef breaks, beach breaks, points breaks,” says Forster. But even with fewer waves to surf in Tahiti, he says, they’re “perhaps more perfect” in Tahiti.

(Hiking, surf tradition and island life in southeast Tahiti)

Mo’orea
It’s only a half-hour quick catamaran ferry experience northwest from Papeete to the island of Mo’orea, proper throughout a slender channel, the place jagged peaks carpeted in shades of emerald rise sharply from the shoreline, beckoning for journey. 

Follow the scenic driving route, the Routes des Ananas (Pineapple Trail) by way of the center of the island to string by way of pineapple fields to the unbelievable lookout at Belvedere, the place you possibly can delight in bewildering views of Mount Totui, Opunohu Bay, and Cook’s Bay. The coastal route skirts hidden seashores like Tipaniers, down a sandy path in Moorea’s northeast nook. 

For the possibility to see migrating humpback whales and their calves simply offshore from Moorea, plan to go to between July and early November, when Tahitian-owned outfitters Enjoy Boat Tours Mo’orea can put you within the water alongside the behemoths for the eye-to-eye encounter of your life.  

Fakarava
Some 260 miles northeast of Tahiti and accessible by common flights and cruises, Fakarava is the second-largest atoll (after Rangiroa) within the Tuamotu Archipelago. It presents equally wealthy experiences each above and beneath water. Most guests come to dive the well-known south move, Tetamanu, identified for its wall of gray reef sharks. But the lesser-known north move of the atoll, Garue, is equally thrilling and wealthy with marine life.  

Dive outfitters like O2 Fakarava function excursions to each. Once you’ve toweled off for the day, you possibly can lease a scooter to discover among the atoll’s sandy seashores.

(In Polynesia, tattoos are greater than pores and skin deep.)

Bora Bora 
Bora Bora, a 50-minute flight from Papeete, is synonymous with the oft-photographed backdrop of Mount Otemanu and is thought for its chic lagoon dotted with overwater bungalows at luxurious motels that draw honeymooners from around the globe. 

There’s implausible scuba diving right here, too–each throughout the lagoon at manta ray cleansing stations and channels the place eagle rays soar on the currents and outdoors of it, too, the place you possibly can watch the underside of waves pounding the fringing coral reef.

Bora Bora Cultural Lagoon Tour presents excursions to discover the lagoon’s translucent waters by conventional pirogue, together with visits to a household motu (islet), and the possibility to study native flora.

Maupiti
A 50-minute flight from Tahiti and accessible by ferry, too, from close by Bora Bora, Maupiti is a low-key escape from the honeymooning plenty. Free of huge resorts and overwater bungalows, the island presents genuine stays wealthy with Tahitian hospitality.  

Visitors can snorkel or dive with manta rays at a lagoon cleansing station and luxuriate in swimming within the pristine lagoon and serene walks alongside the white sands of Tereia Beach. 

Huahine
One of French Polynesia’s Society Islands, Huahine is only a 40-minute flight northwest from Tahiti and is lush, quiet, and wealthy in Polynesian tradition. Visitors can get a glimpse of conventional life by exploring historical marae(temples), verdant forests (the island’s nickname is “Garden isle”) and vanilla plantations. Popular actions embody biking across the island, snorkeling its coral gardens, and visiting the Huahine Pearl Farm.

Nuku Hiva 
Over three hours by air from Tahiti, the distant Marquesas Islands supply a distinct type of French Polynesian journey—there are not any clear lagoons right here however loads of wild pure magnificence. On Nuku Hiva, the most important of the Marquesas Islands, sailboats from around the globe, contemporary from Pacific crossings, drop anchor within the spectacular environment of Taioha’e Bay. In the mornings on the quai, there’s fairly a spectacle as sharks arrive by the scores as fishermen clear their catch. Hire a taxi to make your method to Chez Yvonne for lunch, fronting the attractive seashore at Hatihue Bay. Breadfruit, contemporary fish, and goat dishes are on the menu. Look for freshwater eels gathering for leftovers within the close by creek. 

A style of the land and sea

Hospitality is second nature for Tahitians. “When you tour around the islands in French Polynesia, you’ll find people very generous with food. If you’re walking by the beach and a Tahitian family is having Tahitian food, they will probably wave at you and say, “‘Come, try this uru (breadfruit)’ or ‘Can I grate you some coconut?’” Hall says.

Hawaii has its Pacific Rim-inflected poke—uncooked tuna with shoyu and sesame oil, amongst different elements that typically embody spicy mayo or sriracha. In French Polynesia, it’s all about poisson cru–the nationwide dish that stars uncooked fish, coconut milk, and lime juice. 

“It’s become famous now because it’s a dish that combines the sea with the fish and the land with the coconut,” says Marania Teuru, Itinerary Specialist with Tahiti Tourisme. “We don’t have spicy food in our Tahitian culture; the coconut milk gives a sweet taste.” 

You’ll discover the dish on menus all over the place from high-end eating places and resort breakfast buffets to the meals vehicles referred to as roulottes. 

Where to remain

Tourism cliche it could be, however there’s nothing like spending the night time simply ft above a lagoon busy with fish in your non-public overwater bungalow. There are not any overwater bungalows in Hawaii as a consequence of their open ocean publicity. In distinction, Mo’orea, Bora Bora, Tikehau, and the primary island of Tahiti are among the many islands in French Polynesia the place you possibly can sleep coddled in luxurious linens atop pilings and beneath thatched roofs whereas the ocean burbles beneath you. 

Some of probably the most luxurious overwater bungalows in French Polynesia are on Bora Bora and embody honeymooner and celeb favourite The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, with loaner bikes for pedaling the motu and an unbelievable Lagoonarium the place you possibly can snorkel with protected Napoleon and 1000’s of different fish. 

Right close to the airport in Papeete and a fantastic place to in a single day earlier than departing for different islands, the InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa has overwater bungalows lining its shorefront and step-out snorkeling entry. 

A fast ferry experience away, the Sofitel Kia Ora Mo’orea Beach Resort presents overwater bungalows on the island of Mo’orea. And within the Tuamotus, Le Tikehau by Pearl Resorts on Tikehau has historically designed overwater bungalows with palm roofs linked by a picket walkway. That stated, you hardly want to remain in an overwater bungalow to delight in Tahiti’s tropical sense of place. 

Vanira Lodge close to the well-known surf break at Teahupo’o has a set of 9 eclectic bungalows carved into the hillside and surrounded by breadfruit timber and bougainvillea. On Nuku Hiva within the Marquesas, Le Nuka Hiva by Pearl Resorts has an infinity pool, restaurant, and palm thatch bungalows overlooking Taiohae Bay. And Fakarava’s family-owned Havaiki Lodge, with its onsite pearl farm, makes an idyllic lagoon-front base for scuba diving the atoll passes or snorkeling in crystalline waters simply steps out of your bungalow.

(Go with Nat Geo: Travel with National Geographic Expeditions to French Polynesia past its postcard-perfect panorama.)