5 dream islands in French Polynesia: what is essential to see and do

La French Polynesia It is undoubtedly one of the most incredible places in the world, islands full of coral reefs and animals living around them.

If you like nature in its purest form, and especially marine life, you have to consider travel to Polynesia because it is much more impressive than you can ever dream of.

There are very few corners of the planet that can live up to the French Polynesia and you continually have a sensation of seeing yourself surrounded by movie landscapes as Jurassic Park.

Since these islands are located in the middle of the South Pacific With many hours of flight from the continents, many people prefer to take shorter trips and are not aware of what they are missing.

The best things to see and do in French Polynesia

You can dive or do snorkel between sharks or fish of all the colors you can imagine, feed them striped blankets, or do calmer activities such as going on a boogie or drive a quad among palm forests.

And also for those who are afraid of spiders, snakes and these types of animals, don't worry because there are hardly any of them, much less dangerous.

The most dangerous thing there was geckos, a type of salamander that eats mosquitoes, which in addition to preventing them from biting us, flee when you approach.

Best islands to visit in French Polynesia

French Polynesia is 118 islands and atolls spread across 5 archipelagos, so the options when choosing what to visit are many.

That's why we are going to teach you Our selection ones you can't miss.

When choosing, there is one island that is always visited, Tahiti, since it contains the only international airport in French Polynesia, where all flights arrive.

Here you have a video and we leave you the link to an article with the best tips for visiting French Polynesia, which will be useful if you consider planning a trip to this paradise.

Tahiti

Tahiti It is one of the most famous islands, and you could say that it is a must-see.

In reality, Tahiti is two embraced islands that together become the largest island in French Polynesia, and it is the only one with an urban character, since, as a curiosity, it is only there that you can drive on a road with three lanes.

It is an island very similar to Hawai as its volcanic origin It is very marked, and since the original volcano that formed the island is not so sunken, there is not as much coral as in other atolls.

Life on the island revolves around the coast, but much of its charm is in the interior.

El interior of tahiti It is a wonder of nature, with tropical forests and huge waterfalls that do not stop releasing water throughout the year.

If you have time, I recommend signing up for the excursion through the interior of Tahiti that we were able to do on our trip, in which an authentic Polynesian will discover the island while telling you a multitude of traditions of the polynesian culture.

Of course yes you travel to Tahiti you can't stop knowing the Papeete market, a must-see on the island.

A good way to get in touch with the culture of a country is to visit its markets because through them you can learn about the customs and habits that a population has.

At Papeete market You will find everything, from different types of food and crafts, to products made from coconut and flowers, which are one of the star items of the island since they are loaded with symbology.

That is why when you arrive at any hotel they receive you with an offering as a fresh flower necklace.

Moorea

Moorea It is an island that is located just 17 kilometers from Tahiti, less than half an hour by ferry.

A beautiful island where many Tahitians reside and return every afternoon after their work day.

It is the island where many of the fruits are produced that are later consumed in Tahiti like pineapple, banana or mangoes.

Moorea It also has an incredible Coral barrier, especially in the northern part of the island.

In this area of ​​the island there are two large bays with a lot of history, since the captain arrived there James Cook on the trips he made throughout this region of the Pacific.

Here we leave you this video where we show you this incredible island, an essential visit if you travel to Polynesia.

Moorea Basically it only has one road that runs through the entire island next to the sea, which is where most of the towns are located.

Although in reality there are other roads that go inland, in practice they are used by farmers to go to the cultivation areas.

In fact there are several excursions in quad or in boogie which you can sign up for to get to know the interior of the island, which are very worth it.

They are half-day excursions during which you tour the plantations until you reach viewpoints from where you can enjoy incredible landscapes.

Specifically there are two viewpoints that are very special, which we were able to visit when we toured the island in quad.

One from which you can see the two bays, and the other is known as Magic mountain for its amazing 360-degree views that allow you to see from the mountains to the coral reefs in the north of the island.

Bora Bora

Bora Bora is next to Tahiti, the most famous of the 118 islands of French Polynesia, and the incredible photos of their floating bungalows over turquoise blue waters is not an easy image to forget.

and there are so many bungalows of this style because the shape of the atoll makes it much easier than building them elsewhere.

An outer ring surrounding the central island makes Bora Bora It is a very peculiar island where one could almost say that roads make no sense, everything is easier by the sea.

That's why it's a very good place to do snorkel from the hotel itself, since the entire interior of the atoll has very shallow and calm waters full of coral.

It is one of the islands more touristy and more expensive, since there are few accommodations and they are absolute luxury.

Here are all the big hotel chains and it is a highly sought after area for honeymoons.

Rangiroa

Being full of Coral reefs, riding a French Polynesia There are some of the best areas in the world for diving, and the jewel in the crown, if we talk about diving into the sea to see fish, is the Rangiroa Atoll, just an hour by plane north of Tahiti.

Don't miss the video that we included in this article in which you can see in images the experience of visit Rangiroa.

This big atoll that could fit Tahiti Inside, it only has a ring of water out of the water. coral beaches surrounding the caldera of the ancient volcano.

This island became famous because in the Tiputa Pass, one of its two accesses from the sea to the interior of the atoll, there is a dolphin family that live all year round and play in the currents that form.

In fact there is a hotel, the Relais des Josephine, from whose terrace you can see every afternoon the dolphins jump and surf the waves that the current forms when it leaves the interior of the atoll towards the open sea.

All diving lovers have to visit this island, even those who have never dived with a cylinder, like us; This is undoubtedly a very good place to start.

On a first dive of initiation diving It is now possible to see hundreds of fish since at the entrance of Drip There are marine reserves packed with life.

And for the more experienced divers you can do absolutely unique dives.

Can be seen hammerhead sharks o blacktip sharks, Can touch the dolphins who live there, for which they themselves will approach, or dive among all kinds of Colorful fish.

The best thing to imagine how amazing it is is to know that Rangiroa It is the favorite island of most Polynesians.

Tikehau

And our last recommendation is the island of Tikehau, another of those impressive atolls where diving is one of the main attractions.

It is one of the oldest islands in the area that keeps a secret that is not easy to see in such remote areas of the world.

Is known to Tikehau as the bird island in French Polynesia.

When we talk about islands so far from continents, normally we have to understand that it is difficult for many birds to arrive, but on this occasion Tikehau is an exception.

One of its islands is absolutely full of different species.

And if that were not enough, there is a peculiarity and that is that the birds put their eggs directly on the branches of the trees.

This is not due to the presence of predators that prevent them from living in a very peaceful way, as they could also lay them on the ground, but since it is of volcanic origin, the eggs would become too hot.

That is why the option chosen by most species is not to waste time making nests, but instead they are better off placing themselves directly on the branches of the trees.