The Tuamotu Islands

The Tuamotu Islands are made up of 76 atolls spread over 1,497 km and the region lives up to its reputation. These islands, located at the end of the world, are literally heaven on earth. The coconut plantations cover the motu, islets of the coral reef combining the immaculate beauty of the lagoons with an exceptional underwater world.

In the middle of one of the world’s largest destinations for scuba diving, the 240 islets spread over more than 177 km of ocean, surrounding a deep and impressive lagoon. This is Rangiroa, a place that simply goes beyond human understanding. The second largest atoll in the world, Rangiroa is a place where land and sea unexpectedly blend. The beautiful loop of the islands is surrounded by different types of ocean: Moana-tea (the Pacific Ocean), which defines the very essence of the lagoon, and Moana-uri (the wild ocean), where whales, rays manta, dolphins and sharks offer an incredible spectacle to the lucky few who come to venture into their mystical world. Back on earth, the main villages of Avatoru and Tiputa offer the visitor a unique look at the South Pacific. Along the few roads you will find coral churches, craft centers, local restaurants and bakeries, as well as a few small shops run by locals. Wine lovers can also taste coral wine at Dominique Auroy’s property nestled in a shell and which produces three varieties of grapes. The whole is punctuated by pearl farms which live in harmony with the lagoon.

A paradise for divers

Rangiroa is recognized worldwide for its breathtaking dives, in particular, its exciting and powerful passes. You will start outside the passes to let yourself be carried by the tide, surrounded by hordes of imposing sharks, laughing dolphins, majestic manta rays and crowds of undulating trevally before arriving in the middle of the calm and soothing lagoon . Cradled by this thrilling roller coaster, you have already boarded the boat to start the ride again.

The largest atoll in Tahiti and its islands

Rangiroa or Ra’iroa means “infinite sky”. The island of Tahiti could enter this gigantic lagoon. Residents live in two of the hundreds of motu that make up the atoll: Tiputa and Avatoru, which overlook the two eponymous passes.

Simply idyllic

If you don’t dive, you can discover the lagoon with happiness. Enjoy a picnic on an uninhabited motu, take a snorkel to fly over the simply incredible coral gardens, visit the intact islets where wild birds nest and have fun with small sharks and rays. who sympathize with you in the depths of clear, shallow water.

Manihi talks about dreams of escape. It was as if you had passed the door of time and joined a fantastic world in the tropics. Far from the modern world, the spirit of Mana de Manihi flourishes around the crystalline lagoon, the cradle of the first pearl farm in Tahiti and its islands.

Discover the pearl farms

The origin of the Tahitian cultured pearl was born in Manihi in 1965. This lagoon, famous for its oyster, saw the birth of the first pearl farm. Since then, the islanders of the atoll have been passionate about producing pearls. There is a plethora of pearl farms in the Manihi Lagoon. A visit to one of these farms is a unique experience. You will be able to better understand the work and time required to bring these precious gems to life. In Tahiti And Its Islands, pearls are considered to be an authentic embodiment of the beauty of Polynesian lagoons.

A magic lagoon

The crystal clear waters of Manihi lagoon are simply enchanting. Its sandy beaches form a magic circle around the lagoon. Fishing seems easy, snorkeling, diving and drifting through the Turipaoa Pass looks like a mystical portal, an extension of a sweet and soothing waking dream. And let’s face it, you are living a dream come true.

Get lost in a timeless village

The colorful and flowery village of Turipaoa overlooks the pass of the same name, its peaceful atmosphere is animated by women who weave their baskets while the children splash and play in the lagoon. In most of the houses are hung tools dedicated to the cultivation of pearls such as ropes, buoys and suspended oysters, precious jewels where beautiful pearls in the making are formed.

The days are changing quietly in Tikehau. Seen from the sky, this elegant atoll, a 55-minute flight from the kinetic bustle of Papeete in Tahiti, looks like a crown of white and pink sandy beaches that tickle the ocean circled in a lagoon so beautiful that it almost seems unreal. About 500 Tahitians live on this land which they call “the home of a quiet world”. Generations of fishermen live by the sea, synonymous with a life of peace and abundance.

A lagoon that keeps its promises

This oval-shaped lagoon is encircled by a series of motu of white and pink sand, they constitute a soothing natural pool opening onto the Tuheiava pass. Divers will be captivated by the beauty of marine life where eagle rays, schools of barracudas and tuna, gray sharks, sea turtles and dolphins love to parade. For those looking to taste the happiness of the island, the intimate shaded beaches surround the island in the shade of the merciful and protective palm trees.

Natural curiosities

Explore the village of Tuherahera and the beautiful beaches of the desert atolls and discover the impressive coral remains lying on the beach on the South Coast which form a natural wall. Travel back in time by discovering the legend of Hina’s bell closely linked to this place. On the motu, the pink sand beaches, marvels of nature, await you.

A particularly fishy atoll

Millions of fish live in this intact world. The volume of fish is so abundant that the research team of the famous captain Jacques Cousteau called Tikehau, “the most abundant and fishy atoll in the Tuamotu Islands”.

How not to notice the small and charming islets that form a ring around the lagoon of Fakarava, the second largest atoll in French Polynesia. The lagoon will naturally captivate your attention with its mesmerizing almost hypnotizing beauty. Its purity, its elegance, its tranquility … Everything in these magnificent shallow waters calls for the delicious intoxication of the senses. Whenever your eyes land on its magnificent landscapes, they fall in love with the island again. This immaculate and attractive world offers a peaceful life with its small villages, its roads lined with bougainvilleas, its bright coral churches, its picturesque houses, its bakery, its snacks and its restaurants. Everything seems to float above the clear waters surrounding this UNESCO biosphere reserve, the absolute embodiment of paradise and romantic charm.

A biosphere reserve under UNESCO protection

The terrestrial and underwater fauna of Fakarava includes endemic protected species. The atoll presents such a unique environment that it has been named a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in order to conserve its natural resources and ensure human development in harmony with nature.

The magic of the ocean

Divers around the world dream of Fakarava. Majestic coral heads, thousands of schools of fish, shark “walls” near the passes present sublime beauty. Fakarava which means “beautiful” or “what makes things beautiful” in Tahitian, transforms travelers.

“Matisse Blue”

The famous French painter Henri Matisse (1869-1954) claimed that the colors were liberating. The artist spent three months in Tahiti And Its Islands in 1930 going to Fakarava. Fascinated by the infinite variety of shades of blue lagoon, his artistic vision was turned upside down here, giving birth thereafter to the style that made him famous.

With superb white sandy beaches bordered by coconut palms, a crystal clear ocean that is warm to the touch, the 76 islands and atolls of the Tuamotu archipelago cover an area of ​​more than 2 million km². Here, the myth of Robinson Crusoe comes to life.

At the height of their reputation, the Tuamotu are essential for experienced divers. The lagoons of the atolls are a protected paradise where underwater life is spectacular. This area is also the birthplace of the legendary pearl of Tahitian culture, cultivated with love, patience and respect in the hollow of an elegant oyster with blue reflections. Pearl farms seem to float on the Tuamotu lagoons and underwater, pearls refine their incomparable colors and shades.

Some Tuamotu atolls are nothing but endless white sand beaches, with a few hectares of coconut plantations. Others, like Rangiroa, the second largest atoll in the world, are much larger. These mini paradise islands, scattered in the middle of the deep blue ocean, seem distant, they are easily accessible by boat or plane without having to go through Papeete.

You will find guesthouses or guesthouses on most islands, and the larger atolls host hotels of international standing where visitors from all over the world meet. Located 1,600 km south of Tahiti and the tip of the Tuamotus, you will see the most isolated and distant archipelago of Tahiti And Its Islands emerge: the Gambier Islands. It is a natural and cultural gem that visitors often discover by chance, but from which they all return conquered and enthusiastic.

Takapoto

Idyllic and immaculate, Takapoto is paradise embodied. Discovered by explorers Jacques Lemaire and Willem Schouten, Takapoto is an enclosed island with no real pass allowing the lagoon and the ocean to meet, which explains the unspoiled setting of the atoll. It also shelters the famous black pearl of Tahiti cultivated in the oyster Pinctada margaritifera, the main economic resource of the island. Visitors can enjoy the fish parks made with coral stones.

Anaa

Easily spotted by Polynesian navigators, Anaa’s coral ring is renowned for the brilliant emerald color of its lagoon, recognizable among many others. The atoll has no pass and is home to feo, spectacular three-meter blocks of coral that rise out of the lagoon!

Mataiva

At the northwest end of the Tuamotu Islands, Mataiva is a somewhat surprising atoll. It is the only lagoon in French Polynesia with 70 indoor pools approximately eight meters deep and nine canals from which Mataiva derives its nickname “the island of nine eyes. It is a real life-size tropical aquarium, divers and visitors alike will be charmed by its magnificent lagoon welcoming crowds of fish.

Hao

Discovered by Pedro Fernandez de Quiros in 1606, Hao is called “the island of the bow” or “the island of the harp” because of its shape. Hao presents one of the largest lagoons in French Polynesia. From the Khaki pass, a huge lagoon opens which conceals unknown treasures that divers like to discover. Starfish, sea urchins and crustaceans are among the many treasures of the reef which also counts on the visit of mahi-mahi and trevallies.

Makemo

Makemo is a gem of nature, sculpted by erosion that has lasted for millennia. Sand is an incredible mixture of pink and red born from the growth of microorganisms in these warm, shallow waters. A few steps away, the coast stretches like a natural swimming pool ready to welcome swimmers in the hollow of its turquoise waters. It is truly in Makemo that dreams and legends meet, preciously transmitted by the guardians of the history of the island.

Ahe

Between Rangiroa and Manihi, Ahe Atoll exudes authenticity. With its pearl farms, Ahe is one of the most dynamic atolls in Tahiti and its islands. Visit a pearl farm to discover the secrets of this activity while sharing with the locals their love, passion and pride for their paradise in a fragile environment.

Reao

You are at the end of the world. Reao is far from everything, lost and preserved. The island has discouraged more than one navigator, even the most experienced in history. The navigator Louis Isidore Duperray was the first to cross its course in 1823 and named it the “Clermont-Tonnerre”.

Kauehi

Very known by the pearl merchants of the 19th century, this atoll was first mentioned in the writings of the British captain Robert FitzRoy in 1835. Between 1838 and 1842, the American expedition of Charles Wilkes called the island “Vincenne With reference to his boat.

Aratika

Aratika is 484 km northeast of Tahiti and 15 km from Fakarava. Like Fakarava, the atoll is part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve because of its exceptional natural and cultural heritage.

Arutua

Arutua, is a ring-shaped atoll also known as Ngaru-atua, which means “breaking the wave from afar”. Thirty-three kilometers east of Rangiroa, the atoll has around 50 motu circling a huge lagoon with a small island in the center. The main village, Rautini, is the main place where most of the inhabitants of Arutua live. Many fish farms strew the lagoon. Fishing, cultivation of pearls and copra define the life of the island sitting on a particularly spectacular and authentic colored gem.