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French Polynesia
French Polynesia
This island paradise covering a vast area of the South Pacific has attracted Herman Melville, Paul Gauguin and Robert Louis Stevenson and remains one of the most beautiful areas on earth.
The 118 islands that encompass French Polynesia are dispersed across a large area making up five major island groups. The Society Islands are the most visited and comprise the main group which includes Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and Raiatea.
The Tuamotus are the next most accessible island group yet are a world apart from Tahiti, its major attraction is Rangiroa - the world's second largest atoll. Also part of the Tuamotu archipelago is Manihi, an atoll where black pearls are cultivated.
The Marquesas is an island group about 1500 kilometres north-east of Tahiti. Its six inhabited islands offer some of the most dramatic scenery. Unlike the other island groups, there are no lagoons but the islands offer dense jungles and 330-metre-high waterfalls and sheer cliffs.
The Austral and Gambier groups are among the most remote islands in French Polynesia. It's a great place to get away from it all although it's expensive to get there and not generally regarded as a budget travel destination.
The majority of backpackers visiting French Polynesia, visit as a stopover enroute to somewhere else and generally don't leave the Society Islands. Travel is much easier between the main islands around Tahiti and it is a little easier for the budget traveller although French Polynesia remains one of the world's most expensive regions to travel in.
Papeete
Tahiti Nui
Tahiti Iti
