Hawaiians revere Tahiti as part of their ancestral homeland, referred to as Kahiki. But with French Polynesia’s capital, Papeete, located more than 2,700 miles south of Hawaii’s capital in Honolulu, the differences when it comes to visiting these legendary Pacific Island archipelagos stretch beyond the distance dividing them.
Hawaii’s Aloha spirit and French Polynesia’s spirit of Iorana draw from a shared breath related to the spiritual life force energy of mana. Both greetings, spoken to tourists and exchanged among locals alike, reference warmth, kindness, harmony, and a connection with nature and man that’s intrinsic to Polynesian culture.
The Hawaiian Islands draw more than nine million visitors each year, primarily from the mainland United States. But French Polynesia’s record tourism arrivals in 2024 saw just 264,000 visitors, primarily from France, descend upon its 118 islands and atolls—more than 60 of which are inhabited.
Hawaii, by comparison, has eight main islands, six of which are open to visitors, making French Polynesia an appealing alternative with fewer crowds. Keep in mind that Papeete takes roughly 3 hours longer to reach by air from Los Angeles than Honolulu.
“If you like Hawaii, you’re going to love Tahiti,” says Tahitian Heimata Hall, who owns 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 vacation to this South Pacific alternative to Hawaii, here’s what you should know before you start exploring the five archipelagos that make up the 118 islands of French Polynesia.
(How Tahitian women fight for recognition in the traditional outrigger canoeing.)
Go for lagoon life and epic scuba diving
While Hawaii is known for its spectacular array of volcanic sand and white sand beaches 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 places like Bora Bora and the Tuamotu Archipelago.
Scuba diving is a popular pursuit in both the Hawaiian Islands and French Polynesia. Hawaii is perhaps best known for night dives to see manta rays in Kona on the Big Island and the chance to dive in lava tubes on the Kohala Coast. French Polynesia’s underwater wonders include thrilling shark and drift dives in the atoll passages of Rangiroa and Fakarava, where grey reef sharks often congregate by the hundreds.
Snorkelers regularly get into the water to swim alongside migrating humpback whales from July to November just offshore from Rururtu, Mo’orea, and Tahiti. And in Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, home to just one dive shop, Nuku Dive, divers commonly see scalloped hammerhead sharks and manta rays.
(Diving to new depths in French Polynesia)
7 recommended islands and atolls to explore
With 118 islands and atolls spread across an area of water roughly the size of Western Europe, these spectacular places in French Polynesia are worth visiting.
Tahiti
The largest and highest island is Tahiti (Mount Orohena here is 7,352 feet high), home to about 190,000 people and roughly 70 percent of French Polynesia’s population. Its landscapes include deep valleys and roaring waterfalls, perhaps most spectacular on the presqu'ȋle, Tahiti Iti, a peninsula on the island’s largely untamed east end.
Hawaii is known as the birthplace of modern surfing. For surfers, a pilgrimage to Tahiti Iti is a must to surf or at least watch other boardriders hang ten. One of the world’s heaviest waves breaks just offshore from the village of Teahupo'o, the site of surfing events during 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 culture and island life in southeast Tahiti)
Mo'orea
It’s just a half-hour fast catamaran ferry ride northwest from Papeete to the island of Mo'orea, right across a narrow channel, where jagged peaks carpeted in shades of emerald rise sharply from the shoreline, beckoning for adventure.
Follow the scenic driving route, the Routes des Ananas (Pineapple Trail) through the middle of the island to thread through pineapple fields to the incredible lookout at Belvedere, where you can bask in bewildering views of Mount Totui, Opunohu Bay, and Cook’s Bay. The coastal route skirts hidden beaches like Tipaniers, down a sandy path in Moorea’s northeast corner.
For the chance to see migrating humpback whales and their calves just offshore from Moorea, plan to visit between July and early November, when Tahitian-owned outfitters Enjoy Boat Tours Mo'orea can put you in the water alongside the behemoths for the eye-to-eye encounter of your life.
Fakarava
Some 260 miles northeast of Tahiti and accessible by regular flights and cruises, Fakarava is the second-largest atoll (after Rangiroa) in the Tuamotu Archipelago. It offers similarly rich experiences both above and below water. Most visitors come to dive the famous south pass, Tetamanu, known for its wall of grey reef sharks. But the lesser-known north pass of the atoll, Garue, is equally thrilling and rich with marine life.
Dive outfitters like O2 Fakarava operate tours to both. Once you’ve toweled off for the day, you can rent a scooter to explore some of the atoll’s sandy beaches.
(In Polynesia, tattoos are more than skin deep.)
Bora Bora
Bora Bora, a 50-minute flight from Papeete, is synonymous with the oft-photographed backdrop of Mount Otemanu and is known for its sublime lagoon dotted with overwater bungalows at luxury hotels that draw honeymooners from around the world.
There’s fantastic scuba diving here, too–both within the lagoon at manta ray cleaning stations and channels where eagle rays soar on the currents and outside of it, too, where you can watch the underside of waves pounding the fringing coral reef.
Bora Bora Cultural Lagoon Tour offers excursions to explore the lagoon’s translucent waters by traditional pirogue, including visits to a family motu (islet), and the chance to learn about local flora.
Maupiti
A 50-minute flight from Tahiti and accessible by ferry, too, from nearby Bora Bora, Maupiti is a low-key escape from the honeymooning masses. Free of big resorts and overwater bungalows, the island offers authentic stays rich with Tahitian hospitality.
Visitors can snorkel or dive with manta rays at a lagoon cleaning station and enjoy swimming in the pristine lagoon and serene walks along the white sands of Tereia Beach.
Huahine
One of French Polynesia’s Society Islands, Huahine is just a 40-minute flight northwest from Tahiti and is lush, quiet, and rich in Polynesian culture. Visitors can get a glimpse of traditional life by exploring ancient marae(temples), verdant forests (the island’s nickname is “Garden isle”) and vanilla plantations. Popular activities include biking around the island, snorkeling its coral gardens, and visiting the Huahine Pearl Farm.
Nuku Hiva
Over three hours by air from Tahiti, the remote Marquesas Islands offer a different kind of French Polynesian adventure—there are no clear lagoons here but plenty of wild natural beauty. On Nuku Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas Islands, sailboats from around the world, fresh from Pacific crossings, drop anchor in the spectacular surroundings of Taioha’e Bay. In the mornings at the quai, there’s quite a spectacle as sharks arrive by the scores as fishermen clean their catch. Hire a taxi to make your way to Chez Yvonne for lunch, fronting the gorgeous beach at Hatihue Bay. Breadfruit, fresh fish, and goat dishes are on the menu. Look for freshwater eels gathering for leftovers in the nearby creek.
A taste 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—raw tuna with shoyu and sesame oil, among other ingredients that sometimes include spicy mayo or sriracha. In French Polynesia, it’s all about poisson cru–the national dish that stars raw 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 find the dish on menus everywhere from high-end restaurants and hotel breakfast buffets to the food trucks called roulottes.
Where to stay
Tourism cliche it may be, but there’s nothing like spending the night just feet above a lagoon busy with fish in your private overwater bungalow. There are no overwater bungalows in Hawaii due to their open ocean exposure. In contrast, Mo'orea, Bora Bora, Tikehau, and the main island of Tahiti are among the islands in French Polynesia where you can sleep coddled in luxurious linens atop pilings and under thatched roofs while the ocean burbles beneath you.
Some of the most luxurious overwater bungalows in French Polynesia are on Bora Bora and include honeymooner and celebrity favorite The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, with loaner bikes for pedaling the motuand an incredible Lagoonarium where you can snorkel with protected Napoleon and thousands of other fish.
Right near the airport in Papeete and a great place to overnight before departing for other islands, the InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa has overwater bungalows lining its shorefront and step-out snorkeling access.
A quick ferry ride away, the Sofitel Kia Ora Mo'orea Beach Resort offers overwater bungalows on the island of Mo’orea. And in the Tuamotus, Le Tikehau by Pearl Resorts on Tikehau has traditionally designed overwater bungalows with palm roofs linked by a wooden walkway. That said, you hardly need to stay in an overwater bungalow to bask in Tahiti’s tropical sense of place.
Vanira Lodge near the famous surf break at Teahupo’o has a collection of nine eclectic bungalows carved into the hillside and surrounded by breadfruit trees and bougainvillea. On Nuku Hiva in 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 just steps from your bungalow.
(Go with Nat Geo: Travel with National Geographic Expeditions to French Polynesia beyond its postcard-perfect landscape.)
Terry Ward is a Florida-based freelance writer and avid scuba diver who covers travel, science, and health. She lives in Tampa, follow her on Instagram.
Comments