Tahiti > Bora Bora

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Bora Bora is a volcanic island in the Society Islands archipelago of French Polynesia.  It is perfectly possible to spoil oneself in one of the incredibly luxurious high-class resorts and spend the savings of a lifetime in a few days.  Nonetheless, a bit of planning ahead can allow you to enjoy the majestic scenery with a tighter budget.  Keep in mind that in any case Bora Bora is a tremendously pricey destination.  Everything (catering and activities) ranges from "expensive" to "indescribably expensive".   Get in Air Tahiti flies several times a day from Tahiti.  Flights are quite often full, so it is not a bad idea to make a reservation.   The airport is located on a small motu (islet) north of the main island.  Transfer to the main island or to accommodations located on other motus is done by boat.  The major accommodations have counters at the airport.  For the accommodations located on the main island, you will need to take the (free) ferry to Vaitape.  From there, small buses will usually pick you up.   Get around Vaitape is the arrival point of the ferry from the airport, and is the only "town" of any size of the island.  At the southern tip of the main island, Matira is the location of the largest beach as well as several hotels and restaurants.  The central part of the island is extremely mountainous, tough to access and not inhabited (and furthermore devoid of road of any kind).   The way you get around in Bora Bora depends greatly on your accommodation and its location.  Several resorts are actually located on motus and not on the main island, hence the need of boat transportation to get anywhere.  Boat transfers from those motus resorts to the main island or between the resorts and the airport are usually provided.   On the main island, there is only one sealed road, but public transportation is extremely limited. Accommodations located on the island generally provide a transfer to/from the Airport ferry quay.  Taxis are also available.  Operators of activities and restaurants sometimes (but not always) provide a transfer to/from the accommodations.   Renting a bicycle or a small buggy can be an option if you plan to have your freedom on the main island, but the road is sometimes very narrow, and in bad shape.   See The island is actually a volcanic caldera, and its stunningly beautiful lagoon is well protected from the outside waters by the surrounding motus.  The unusual shape of Mount Otemanu (728m), and its smaller neighbor, Mount Pahia, combined with the spectacular water color variations of the lagoon guarantees some breathtaking scenery.   The final approach to the airport is particularly impressive.  Try to sit on the left side of the plane (seats are not reserved).   The abundant tropical underwater life of the lagoon is also a major attraction.  A mask, a snorkel and two fins is all you need, and most hotels will provide you some for free.   Very few go to Bora Bora for the historic relics.  However, if you have seen enough of the lagoon, you might want to take a peek at the few WWII remains and the archeological Polynesian relics in one of the tours of the island.   Do There are comparatively more activities in Bora Bora to keep you occupied than in other islands of French Polynesia.  Being practical, while lazing under the sun in a white sand beach, a good book will be in every case a very useful item to bring.  As weird as it may sound, it actually sometimes rains in Bora Bora (and sometimes even a lot).  The vast majority of the activities take place outdoor, and there are no cinemas, libraries or museums to visit, so even if large resorts do lend books and games, bring some good reading with you.   Water Activities The tropical sea sometimes reaches 30C, making it perfect for various water activities.  Swimming in the lagoon in perfectly clear warm water has the advantage to be free and can be very enjoyable.  The beaches of Bora Bora are not huge by any standards, nor are they cramped with people.  The most famous beach, Matira Beach, is at the southern tip of the main island.   You do not have to pay a lot to enjoy Bora Bora.  Just like swimming, Snorkelling is possible in many areas close to the shore, and even in Matira Beach you will be surrounded by multicolor tropical fishes in seconds and in shallow waters.   Several companies operate snorkeling tours in the lagoon, bringing you by boat farther off the coast (and even sometimes out of the lagoon).  A popular tour is the Shark & Ray Snorkel Safari.  Ray feeding is typically done in shallow waters inside the lagoon.  For the shark feeding, the boat operator may take you a few hundred meters into the Pacific, where 10-20 small sharks may swim about the boat, largely avoiding any snorkelers courageous enough to swim near.   Scuba Diving is also very enjoyable in Bora Bora.  Sharks (mostly black tip and lemon sharks, attracted by the aforementioned feeding tours), turtles, Manta rays, Napoleon fishes are aplenty in a usually clear and warm water.   Jet ski tours around the interior island are well worth the effort as they allow to appreciate the scenery from various viewpoints.   Kiteboarding is getting popular at the Southern tip of Matira.   Land activities The island is about 20 miles around, and bikes and small buggies are available for rent at various sites.  It is well worth the investment to ride the perimeter of the island.   You can do horseback riding along the motus on the fringe of Bora Bora as well as biking.  The Jeep tours are well worth a trip.  You'll have a good time climbing through some rough trails on the island, and you'll get some breathtaking views.  In addition, you'll tour the American WWII ruins, such as gun emplacements and bunkers.   Get out Maupiti, located 40 km from Bora Bora, is a smaller and less touristic, but equally charming volcanic island.  It can be reached by the Maupiti Express, an express ferry riding 3 times a week from Vaitape.

The above data is courtesy of http://wikitravel.org/en/Bora_Bora, last edited at on 4 December 2007 and based on work by David, Chris Bosken, Todd VerBeek, subdigit and Ricardo, Wikitravel user(s) Morph and Tensaibuta, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others. Content is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0.  If you would like to view the original page or edit its content, feel free to visit http://wikitravel.org/en/Bora_Bora.