The island of Tahiti is the biggest in all of French Polynesia, and it has more than it’s size to offer visitors. The beautiful island is home to numerous pristine beaches, lots of gorgeous wilderness, and some incredibly unique culture. All of these elements combine to make the island one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. There’s plenty to do and see while you’re on the island of Tahiti, and we’ll be taking a look at some of the absolute best things in this video! From exploring the island’s capital of Papeete to kayaking along the Lagoon of Mo’orea, join ViewCation as we take a look at the best things to do in Tahiti.
Explore the Island’s Capital of Papeete
Regardless of why you’ve found yourself on the island of Tahiti, you’re likely going to wind up traversing it’s capital. Tahiti’s capital is named Papeete, and it’s quite the location! The capital often functions as a home base of sorts for tourists visiting the island, and there are numerous options for lodging that can be found there. However, even if you aren’t staying within Papeete, you’ll certainly want to see Tahiti’s capital for yourself during your visit to the island.
There are a few notable landmarks to view while perusing Papeete, including the Temple Paofai. Another interesting location is the Robert Wan Pearl Museum, which houses some incredibly unique Tahitian pearls. There’s also Papeete Market, which is open everyday and showcases all sorts of exquisite goods for tourists and locals alike. In addition to wares, you’ll also find live music. The Papeete Market is a great place to go looking for souvenirs, and you may even find some reasonably priced Tahitian pearls.
Take a Drive Around the Island
One unique thing about Tahiti is that there’s a road encircling the entire island. That road is only around 70 miles long, which means that it’s not that hard of a drive to take. However, those who are attempting to take the drive should remember that cars in Tahiti drive quite a bit slower than those in other parts of the world. The drive will likely take the average tourist around three hours, but it’s well worth it!
Of course, the fact that this drive takes you all the way around the island means that it’s one of the best ways to get an encompassing feel for Tahiti’s impressive coasts. Some of the notable locations you’ll pass through during the drive include the Baie de Matavai, which is a beautiful bay that was a favorite spot for European settlers to arrive on the island at. Another notable landmark is the peninsula of Point Venus on Tahiti’s northern coast. This peninsula features a lovely black-sanded beach that shouldn’t be missed, and there’s also a pretty cool lighthouse that you can check out!
Take a Half-Day Tour of the Island
Of course, one of the best ways to get a general feel for any area is to take a guided tour, and it’s pretty easy to take a tour of Tahiti! Tours can take you around some of the coolest points on the island in a matter of only half a day. While driving along Tahiti’s coast will give you a taste of the island’s outskirts, those who want to get a taste of what the island offers further inland might want to try a tour.
Take a Peak at the Maraa Grotto
The Maraa Grotto is an area that features numerous pools and caves, and it’s one of the more unique locations on the island of Tahiti. The translucent pools and the geological wonders of the caves will mesmerize visitors. The area can oftentimes be blocked off due to falling rocks, so you may only be able to view the grotto from afar. However, even if you can’t get up close, the views are still incredible.
Explore Papenoo Valley
Those who want to get a taste of some of the beauty that is offered inland on the island of Tahiti should look no further than the gorgeous location known as Papenoo Valley. Papenoo Valley is, as one might guess, a valley that was formed by the Papenoo River, and it runs vertically through the center of Tahiti. The area is full of vibrant green jungles, beautiful waterfalls, and an awe-inspiring lake by the name of Lac Vaihiria. The valley is typically explored by way of an all-wheel-drive vehicle due to some of the decidedly extreme terrain the further in you get. You can rent all-wheel-drive vehicles at various locations throughout this island.
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Take One of the Island’s Impressive Hikes
There are numerous hiking trails that you can take while visiting the island of Tahiti, and all of them have something slightly unique to offer visitors. The most popular hike in all of Tahiti is arguably the trek up the island’s third-highest peak, which is known as Mount Aorai. Mount Aorai stands a staggering height of nearly 7,000 feet tall, and the terrain up the peak can be a little tough to traverse. The hike can get a little bit slippery, and there are numerous sharp drop-off points along the journey. Still, hiking up the mountain can certainly be worth it for tourists who want to experience the views. Once you get to the top, the views that the summit of Mount Aorai offers are absolutely phenomenal!
The trail happens to begin at a little restaurant by the name of Le Belvedere, and it’s only about six miles to the top. However, the tough journey often takes much longer than one might imagine, with some tourists needing as much as two days to make the full hike up and down. There are huts you can stay in a long the way, and you can also hire a guide to help make the trip a little bit easier. If hiking up Mount Aorai sounds like it would be difficult for you, there are numerous other hiking trails on the island of Tahiti!
Another popular trail for hikers to take while visiting Tahiti is known as Te Pari. The trail goes along the coast and takes hikers through a dense jungle that is completely uninhabited. By the end of the hike, tourists will arrive at the Te Pari cliff, which offers another incredible view. The experience can’t be missed, and, despite the uninhabited jungle, this hike is much less dangerous and exhausting than the aforementioned hike up Mount Aorai. Still, many tourists who tackle the Te Pari trail like to do so with a guide, just in case.
Another great place on the island of Tahiti to go for a hike is the Fara’ura Valley. The valley features numerous waterfalls and plenty of pools for hikers to take a dip in and cool off. The vegetation is gorgeous and plentiful, and the valley is filled with the kinds of beautiful plant life that you won’t find anywhere else in the world! Finally, you can take the hike out to Fautaua Waterfall. This hike is so beautiful and secluded that you’re required to get a permit in order to take it!
Visit the Marae Arahurahu Temple
If you’re interested in historic landmarks and you’ve found yourself on the island of Tahiti, you may want to head over to the Marae Arahurahu Temple. This temple has been properly kept up to look just like it did back when ancient people used to worship at it. The area has a unique atmosphere, and you can imagine that it may have a good deal of leftover spiritual power from ancient times!
Besides the beauty of the structure itself, the Marae Arahurahu Temple is also surrounded on both sides by beautiful and lush gardens. These gardens are nicely landscaped and provide some modern contrast to the ancient ruins. Going through the gardens, there is a nice little 1.5-mile-long trail that will take you to a stunning waterfall. If you’re looking to get a taste of Tahiti’s ancient culture and also experience some of the island’s most stunning natural beauty all with the throw of one stone, checking out the Marae Arahurahu Temple and taking the hike is a must.
Go Swimming with Sea Creatures
Visitors to the island of Tahiti have the chance to swim with a variety of sea creatures. You can do so by simply diving and snorkeling through the island’s waters, or you can increase your chances of seeing a rare creature by taking a guided snorkeling tour. Some of the many sea creatures that you’ll get the opportunity to see in the island’s waters include stingrays, sharks, turtles, and humpback whales. In addition, there’s also a stunning variety of tropical fish. If you’re hell-bent on getting to see a humpback whale, you may want to take one of the aforementioned tours. There are private diving tours that you can take with credible marine biologists that will help you find where the humpback whales are.
Go Kayaking Along the Lagoon of Mo’orea
The last awesome Tahitian activity we’ll be taking a look at in this video is taking a kayaking adventure along the Lagoon of Mo’orea. The kayaking adventures that are offered to tourists along the lagoon are unique in that they utilize see-through kayaks that allow you to get a look at all of the diverse sea life living within the lagoon’s waters. You’ll get to see stingrays and blacktip reef sharks as you paddle. If you don’t want to get in the water with them and snorkel, taking a see-through kayak ride is the second-best thing!
With all of these incredible things to do and see while visiting the island of Tahiti, it’s no wonder that French Polynesia’s biggest island is also one of it’s most popular to visit. Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that there’s a road going all the way around the entire island of Tahiti, and that the road is only 70 miles long? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more globetrotting ViewCation videos are on their way!