9 or 10 days in French Polynesia....how much time in Moorea, Fakarava, and Rangiroa?

[bballnut90]

I'm planning a trip to French Polynesia over 10 days in October. Trying to figure out how to allocate time and find the best balance between water activities, time on land, and seeing a lot but not spending too much time traveling between destinations.

With 9 days, is it too much to cram in all 3 spots? I know for sure I want to swim with whales in Moorea, but for people who've been, is it worthwhile spending more than a day or 2 there?

Rangiroa seems like a popular dive spot but has mixed reviews on here...correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like the dolphins are cool and it's neat seen a ton of sharks/rays at the bottom but it's far down so you don't get them up close. I have a cancellable room booked at Kia Ora which looks incredible and would be a great spot to come back to after diving. I'll also be working during my relaxation times so having functional wifi and nice place to enjoy is a major plus.

Fakarava seems to be all the hype on here, especially the wall of sharks, but the accommodations are super primitive and limited. I don't need accommodation nearly as nice as Kia Ora, but having a comfortable place to stay and wifi access is important if I'm here for more than a couple of nights. Would it worthwhile coming here just for a couple of days and banging out some dives before heading elsewhere? Or am I cramming in too much by trying to hit all 3 spots since coming here requires an additional travel day?

Have read some wonderful trip reports on here but would love to get some feedback as far as how people would suggest allocating time.

 

[ColoDale]

It's been a few years since I've been but Fakarava was the best diving with Rangiroa second. I dove Moorea but did not see whales. I suppose if that was an option then it would have been better. Land based the options for Fakarava were limited when I investigated. I liked Moorea and the terrain. The landscape is vastly different than that of the Tuomotus. Diving the passes there was better than the lagoon or ocean side on Moorea. I went by ship so we stopped alot more in more days.
The dolphins in Rangiroa were on the surface in the passes when it was coming into the lagoon. Both Rangiroa and Fakarava diving is dependent alot on what is going on in the passes.
I saw alot of lemon and reef sharks in Moorea on the ocean side and spotted eagle rays in the lagoons but the vis was less and green.
All these places are going to have surge especially on the ocean side of the reef and some current.

You're island hopping flights may not be direct. If from Moorea then you may end up going to Bora Bora, then Rangiroa then Fakarava. And they may not run daily so that may control how long you can be in one place. If you are going to try it then I would go to Moroea first then you have options of flights from Moorea or ferry back to Tahiti then fly. Make note of the stops as they may not be direct. Appears many are not and this is true island hopping.

I use Matrix airfare search and use the calendar option. Seems Rangiroa to Fakarava doesn't have flights on Saturdays and limited on other days. Air Tahiti might be the only carrier and some days one way is pricey.

If you are going to try land and diving activities on all three, you'll be busy. The Toumotus are going to be flat with not alot to see especially on Fakarava. Moorea will have more. Personally I would do all three and not settling in or top shelf accommodations would be ok for me. My wife, who dives also, not so much.

 

[buck3647]

Did Paul Gauguin cruise out of Tahiti fantastic we did a bunch of dives and a bunch of land tours the REAL David Pressler on YouTube diving a Catalina plane was cool

 

[Shasta_man]

When you get off the plane in Papeete, look out at the island. That's Moorea. It's that close, though it still takes a little time to get back and forth.

Flights might also go out of Papeete so you may have to roundtrip each island from Papeete to get to the next.

Generally what ColoDale said aboe. Diving passes in Rangiroa is main event for there and can be exciting but note it is deep diving but can be easy as you dive from outside the lagoon and ride the current inside. The dive shops there can also have some restrictions on the diving they will take you on as they have their own certification going on, but that may not be prevalent anymore.

Last thing is give yourself some time for each island because the travel day is pretty much lost and then check in is in the afternoon, then you have to connect with the dive shop and get on the dives. You want to enjoy the trip not spend the entire rushing from one event to another and flying around. So if necessary, visit less islands. It's relatively short flying time from LAX so not so bad to go again.

 

[buck3647]

Took a cruise out of Tahiti on the Paul Gauguin Excellent enough time to do diving and touring

 

[Sputnikboy]

Went two times in Fakarava and once in Rangiroa, on the other hand I'd give a skip to Moorea: 9 days ain't that much for all three islands and there's a reason why those two are highly touted for diving while Moorea (and Bora Bora for that matter) isn't.
Fakarava doesn't have resorts but I found my accomodation (Veke Veke village) comfortable and with very good food, ok wifi (in the main house, not in the bungalows) although it wasn't suited for streaming or download/upload big files and I used also a simcard I bought in Papeete.
Honestly I was a bit undewhelmed by Rangiroa, yeah dolphins are nice, lots of sharks, even saw a tiger shark, but Fakarava's Tumakohua pass was so incredible that Rangi just didn't feel that awesome, in fact the second time I skipped Rangiroa altogether (only did a stopover between AirTahiti flights) and went straight to Fakarava.

Also Moorea, being close to Papeete, is visited by every tourist coming to FP, while Rangiroa and to a bigger extent Fakarava are much quieter and low key, a thing which I loved. Moorea is cool because of the extinct volcano (Mr Rotui) rising up in front of the two bays and being bigger there's maybe a little more to see, but when it comes to diving the other two are the go-to destinations. In Fakarava, when going from the north tot he south pass, usually a stop to "le sable rose" is included, which is a strip of pink sand which feels like a slice of paradise .
For me it would be easily 3-4 days in Rangi and the rest in Fakarava, where it's also important, for better visibility, to dive in the south pass in a day with "in going current".

 

[bluedogs]

Went two times in Fakarava and once in Rangiroa, on the other hand I'd give a skip to Moorea: 9 days ain't that much for all three islands and there's a reason why those two are highly touted for diving while Moorea (and Bora Bora for that matter) isn't.
Fakarava doesn't have resorts but I found my accomodation (Veke Veke village) comfortable and with very good food, ok wifi (in the main house, not in the bungalows) although it wasn't suited for streaming or download/upload big files and I used also a simcard I bought in Papeete.
Honestly I was a bit undewhelmed by Rangiroa, yeah dolphins are nice, lots of sharks, even saw a tiger shark, but Fakarava's Tumakohua pass was so incredible that Rangi just didn't feel that awesome, in fact the second time I skipped Rangiroa altogether (only did a stopover between AirTahiti flights) and went straight to Fakarava.

Also Moorea, being close to Papeete, is visited by every tourist coming to FP, while Rangiroa and to a bigger extent Fakarava are much quieter and low key, a thing which I loved. Moorea is cool because of the extinct volcano (Mr Rotui) rising up in front of the two bays and being bigger there's maybe a little more to see, but when it comes to diving the other two are the go-to destinations. In Fakarava, when going from the north tot he south pass, usually a stop to "le sable rose" is included, which is a strip of pink sand which feels like a slice of paradise .
For me it would be easily 3-4 days in Rangi and the rest in Fakarava, where it's also important, for better visibility, to dive in the south pass in a day with "in going current".

I am planning a trip next fall to go to Rurutu to swim with humpbacks for 4 days then want to go to a good dive destination for another 4 or 5 days from there. Solo traveler. Do you recommend Fakarava over Rangi? Anything worth seeing in Moorea (shorter travel etc)?

 

[Manuel Sam]

bballnut90: In late September, I did 5 days of humpback whales in Rurutu and another 4 days out of Puna-auia in Tahiti (about 10 minutes west of the Papeete Airport). I'm telling you this because there is really no need to go across to Moorea for humpback whales, even tho it is just a short ferry ride back and forth from Papeete, unless you also wish to do some sightseeing on land over there. If so, then for sure, in my opinion, Moorea is a lot prettier and has a lot more to offer from a sightseeing standpoint than Tahiti, Fakarava or Rangiroa.

Most here would probably say, and rightfully so, that the 9 days of whales that I did is a bit of an overkill. And honestly, after the first three days in Rurutu, I could have gone home and been happy because we were really lucky and the encounters this year were amazing. But your mileage may vary because I heard from at least two locals that there have been years when the whales didn't even show up.

I've never been to Tonga, which is reputed to be good for humpbacks, but I've been to the Silver Banks twice, and what I saw on those first three days in Rurutu and the quality of those encounters blew away everything I saw in two trips to the Silver Banks. This is because in Rurutu, we didn't have to go out and motor all over looking for blows. Everyday we went to a bay and we'd have the best of all humpback encounters - a sleeping mother and its calf. And they stayed. One day she slept at 20 feet. The next day, we arrived and found her sleeping on the surface.

In Puna'auia, we also had very good encounters, but we did have to go out and search for blows everyday. And inevitably, there were days that were sloooow. On the other hand, we were also rewarded with different types of encounters in addition to sleeping mother and calf; for example: three males chasing a female......it didn't last long but it was the first time I had three on my GoPro screen. The next day, we were with a sleeping mother and calf when two males looking for romance showed up and suddenly I had four on my GoPro screen. It didn't last long either because the mother wanted no part of those two and took off with the calf.

It is worth noting that water temps in Rurutu were around 75-76, whereas in Tahiti, it was 78-79. If you are interested in doing the whales out of Puna'auia and forego Moorea, I highly recommend Tahiti Dive Management.

After doing whales, I spent a week diving Rangiroa in early October. Generally speaking, on this trip, the sharks remained deep as you well noted. It could be a seasonal thing because I saw them in great numbers - mating season perhaps - inside the pass in July 2021. But the dolphin encounters in Rangiroa keep getting better and better: by that, I mean that they approach really close and invite petting. These encounters usually occur on the outside wall dives.

I like both Rangiroa and Fakarava - I'd be hard pressed to pick one over the other. Depends on what I wish to see. If it's big schools of Grey Reefs at eye level, I'd give the edge to Fakarava.

The reason I did not do Fakarava this year was because I spent a lot more time in Fakarava than in Rangiroa when I traveled to the Tuamotus in 2021. This year's trip was already almost 3 weeks long, and that is why I skipped Fakarava this time.

There is nothing as upscale as Kia Ora in Fakarava, or in Rangiroa, for that matter. But Havaiki in North Fakarava is quite nice. I am sure that you can find a dive operator in North Fakarava who will do the trip south to allow you to dive the wall of sharks down there and still have a decent place to stay in with decent wifi. They usually need a minimum of 4 tho to go south.

Given my penchant to stay a minimum of 4 days at each stop, I personally think that while 3 stops on a 9-day trip is doable, to me it is a bit too much. Also keep in mind that whereas there are daily flights between Papeete and Rangiroa, that is not the case between Fakarava and Rangiroa or between Fakarava and Papeete.

I probably left more questions unanswered than answered. Please feel free to ask.

 

[Nelsonka]

bballnut90: In late September, I did 5 days of humpback whales in Rurutu and another 4 days out of Puna-auia in Tahiti (about 10 minutes west of the Papeete Airport). I'm telling you this because there is really no need to go across to Moorea for humpback whales, even tho it is just a short ferry ride back and forth from Papeete, unless you also wish to do some sightseeing on land over there. If so, then for sure, in my opinion, Moorea is a lot prettier and has a lot more to offer from a sightseeing standpoint than Tahiti, Fakarava or Rangiroa.

Most here would probably say, and rightfully so, that the 9 days of whales that I did is a bit of an overkill. And honestly, after the first three days in Rurutu, I could have gone home and been happy because we were really lucky and the encounters this year were amazing. But your mileage may vary because I heard from at least two locals that there have been years when the whales didn't even show up.

I've never been to Tonga, which is reputed to be good for humpbacks, but I've been to the Silver Banks twice, and what I saw on those first three days in Rurutu and the quality of those encounters blew away everything I saw in two trips to the Silver Banks. This is because in Rurutu, we didn't have to go out and motor all over looking for blows. Everyday we went to a bay and we'd have the best of all humpback encounters - a sleeping mother and its calf. And they stayed. One day she slept at 20 feet. The next day, we arrived and found her sleeping on the surface.

In Puna'auia, we also had very good encounters, but we did have to go out and search for blows everyday. And inevitably, there were days that were sloooow. On the other hand, we were also rewarded with different types of encounters in addition to sleeping mother and calf; for example: three males chasing a female......it didn't last long but it was the first time I had three on my GoPro screen. The next day, we were with a sleeping mother and calf when two males looking for romance showed up and suddenly I had four on my GoPro screen. It didn't last long either because the mother wanted no part of those two and took off with the calf.

It is worth noting that water temps in Rurutu were around 75-76, whereas in Tahiti, it was 78-79. If you are interested in doing the whales out of Puna'auia and forego Moorea, I highly recommend Tahiti Dive Management.

After doing whales, I spent a week diving Rangiroa in early October. Generally speaking, on this trip, the sharks remained deep as you well noted. It could be a seasonal thing because I saw them in great numbers - mating season perhaps - inside the pass in July 2021. But the dolphin encounters in Rangiroa keep getting better and better: by that, I mean that they approach really close and invite petting. These encounters usually occur on the outside wall dives.

I like both Rangiroa and Fakarava - I'd be hard pressed to pick one over the other. Depends on what I wish to see. If it's big schools of Grey Reefs at eye level, I'd give the edge to Fakarava.

The reason I did not do Fakarava this year was because I spent a lot more time in Fakarava than in Rangiroa when I traveled to the Tuamotus in 2021. This year's trip was already almost 3 weeks long, and that is why I skipped Fakarava this time.

There is nothing as upscale as Kia Ora in Fakarava, or in Rangiroa, for that matter. But Havaiki in North Fakarava is quite nice. I am sure that you can find a dive operator in North Fakarava who will do the trip south to allow you to dive the wall of sharks down there and still have a decent place to stay in with decent wifi. They usually need a minimum of 4 tho to go south.

Given my penchant to stay a minimum of 4 days at each stop, I personally think that while 3 stops on a 9-day trip is doable, to me it is a bit too much. Also keep in mind that whereas there are daily flights between Papeete and Rangiroa, that is not the case between Fakarava and Rangiroa or between Fakarava and Papeete.

I probably left more questions unanswered than answered. Please feel free to ask.

Hi Manuel Sam, Thanks for the thorough report. My husband and I are heading to Rangiroa next October and I can't figure out where to stay. Kia Ora is quite pricey and we are resort folks. We're staying at Havaiki and Raimiti on Fakarava the week before Rangiroa and those are much more our speed. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thanks!

 

[Manuel Sam]

Nelsonka: These are my opinions in descending order of price/quality.

There are a couple of places that are less than Kia Ora but still more upscale (ie, pricier) than the average pension or bed & breakfast: Hotel Maitai and Raira Lagon. Both have AC. I think that they are in the same price range as Havaiki in North Fakarava.

I know about Raira Lagon from having stayed there in 2013. I know about the Maitai because I have fellow divers who like to stay there. Maitai accommodations are nicer. From a food standpoint, based on my 2013 experience, I think that you Raira Lagon is a better choice if you buy their half-board plan, as compared with Maitai, where meals are, I think, a la carte and overpriced. Both are within walking distance from a foodstore tho, in case you want to buy stuff to make sandwiches. Sometimes there is a foodtruck nearby that offers a more frugal option.

Le Relais de Josephine is right on Tiputa pass. No AC but it is probably not lacking in sea breeze, altho I speculate that it might be noisy if the seas are rough. It offers a great vantage point to see dolphins playing in the waves and I hear that the food is very good. I have never stayed there nor eaten there but it looks nice.

If you like what I have provided you so far, you need not read any further.

I've also heard good things about Pension Bounty but have never stayed there. It is a bit further away from Tiputa Pass.

I should note that I think that all dive shops will offer pickup and drop-off from your place of stay at no additional charge, so hopefully getting to and from the dive shop should not factor into your selection process.

Probably at or close to the other extreme of the cost spectrum from Kia Ora is Teina et Marie, where I have been staying on my last three trips to Rangiroa. This has been in part due to price (even with half-board factored in) and in part because it is just inside Tiputa pass and can't get any more convenient. I only need to walk 150 feet to get to the dive shop that I always use (Raie Manta Club). You could say that this makes it the closest thing to staying in a dive resort. It is also within a 5 minutes walk to a couple of eating places - I usually go to Chez Lily for lunch, and 5+ minutes to two foodstores.

There is another pension called Chez Glorine next door to Teina et Marie and closest to Chez Lily. It is probably priced about the same becasue I think that it is owned by the same family.

I do need to warn you tho: Teina et Marie is not for everyone. It has nothing to do with safety, but let's just say that it can be a bit rustic (for example, insects should not be unexpected) - maybe not as rustic as Tetamanu in South Fakarava because after all, Teina et Marie at least has hot water and screened windows.

The above is by no means all that is available - it is only the ones that I know of.