What to see and do in Moorea, the sister island of Tahiti in French Polynesia

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Moorea beach in French Polynesia

Whenever you talk about the French Polynesia we remember islands with incredible coral reefs with crystal clear waters like Bora Bora or Tahiti.

But take note that we are going to discover another one of those paradise that is very easy to reach and that is difficult to forget, Moorea.

It is a very leafy and fertile island of volcanic origin, famous because it brings together three very characteristic aspects of the life of the French Polynesia.

Moorea in French Polynesia

On the one hand the Moorea Island takes its name from the geckos, that little reptile similar to salamanquesas European,Moo it means gecko YOER yellow.

He gecko makes a very particular sound that makes up the soundtrack of the French Polynesia, go on the island that you go is a sound that you listen to at all times, that stays in your head and is a big surprise when they explain where it comes from.

How is the island of Moorea in French Polynesia

On the other hand, Moorea It is the island where the incredibly rich are cultivated Polynesian pineapples, which by the way can only be consumed there since they are not exported outside the country.

The theme of pineapple is curious because it is not a native fruit of the country, but it was the captain James cook the one that took her from Brazil in those expeditions that they put on the world map to the Polynesia.

In fact, one of the two sister bays of Moorea It takes the name of this prestigious captain who changed the history of the place.

But not only pineapples are grown, but because of the tropical climate of the island all kinds of crops that need a lot of sun grow well.

And we could not forget what for us is the great incentive of the Moorea Island, the incredible Coral barrier where you can bathe with total tranquility between sharks and rays, a unique and unforgettable experience.

Do not miss the video where we show you how our visit to this amazing island was, and where you can see images of the activities that we refer to in this article.

Next we will give you all the information you need to know about the places you must and the excursions that you can not miss, with which you can know perfectly this island that has a unique charm.

How to get to Moorea?

Moorea It is an island of volcanic origin that is located only 17 kilometers west of its neighboring island Tahiti, so we would dare to say that it is a must if you travel to the French Polynesia.

Road in Moorea in French Polynesia

To sum it up in an easy way, there are two ways to get there, one cheap and one more expensive, in ferry or plane, and both leave you in the northwestern part of the island.

How to fly to Moorea

He airplane It is the fastest way to arrive. since in alone 15 minute flight Not counting the waiting times for boarding, you plant in Moorea, the problem is the prices.

The planes are very small and with few seats, and searching in advance there are round-trip tickets for about 70 euros, but if you book the flight with little time, you can find that the price can skyrocket and be between 300 and 600 euros.

How to go by ferry to Moorea

Why reallywe recommend going by ferry, since in practice it is the easiest way to do this tour, and there are also many schedules to choose from continuously from 6:40 in the morning until 5:25 p.m. That is the last trip.

Manava Resort Moorea in French Polynesia

Since Papeete port in Tahiti just it takes 30 minutes, you save all the inconvenience of the plane of the billing and loss of time in the controls, and it only costs one 1,500 Polynesian francs, which in return are around 12 euros the journey.

Do this journey by plane or by ferry, the views on reaching the island are incredible, although you have to recognize that you see the Moorea coral barrier From the air it is something very special.

Choose the option you choose, the suitcase is usually included in the price, so there is no problem in making a visit of several days to Moorea As we did on our trip.

In fact, on the ferry you do not have a luggage weight limit, you just have to arrive at the port 20 minutes before boarding and leave your suitcase in some carts enabled for them, and pick it up just when you reach the town Vaiare already in Moorea.

The interesting thing besides this ferry is that you can see the real life of the Polynesians.

Resort in Moorea in French Polynesia

They are large and new ferries in which you can see all kinds of local people, including school groups that cross between islands in a daily way to go to study in Tahiti.

To do the route from Papeete in Tahiti to Moorea there are two ferry companies Aremiti Y Terevau, and tickets can be purchased online in advance or at the box office directly. while there is only one plane company, Tahiti Air.

Here we leave an article where we give you ourbest tips and useful information for traveling to French Polynesia.

What to see in Moorea?

In the Moorea Island You can spend whole days and you would not finish discovering the island, but we are going to highlight the places that you cannot miss if you visit it.

Moorea coral barrier

One of the biggest attractions that Moorea has it is definitely his Coral barrier surrounding the island that formed with the remains of the eruptions of the ancient volcano that dominated the island.

Sharks in the Moorea Barrier Reef

The coral reef forms a circle of shallow waters that have become the ideal protection for hundreds of species that live in it.

But it has not only shaped the marine ecosystem, but the Polynesians themselves have learned to use this in their favor.

In the northern part. Which is the most tourist. next to both Moorea bays, are located some of the most impressive hotels, which have taken advantage of the shallow depth of the sea to build the characteristic overwater bungalow.

This makes the experience of sleeping in these cabins even more special, since just leaving it is possible to see many fish among corals.

If you are not staying in one of these hotels, we recommend that you at least one day go to dinner to see the magic of these accommodations, as we were, the Manava Beach Resort.

In any case do not think that these types of hotels only have these type rooms bungalow, which is usually only part of the establishment, in general. the most part VIP and especially reserved for honeymoons or anniversary celebrations.

Pineapple fields in Moorea

Touring this part of the island by boat is a very special experience, since the crystalline waters are mixed with the lush jungle landscapes of the coast of Moorea.

Visit to pineapple plantations in Moorea

As we have commented previously, pineapples are the star product of Moorea; With this exquisite fruit you can create all kinds of products that you can imagine, so many. That is amazing.

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Juices, smoothies, ice cream, jams, creams, oils ..., the variety is incredible, and it is very worth visiting some of these fields where you can see the traditional Polynesian life.

After tourism and Black Pearl of Rangiroa Island, the main activity of the island is agriculture and fishing, two activities that are carried out by the same people.

The farmers themselves work the field in the morning and in the afternoon go fishing.

Quad route through the Moorea farm fields

The most traditional fields are those of pineapple, but on this island many more fruits are grown. such as bananas, avocados, coconuts or mangoes.

The tropical climate that bathes the French Polynesia, together with the fertile lands that have emerged thanks to the volcanic remains, are the ideal climate for all this kind of fruit crops.

All of them have had an incredible adaptation to these lands to which they arrived thanks to the famous captain cook. who brought them from South America.

Magic Mountain, the most beautiful viewpoint of Moorea

If we had to highlight a lookout point in Moorea, would be known as Magic mountain, the cuan is located in the north of the island.

At first, when they told us, we thought the name would have taken it from some kind of story Maori or rites of the area, but its origin is much simpler.

Is called Magic mountain for its incredible views.

Magic Mountain Moorea viewpoint

And as soon as you get on it you realize that it is a very successful name.

It has absolutely stunning views from one end of the Apunohu Bay, from where you see the inland jungle of Moorea and the Coral barrier.

It is a viewpoint that is not easy to reach because it can only be done by vehicle quad, or ATV, as they call it there.

The roads are quite complicated for a car, maybe a 4 × 4 could climb it, but the truth is that we only saw some people who, like us, were going in quad.

It is undoubtedly a magical viewpoint that we recommend to everyone to visit and spend a little while, because the peace that the place conveys is unmatched.

Viewpoint of the sister bays Opunohu and Cook

Already inside the island, crossing the fields there is a mandatory stop from where you have one of the most iconic views of Moorea.

Viewpoint of the two bays in Moorea

From here you see the ones known as the sister bays of Opunohu and Cook chaired by the mount rotui that separates them.

Much of the charm of this viewpoint is to see the configuration of the island, since on the one hand you can see the hollow of the caldera of the ancient volcano that after its death sank leaving a huge crater.

And on the other hand, this geographical configuration has given way to pineapple, banana and mango crops with the differences in the characteristics of the trees.

The low grove and that is situated on the slopes in a vertical way, are all pineapple fields, and the rest of the tall trees are plantations of banana or mango.

And it is really curious to see how pineapple crops have colonized this northern part of the island.

Moorea in French Polynesia

From this viewpoint you can do hiking trails about two hours to reach the highest part of Moorea, highly recommended for lovers of charming landscapes.

By the way, to visit this whole area it is important to bring a good mosquito repellent because in this area of ​​crops, if you do not carry it, they eat you.

What excursions do in Moorea?

At the time of spending some days on the island, it is very likely that you sign up for an excursion, that's why we are going to leave here the information of the two that we made, through which we discovered Moorea.

Both excursions are several hours, and we both made them with the same company Albert Transports & activities, whose headquarters were right in front of our hotel, the aforementioned Manava Beach Resort.

From what we could intuit, it is a large company within the island, with which we were really satisfied.

Barrier Reef in Moorea

This was also the company we used to pick us up at the port where we arrived with the ferry, and in fact they also offer cars for rent for a few days.

Excursion to the Moorea barrier reef lagoon

We made our first excursion on the first day of our stay on the island, and it was a great success because it led us to discover the Coral barrier And its charms.

It was an excursion of about 6 hours in the lagoon, where we could bathe with striped blankets and blackfin sharks, which are not very big so they do not see you as a prey.

It is an incredible experience that does not end here.

A Polynesian guide with huge dreadlocks, who was a true genius, was explaining a lot of stories about Moorea as we were crossing the north of the island and the sister bays from the water.

Manava Resort Moorea at night

This excursion includes a stop on an island where, in addition to eating an authentic Polynesian barbecue, they explain various customs characteristic of Polynesian culture.

How to open coconuts and extract milk, how to put the Polynesian pareos, both men and women, how the poisson cru (a kind of polynesian ceviche) and a lot of other things in an atmosphere of authentic Polynesian music played live.

It is best to watch the video of the trip that we have put at the beginning, because it is the best way to get an idea.

We are very used to seeing many guides in all our trips, and without a doubt this is one of the best we have had throughout our trips around the world.

This excursion with this company costs 8,000 fcp, just under 70 euros per person.

Overwater bungalows in Moorea

Excursion inside the island of Moorea

The second day we signed up for another excursion in quad (or ATV) with the same company, and this time we went inside to see the fields.

It is undoubtedly the best way to understand life on the island, since Moorea It is not just beaches and lagoons with crystal clear waters.

This excursion seemed to us the ideal complement to understand the role that the Moorea Island within Polynesia.

It is only necessary to have the driver's license to be able to carry the quads, which are for two people. although in my case I drove it alone.

Traditional Polynesian dance in Moorea

If you do not want to drive, it is also possible to take a similar route Inside Moorea by bus or 4 × 4, although it will never be the same as in quad because with this vehicle you drive on dirt roads, although this option can perfectly serve to get to know the island.

Here we leave the web where we look

More interesting informationabout French Polynesia

Tips for visiting French Polynesia

The best islands of Polynesia

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Video: Exploring the Societies. .Tahiti and Moorea Sailing BareFeet Ep39 (March 2024).