Descriptive names like The Island of Birds, Magic Island, Blue Heaven Island, Vanilla Island, Pearl of the Pacific, Endless Lagoon, Pink Sand Island sound unusual and exotic and move the imagination for decades now. 

Archipelagos

118 islands divided into several archipelagos, which differ in the geographical characteristics, customs and even underwater world, make French Polynesia. Society Islands (the most famous ones are Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea) are volcanic islands with the characteristic look. In the middle of the main island are high hill tops covered in woods, while the islands are surrounded by a blue lagoon and coral reefs. Tuamotu islands, with Rangiroa and Fakarava, true heavens for divers, are completely different. They are “low” coral islands spread in a waste area forming an ellipse with a lagoon in the middle. Smaller tourist archipelagos are Austral, Gambier and Marquesas Islands are not so famus, but just as beautiful as the other ones. 

Tahiti

Papeete, the capital of Tahiti and French Polynesia, for most tourists is only a starting point for visiting one of the islands. If you decide to stay in Papeete, visit the local market, enjoy the view on exotic fruits, vegetables and rich offer of the lagoon fish. On the first floor of the market you can find a lot of original souvenirs from Tahiti. 

Moorea - magic island

Moorea is only 12 nautical miles from Tahiti and is accessible by water from Tahiti. Mountain tops (the highest is Mt Toheia, 1207m), well known for their unusual shapes, greeted us dressed in black cloud dresses. But, warm summer rain soon stayed behind us as we moved to the other side of the island. There, we enjoyed long lines of overwater bungalows, true Polynesian tourism. 

Bora Bora - the land of blue shades

Landing to Bora Bora gave me the experience of the most fascinating view I have ever seen. The attitude: it’s just a jet-set destination (I had at the beginning, but that changed very soon) did not diminish this pleasure: all the shades of blue surrounded by white sandy beaches, and in the centre – Mount Otemanua (727 m).