Trip to Rangiroa Island in French Polynesia
Additional articles about French Polynesia: Tours and vacation in Bora Bora | Trip to Tahiti | Moorea | Trip to Taha'a Island | Trip to Raiatea Island | Nuku Hiva Island
Rangiroa is a small island with an area of about 79 sq km with a population of just under three thousand residents located about 340 km northeast of Tahiti. The island is part of a chain of hundreds of small islands surrounding a lagoon (called an Atoll) with a maximum depth of 35 meters and an area of about 1400 sq km. This Atoll is also named Rangiroa and is part of a group of islands in French Polynesia called the Palliser Islands.
The lagoon of this Atoll is so large that it can sometimes have rough seas despite being entirely surrounded by a chain of islands and sandbars. This is the largest atoll in French Polynesia and one of the largest in the world. Due to the size of the lagoon, the water entering and exiting through its passes during high and low tide creates strong currents that attract marine life to the island's surroundings, making it one of the best destinations in the world for divers.
Cruise ships arriving in Rangiroa enter the lagoon through one of the passes between the islands and passengers go ashore using the ship's lifeboat tender service. In terms of shopping on the island, the most popular product is black pearls. You can also buy vanilla beans, straw hats, and colorful clothes. The main tours in the area include a cruise to the Blue Lagoon, as well as diving and snorkeling trips.
Guided Tours on Rangiroa Island
Ordering guided tours in Rangiroa from Viator:
Guided Tour on Rangiroa Island
A recommended tour at the Rangiroa port in French Polynesia is a cruise to the Blue Lagoon located about 30 km southwest of Rangiroa Island. You sail in a high-speed motorboat for about an hour until you reach a blue lagoon with calm, clear water, where even in gray and rainy weather (not common at all, but we got to experience a lot of rain there) - the color of the water is charming and impressive. This is a habitat for blacktip reef sharks and there are dozens of cute small sharks in the water alongside their mothers.
The song "Baby Shark" kept playing in my head. Additionally, there are small stingrays, sea cucumbers, and corals. We started the trip snorkeling in the deep water adjacent to the lagoon among sharks, fish, and corals, and continued on foot in shallow water to the island next to the lagoon where we also had a fish meal, delicious coconuts, and coconut bread alongside a tasty rum cocktail, and we also learned how to make hats from palm tree leaves.
We walked on foot in the shallow water among the friendly sharks and also fed them and crossed through the water to the island opposite known for its birds, but because of the rain, we mostly saw bird nests and only a few birds. There is only one hut on these islands where one person lives, and the walking tour in the place really feels like Robinson Crusoe.
You can sail in a group, but we chose a private cruise for four people with the company Rangiroa Excursion with a dedicated guide and skipper. The guide was the owner of the company, a former Frenchman who married a local.
Video of a trip to the Blue Lagoon in Rangiroa: