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Trips and Tours in Bora Bora
Jeep Tour
In order to see the island and its
dramatic scenery and also get a good view of the three
neighboring islands: Tahaa, Raiatea (known by its name
the Vanilla Island) and Tupai, it’s recommended to join
a 3 hour jeep tour by the
Tupuna Mountain Safari Bora
Bora company, site: www.tupunasafari.com. The jeep roof is covered but open on the
sides.
On the trip, you will visit three main
viewpoints on the mountain tops. The roads leading there
are impossible for regular cars, with many bumps,
sometimes in mud and steep ups and downs. These roads
are private therefore the travel companies pay to access
the private area. In the circumference of the island,
there is one natural paved road that surrounds the
entire “large island” of Bora Bora along its beaches.
The first observation point is the view of the capital
town of Vaitape, next to it in the bay anchors the
cruise ships arriving in Bora Bora. You can see the
beautiful view of the lagoon, the town the coral reefs
and the sailing boats.
The guide also tells about the
island and its inhabitants numbering about ten thousand
people and most of them make their living from tourism.
So far there was only an elementary school and now they
are also building a high school. There is no hospital on
the island but there’s a medical center. From this
lookout point, you overlook also on the only public
beach on the island: “Matira Beach”, a wide sandy beach,
very popular amongst the locals.
At the second
highest point, you’ll stop next to two large cannons
that were placed here by the Americans during World War
II to protect the place from the Japanese after the
attack on Pearl Harbor. Charles de Gaulle agreed at the
time for the Americans to enter the island, which was a
French territory, but on the condition that what they
bring to the island will stay when they leave. The
Americans left the cannons but dismantled the essential
parts so they couldn’t use the cannons against them in
the future.
In total the Americans set up here 8
cannons across the island. Two in each position across
the island. The Americans also broke an entry path for
the boats through the coral reef that surrounded the
island thereby allowed the establishment of a harbor
protected from the waves in Bora Bora. Beforehand only
small boats could reach the island and the big boats
were greeted by these boats near a small island by the
reef.
The Americans have contributed greatly to the
island infrastructure development and encouraged the
locals also to get educated.
While going down the
mountain, it’s possible to stop at the passenger’s
request in the village of Vaitape to buy different
merchandise in the supermarket, drugstore or store. Its
recommended to buy a sea mattress or any other means of
floating within the quiet lagoons near the bungalows on
the water around the island. The prices in town are
relatively reasonable in comparison to the expensive
prices of the hotels and therefore it is a good
opportunity to stock up.
From there you continue to
the third observation point, on the way you can see
fruit trees and many flowers as the guide expounds about
them. The jeep climbs up the mountains and you come to
the house of a painter whose expertise is painting on
canvases. The locals tend to wear a floral outfit in a
shape of a sheet that is wrapped around the body called
Pareo. The artist paints beautiful paintings (and
expensive) on these fabrics with water resistant colors
which you could either frame or wear. The artist’s house
in located in the heart of a dramatic landscape in which
he is surrounded on one side by the two highest peaks on
the island and on the other side spreads a lovely view
of the slopes of the mountains on which there are fruit
orchards and that continue down to the blue lagoon that
surrounds the island and to the coral reef and the sea.
While enjoying the art and the view the tourists will be
served fruits: pomelo and coconut.
Painted fabrics on the background of the mountain in Bora Bora:
An ecological tour in the lagoon
A recommended tour
that in my opinion is a “must see” for anyone who comes
to Bora Bora, is a day cruise (about 8 hours) which
includes four wonderful and varied stops:
- Swimming
with the “Stingrays” feeding them and petting them, you
will hug and even feed these huge fish while standing in
the quiet clear water of the lagoon.
Swimming with the stingrays:
- Snorkel in the “coral garden” rich with fish of all sizes and colors as well as corals and unique and colorful shellfish. Usually the guide will also find for you a giant eel hiding among the rocks or a rock fish.
Eel
- Near the exit from the harbor, in the deep waters just outside the large reef surrounding the island, you will swim near two kinds of sharks: black tip sharks, a medium sized shark swimming near sea level which the guide feeds with sardines, and the giant lemon sharks that are swimming deep, but occasionally come up almost to the sea level.
Swimming with the sharks:
Quite the
impressive and frightening experience (you don’t have to
get into the water. You can watch the sharks from the
boat). To illustrate the experience, you can
watch the
video I took while swimming with them.
- A typical
local lunch on the small island. The meal is served on
plates made of coconut tree leaves and is accompanied by
authentic music and various demonstrations: the guide
climbs bare foot high up the coconut tree, cuts a
coconut with a knife, demonstrates how to prepare
“coconut milk” and shows how to make plates from coconut
leaves.
Singing and drumming while dining
The guide is quite talented – he sails the boat (the collection is from the dock of each hotel, there is no need for taxi’s or transportation – it is a day of sailing), he is the snorkeling guide, he prepares the food and preforms demonstrations and stunts but above all he is also a musician and a singer. While sailing, while snorkeling and even during the meal he plays a “Tahitian guitar” the Ukulele and sings, from local songs, Polynesian songs, popular American songs and even Italian and French songs.
Playing the guitar in the boat
Several companies organize such cruises,
but the most successful of all is
Lagoon Services
All
the companies have also a shorter cruise of half a day,
but it is really a waste to give up one of the stops and
it is recommended to take a comprehensive cruise, the
longer one. The company has also a sunset cruise and
fishing trips.
For those who prefer diving there are
special tours of diving with the sharks with companies
that specialize in diving. The leading company in the
French Polynesia, with branches in all the islands,
including Bora Bora is TOPDIVE.
A combination tour: jet-skiing and ATV rides
A popular four-hour tour full of action and landscape is the COMBO tour that combines one and a half hour of guided sailing on a jet ski followed by an hour and a half drive on the island for an impressive view from the top of the mountains that you cannot stop admiring.
ATV trip:
A
popular company that organizes such a tour is:
Matira
Jet Tours (site: www.matirajettours.com) located near the Matira beach close to the
InterContinental Le Moana hotel.
The cruise on the
jet ski is guided in small groups of about 3-4 jet skis
with a guide and it covers the entire island, the jet
ski is suited for a couple of riders. You ride fast on
the turquoise clear multicolored water, passing by
amazing hotels with many cabins on the water, you cruise
by the boats and see while cruising fast fish and
stingrays.
Jet ski cruise:
During the
cruise, you stop several times for explanations, photos
and rest. An enjoyable stop in the middle of the cruise
is for bathing in the clear water while eating wonderful
fruits.
The ATV is suitable for a driver and a
passenger behind, you drive it on the normal road
surrounding the island as well as the steep climbs
filled with potholes while looking at the view. Also you
hear fascinating explanations about the island, its
landscape and its inhabitants from your guides.
Paragliding
Another popular activity on the island is paragliding – a wonderful way to be impressed from above by the landscape of the island and its bright colors.
Between activities it is recommended you enjoy the wonderful hotels, sit down on the balconies on the water, be excited by the scenery, tranquility and the good air, dip in the clear warm water and feel that you have won! This is the good life!
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