Sailing 2 weeks in French Polynesia
October-November 2021
First of all it is important to understand where this mysterious group of islands is located.
Among the largest and deepest ocean on Earth situate thousands of islands and atolls scattered along thousands of kilometers. As humans like to divide and categorize everything then of course all these islands have many divisions as well.
Oceania region is divided into Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
Out of which Polynesia is divided into 15 different island groups.
The following are the islands and island groups, either nations or overseas territories of former colonial powers, that are of native Polynesian culture or where archaeological evidence indicates Polynesian settlement in the past.
- American Samoa
- Cook Islands
- Easter Island
- French Polynesia
- Hawaii
- New Zealand
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- Pitcairn Islands
- Rotuma
- Samoa
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Wallis and Futuna
Now we are getting into French Polynesia. A group of 118 islands which the French conquered and made its colony in 1880 is divided into 5 different island groups: The Society Islands, the Tuamotu Archipelago, the Gambier islands, the Marquesas islands, the Austral islands.
The Society Islands itself are also divided into two – the Windward and the Leeward Islands.
Our short sailing trip was going to take place among the Leeward Islands, the western islands that are “under the wind”.
The 300.000 people of French Polynesia are mainly with Polynesian heritage and most of them call themselves Tahitians. Even though a few bigger cities have emerged in Polynesia, a lot of people still live a simple life next to the sea
Table of contents
- An organized group trip in French PolynesiaAn organized group trip in French Polynesia
- How to get to French Polynesia?How to get to French Polynesia?
- The sailing routeThe sailing route
An organized group trip in French Polynesia
In the beginning of 2021, I was looking for a destination to travel to. It was about that time during the Covid-19 pandemic that most of the countries in the world were with closed borders or with the highest number of cases throughout the whole pandemic until that point. So finding a relatively safe location to travel to was a complicated task. I was also trying to escape the dark winter in Estonia and get to somewhere with a bit more sun. As I was doing my research, a post in a Facebook group of Estonian hikers showed up. Someone posted an invitation to join a sailing trip in French Polynesia.
After taking a day to think about it, I was convinced and paid the whole fee for a trip that was suppose to begin in 2 weeks.
Bad news came just a few days later when the French government announced that they will close the borders for everything tourism related. Oh well…
Anyways, I changed my plans and travelled 2 months in Tenerife and 2 months in Turkey that spring instead. The Polynesia trip was postponed to autumn when it finally took place!
The organizer of the sailing trip was an Estonian company called Meltemi Adventures who organizes sailing courses all over the world. Check them out! Basically, if you are group with some experienced sailors it is possible to rent some yachts. We were using an international company called Dream Yacht Charter.
The final turnout in the harbour in French Polynesia was 37 Estonians on 4 different yachts. Three catamarans – Bali 4.1, Bali 4.5, Catana 55 and a monohull – Sun Odyssey 43.
How to get to French Polynesia?
Unless you are already sailing a yacht across the ocean to get to French Polynesia, your only option is to fly there. The main airport (Fa’a’ā International Airport) is located next to the capital city Papeete on the island of Tahiti.
The main airlines that fly into Tahiti are:
- Air France
- Air Tahiti Nui
- French Bee
All of them have flights starting from Paris and have a fueling stop in one of the cities either in USA or Canada.
I personally opted to use the most low-cost option of the three – French Bee. Other airlines also offer quite reasonable round-trip tickets but as I was getting one-way tickets, French Bee turned out to be a bit better option.
The tickets from Paris to Tahiti are actually not as expensive as you would think and it is possible to get your round-trip ticket for 1500 € or less.
From Tahiti, it is possible to fly to 45 different islands with Air Tahiti. Besides flying it also possible to take a ferry between some of the islands. There are 2 companies who run the show – Aremiti and Terevau.
The sailing route in French Polynesia
During the 2 weeks we visited the Leeward Islands of French Polynesia. On each island, we also spent a couple of days exploring and getting to know the local life. Hiking the hills, hitchhiking and meeting the locals, trying out the local cuisine and enjoying the blue lagoons.
Step 1 - Raiatea (Uturoa harbour) to Taha'a
Arrival, provision, distribution into different yachts and off we went. The first night and the arrival party on the yacht were spent right next to an upscale resort.
Step 2 - Taha'a to Bora Bora
Bora Bora – the mysterious island in the middle of Pacific Island. It felt really exciting to reach this paradise destination. On the first time though, we didn’t get further than the Yacht Club as the weather was a bit stormy and the skippers decided to keep on moving. We were going to return to Bora Bora to properly explore it with some clear skies.
Step 3 - Bora Bora to Maupiti
Maupiti turned out to be one of the favourite islands for many during this trip. The island’s population is only around 1200 people and truly has a local vibe. No big resorts, no fancy restaurants. We hiked the tallest peak in the middle of the island, walked across shallow lagoons and around the island, had dinner from small local booths and spent a stormy afternoon in the only restaurant on the island.
Step 4 - Maupiti to Bora Bora
And then it was back to Bora Bora. We rented a minivan for a day, climbed a viewing point and explored the island. On the second day, we took the yachts to the light blue lagoons which visibility was is incredible. Bora Bora is the most touristic island in French Polynesia which was expected but the vibe was actually pretty mellow. I guess that the pandemic had made its impact as well.
Step 5 - Bora Bora to Taha'a
French Polynesia is one of the main producers of black pearls in the world. That means that you will find many Pearl farms on these islands and we also managed to pay a visit to one in Taha’a.
Step 6 - Taha'a to Huahine
Each of the islands in French Polynesia manages to offer something different. After visiting 4 islands in the area, Huahine still managed to surprise with its beautiful people and history.
Step 7 - Huahine to Raiatea
And after 2 weeks of motoring and a little bit of sailing around these islands in French Polynesia, it was time to get back to the beginning point. Raiatea has also some pretty epic things to explore. We rented a car and went to see ancient maraes (sacred sites), the waterfalls and hiked through a lush jungle.
As I usually travel alone, it was definitely an experience to plan activities together with all the travel group. But it was a great way to get to know many new people and share beautiful experiences. Definitely a trip worthwhile!
Here is also a video of the whole sailing trip which describes the 2 weeks a lot better. Enjoy!
