Bora Bora, French Polynesia - Travel with Anny

Bora Bora is a paradise on Earth! There is no enough words to describe the beauty of this place…

The small island of Bora Bora located in French Polynesia is a land of mesmerising beauty. Lying north-west of Tahiti, it has sparkling white sand and blue lagoons neighboured by a coral reef that is turning it into a dream destination for travelers, especially couples.

Yes, it´s an expensive destination, but yet, it worth every cent.

How to get to Bora Bora

First of all you need to get to Papeete, Tahiti Island, which is the main island of French Polynesia. Flight time is approximately 8,5 h from San Francisco or Los Angeles.

We´ve booked our flight from San Francisco to Papeete (Tahiti Island) 6 months in advance and it costed us about 520 Eur (roundtrip). Normally the price for this route is above 700 Eur. You may find a great deals from Los Angeles as well. The best way to get to Tahiti from Europe is through London or Paris to Los Angeles (direct flights, aprox 11 hours) and then from Los Angeles to Papeete.

If you plan your trip in advance, you´ll be able to save some money, although the price of tickets from Papeete to Bora Bora is always the same (roundtrip more or less 320 Eur), even if you book in advance. The flight is operated by Air Tahiti and it´s the only way to get quickly (aprox. 50 min) and in more affordable way, unless you have enough time to take a ferry. Such a trip is really only for those who like to rough, as it operated by basic cargo ships and takes 13 hours from Papeete to Bora Bora.

Flying across the Pacific and its blue lagoons and islands is one of the joys of travel. Landing in Bora Bora is not to be missed! From the air you can see where the reef meets the lagoon and overwater bungalows spread out over the blue water.

Once you´re on the land, enjoy a picturesque views from airport to the island. Airport is located on atol, which is a small islands around the main island. Take a ferry from airport (free service provided by Air Tahiti) or arrange the shuttle through your hotel. Enjoy beautiful views during a ride!

If you´ve arranged the pick up service through your hotel, they will be waiting for you on the pier. If not, you can use a taxi service, although it´s quite expensive in Bora Bora.

Where to stay

We´ve stayed at Maitai Polynesia Hotel, http://www.booking.com/Share-GyMQjg, which was a great value for money. Beautiful grounds, beach and great location, but if you want the real picturesque Bora Bora views, you would need to go to expensive resorts, which is located on surrounding atols.

What to do & see in Bora Bora

• Snorkeling – wherever you swim, on snorkeling tour or at your hotel beach, you´ll find vast variety of colorful fish;

• Take a Lagoon Tour – You simply cannot go back home without sighting the peak of Mt. Otemanu from each angle possible. The hues keep changing in the foreground, which makes it mesmerising to look at;

• Swimming with rays and sharks – incredible experience of being so close to the sharks and play with such a lovely creatures like rays! I reccomend to do this tour with Moana Adventures Tours. They will take you to less crowded places, you´ll feed the rays and if you´re lucky, you can meet some big sharks in open sea and swim with them;