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Bora Bora Island
Travel Guide
French Polynesia
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bora bora pictures map
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The Lagoon island of Bora Bora is recognised by many as one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Others, let down by its rather false and commercial aspect, claim it is polluted and vastly over rated. The truth lies somewhere in between and depends entirely what you are looking for: if its a luxury resort with stunning views, a tranquil lagoon, snorkelling and lots of marine life then Bora Bora may seem perfect. However, if you are expecting the Bora of old, of fishing villages and simple lifestyles, of a quiet retreat away from the fast pace of modern life, then you may well be disappointed.
The main island of Bora Bora rises sharply from the turquoise lagoon with its recognisable flat top peak and craggy points covered in tropical forest. Visually, the setting is nothing but spectacular. Around the outer edge of the lagoon is a fringing reef with a string of low lying coral atolls (motu) protecting the north and west side of the island. The main island can be easily explored from the 32km coastal road that circumnavigates the island.
The main town of Bora Bora is at Vaitape on the west coast. Here you'll find a few shops, a large market selling tourist souvenirs of all sorts and the main wharf where small boats shuttle to and forth between the offshore islands and visiting cruise ships. Apart from a few budget hostels (the only ones on Bora) and several cheap restaurants, there's little to keep you in town. A rough trail leads from the south side of town to the summit of Mt. Pahia which, at 661metres high, is the highest point on Bora. However, the best views of the island are from one of the ten American WW11 guns that are scattered around the island, most of which are easily assessable and within a 20-minute hike from the main road. The best of these are just north of Vaitape close to the islands premier dive resort, Top Dive Resort, and at Fituiu Point on the eastern side of Bora. This stretch of coastline north of Vaitape and along the entire east coast is mostly rocky and has several ancient marae along the coast.
Matira Point on the southern tip of Bora is the main centre of tourism and has the only stretch of picturesque white sand beaches on the main island. Naturally, there is a continuous line of resorts and guesthouses extending either side of Matira. The most elegant of these is the Intercontinental Hotel which has private beach access at the very southern point of Matira. The lagoon here is extremely shallow, and the overwater bungalows that extend out into the water look spectacular against the turquoise water. However, the lagoon is too shallow for swimming from the beach although there's reasonable snorkelling further out. The beach extends along the east coast of Matira Point for a kilometre with the recently refurbished Sofitel Marara enjoying the best of the beach front. Directly across the lagoon is the small hilly island of Motu Piti with its more luxurious sister property, Sofitel Motu occupying the island. There are nice walks in the hills with great views looking back across the shallow lagoon to Matira Point. Back on the main island, and further along Matira Point from the Sofitel is the good value Maitai Polynesia with a range of accommodation including bungalows on the beach and hotel rooms across the road in the hills. On the west side of Matira Point is the public access Matira Beach which gets busy at weekends and school holidays. You can rent kayaks here, or take water skiing or tube rides in the water. The lagoon here is a little deeper making it much better for swimming. At the far end of the Matira Beach is the Hotel Matira, behind which you can climb the hill to the American Guns for a good view. The snorkelling off the northern point of Matira is amongst the best in the island.
North of Matira Beach along the east coast is the islands only other decent stretch of sandy beach alongside Pofai Bay. This crescent shaped bay is one half of the collapsed volcanic crater and here are some of the best panoramas of Bora's magnificent hills. Just north of the famous Bloody Mary's restaurant is a steep 10-minute track leading to a radio tower, from which splendid views of the southern coast can be seen. Pofai Bay is far less commercial than Matira with only a few guesthouses, the pick being the affordable Temanuata Village in a small landscaped garden across the road from the beach. From the northern end of Povai Bay, its a 10-minute drive back to Vaitape Town.
The beauty of Bora Bora is best viewed from afar, and for this reason the most spectacular views with the nicest palm fringed beaches is on the offshore islands. There are plenty of day cruises taking in the stunning scenery around the lagoon which invariably include a lunch on one of the motu and a snorkel amongst thousands of colourful reef fish. If you don't see reef sharks, manta rays and mooray eels you are unlucky. Dolphins can also be spotted around Te Ava Nui Pass on the west coast of the lagoon. There are also several exceptional dive sites on the outer reef making Bora Bora one of the best scuba diving destinations in the South Pacific.
To take in this splendid scenery it is best, if finances permit, to stay on one of the luxury resorts located on the motu, preferably in an over water bungalows extending out into the lagoon. The largest of the offshore islands is Toopua which in fact marks the western side of the collapsed crater attached to the main island. Here are some of the best snorkelling reefs in Tahiti. On the northern tip of the island is the lovely setting of Bora Bora Lagoon Resort which has unparalleled views from its restaurant and overwater bungalows looking back to the mountains of Bora Bora. Off the southern tip of the island is Motu Toopua Iti which boasts one of the finest white sandy beaches in French Polynesia - you can stay at the luxury Bora Bora Nui Resort in overwater bungalows or splendid hillside villas with exceptional views looking out to the open ocean. A short walk to the hill above the hillside bungalows leads to a fantastic panorama looking back towards the mountains of Bora Bora.
Off the north side of Bora are a string of tiny islands sandwiched between Tevarioa, location of the Pearl Beach Resort, and Motu Mute, location of the airport. These islands are popular amongst day trippers and there's good snorkelling. If you are looking for an island to yourself, try Private Island Lodge which has a small narrow beach and access across the lagoon to a lovely swimming and snorkelling beach. Extending south from the airport along Bora's eastern reef is an almost continuous stretch of long thin and flat islands that flank the entire east side of the island. Here you'll find the longest stretches of beaches where you can walk for miles alongside the sandy shoreline backed by palm trees. There are several large resorts on these islands including the delightful Le Meridien Resort which sits on a small bay surrounded by beach front and looking out onto almost 100 over-the-water bungalows. The bay acts as natural lagoonarium full of reef fish and sea turtles and you can watch them feed from the resorts' restaurant, or snorkel amongst them. On the adjacent island is a popular tourist site, The Lagoonarium, where Manta Rays, Sting Rays and Eagle Rays are bred, reared and released back into the ocean at maturity. You can swim with the Rays, and even touch them.
Maupiti, a little further out than Bora Bora, is a charming island of similar appearance to Bora Bora but with only a faction of the resorts and tourists.
search for ... Bora Bora Resorts
find ... Tahiti Tour Companies
continue to ... Maupiti Island
Readers may also be interested in the following destinations:
Cook Islands Travel Guide
Fiji Travel Guide
Samoa Travel Guide
Tonga Travel Guide
Hawaii Travel Guide
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