French Polynesia 6 Day Itinerary

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Six days stretches the classic Moorea and Bora Bora combination by an extra night, split between the two islands rather than bolting a third island on. French Polynesia is 118 islands across five archipelagos, and the honest rule at this length is still 2 to 3 islands done properly rather than chasing more of them.

Day 1: Tahiti, arrival

Land at Faaʻā International Airport (PPT), the only real gateway, roughly 8 hours from Los Angeles. If that route connects through LAX, clear US customs there with a valid US ESTA even though French Polynesia is the actual destination, since LAX has no sterile international transit. Visa exempt nationals get about 90 days here without a visa; this is not the Schengen area. Spend the afternoon at the Marché de Papeete, then eat at the roulottes food trucks at Place Vai’ete in the evening. The currency is the CFP franc (XPF), permanently pegged at 1 EUR to 119.33 XPF, and tipping is not customary here.

Day 2: Tahiti to Moorea

Take the Aremiti or Terevau ferry from Papeete to Vaiare, 30 to 45 minutes across the 17 kilometre channel, the one inter-island crossing in French Polynesia that’s a boat rather than an Air Tahiti flight. Drive up to the Belvedere Lookout, about 250 metres above sea level, for the view over Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay, split by Mount Rotui. The island’s true high point, Mount Tohivea at roughly 1,207 metres, is a separate peak from the pointed Mount Mou’aroa, the “Shark’s Tooth,” at about 880 metres, worth keeping straight since they get mixed up constantly.

Day 3: Moorea’s lagoon

Spend the morning at the “Sharks Sandbank,” standing in shallow water among blacktip reef sharks and stingrays. If you’re here between July 20 and November 20, this is whale swim season and Moorea is the main accessible base in the territory for accredited operators, though it needs booking ahead of arrival. In the afternoon, the Manutea distillery in the Opunohu Valley runs a free self guided pineapple juice and rum tour, an easy stop before flying out the next morning.

Day 4: on to Bora Bora

Fly Air Tahiti from Moorea to Bora Bora, about 50 minutes. The airport sits on its own motu, so every arrival includes a boat transfer to the main island or to an outer motu resort, which adds another leg on top of the flight. Settle in and get oriented, then spend the afternoon at Matira Beach, the island’s one proper public beach, with Mount Otemanu, the 727 metre volcanic peak, visible across the lagoon the whole time.

Day 5: Bora Bora’s lagoon

A full day lagoon tour by outrigger canoe covers the coral gardens and the shallows where blacktip reef sharks and stingrays gather, typically with a stop on a private motu along the way. Bora Bora’s overwater bungalow is the image most people associate with French Polynesia, and it’s worth knowing the style is usually credited to Hotel Bora Bora’s original 1970s stilt rooms, which made it take off, rather than to any single hotel inventing it outright.

Day 6: departure

Fly back from Bora Bora to Faaʻā in the morning, about 50 minutes, and allow at least three hours before an international connection given slower check-in queues at peak times. Pick up black pearls or vanilla from a shop rather than the airport counter if you didn’t buy at the Papeete market on day one.

Book these before you go

Worth knowing: dengue is endemic with recurring outbreaks, pack repellent accordingly, and ciguatera fish poisoning affects some reef fish, worth asking locally which catch is safe that week. There is no malaria here, a genuine plus for the region. Medical care is good on Tahiti and Bora Bora; smaller islands have only minor clinics, and a serious case elsewhere can mean an air evacuation to Papeete running $10,000 or more, a real argument for travel and evacuation insurance. French Polynesia runs expensive throughout, though family run pensions keep parts of a trip like this affordable.

For less time on the same route, see the 5 day plan, or add a third island with the 7 day plan. The full Moorea guide covers the bays, the peaks, and the sandbank in more depth. Official tourism information is at Tahiti Tourisme .