2 Week French Polynesia Itinerary: Moorea, Tahaa, Bora Bora, Rangiroa
My husband and I love French Polynesia! We rarely visit a place twice, but French Polynesia is the exception. That tells you something! We keep returning for the incredible snorkeling, beautiful beaches, great hiking, and delicious island food. Let’s walk through what I consider the best 2 week French Polynesia itinerary that includes the islands of Moorea, Taha’a, Bora Bora, and Rangiroa!
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Day 1: Travel Day from Tahiti to Moorea
We landed at PPT (Faaʻa International Airport ) in Tahiti.
10:30 am: Take the very affordable 30-minute ferry to Moorea. Check the ferry schedule ahead of time. Grab a ham & cheese baguette on the ferry to tie you over to dinner. See my 6 ferry tips.
11:15 am: We rented an automatic car with Albert Transport. Great experience! They picked us up from the ferry on time and drove us 10 minutes to their office to pick up the car. We drove 30 minutes to our vacation rental and picked up groceries along the way at Super U. I stayed in the car with the luggage, and hubby did a grocery run.
Breakfast/Lunch: On the plane/ferry.
7 pm: Dinner at our villa rental.
Overnight: Waterfront Villa Rental
Day 2: Alex Lagoon Tours + Snack Mahana
8 am – 12 pm: Snorkel with blacktip reef sharks, stingrays, turtles, and fish with Alex Lagoon Tours. Incredible tour! The meeting point was only a 5-minute drive from our villa rental. See my full tour review!
4:15 pm: We hiked up Magic Mountain for the BEST views of Moorea! Only 75 minutes roundtrip, but it will get your heart pumping. Trailhead was only a 5-minute drive from our rental.
12:15 pm: Lunch at Snack Mahana for their famous poisson cru and seared tuna. Delicious! Cash only. No reservations.
7 pm: Dinner at our villa rental.
Overnight: Waterfront Villa Rental
Day 3: Coco Beach + Pizza
2:15 pm: After you get back, grab some delicious coconut ice cream at Les Sorbets De Moorea!
Breakfast: At the villa rental.
12:30 pm: Lunch at Coco Beach Restaurant.
7 pm: Dinner at Casa Vincenzo. We ordered a delicious Burrata Neapolitan pizza cooked in an authentic Italian oven! Yum.
Overnight: Waterfront Villa Rental
Day 4: Snorkel at Temae + Jardin de Corail
10 am: We drove to Toatea Lookout for some beautiful lagoon views.
10:30 am – 11:30 am: Snorkel spot #1. We snorkeled along the gorgeous reef at Temae Beach and saw stingrays and numerous types of fish. See my detailed Sofitel Snorkeling Guide!
12:45 pm – 2 pm: Snorkel spot #2. We snorkeled off an island called Motu Ahi and saw stingrays, plenty of fish, and a few reef sharks!
3 pm: Relaxed by our infinity pool and watched the fiery sunset.
Breakfast/dinner: At the villa rental.
12 pm: Lunch at Golden Lake to try a chow main sandwich. More on this sandwich in my Moorea Restaurant Guide!
Overnight: Waterfront Villa Rental
Day 5: Hilton Snorkeling + Belvedere Lookout
11 am – 12 pm: After a relaxed morning, we jumped in for a quick snorkeling session near the Hilton and saw a blacktip reef shark and schools of small fish.
4:30 pm: Drive to Belvedere Lookout for some beautiful views and sunset.
Breakfast: At the villa rental.
12:30 pm: Lunch at Snack Teanahei for some delicious chicken skewers.
7 pm: Dinner at Le Lezard Jaune Cafe. Ordered the Chef’s Special Poisson Cru and the half-cooked red tuna. Delicious!
Overnight: Waterfront Villa Rental
Day 6: Sea Scooter + Pineapple Champagne
8 am – 12 pm: Ever try a sea scooter? Me neither until we went to Moorea. Let Moorea Water Games take you to all the cool snorkel spots on the eastern side of the island. Super fun! This was one of our favorite things to do in Moorea.
2:15 pm: Picked up some Pineapple Champagne at Rotui Juice Factory (yep, tastes like pineapple!). Free juice and rum tastings.
Breakfast/dinner: At the villa rental.
1 pm: Lunch at Restaurant La Grand Voile for some delicious fresh poke bowls after our sea scooter tour.
Overnight: Waterfront Villa Rental
Day 7: Fly to Raiatea + Boat Over to Taha'a
9:30 am: Dropped off the rental car in Moorea.
11:40 am: 45-minute direct flight to Raiatea. You cannot fly directly to Taha’a. Fly to Raiatea first and then take a boat over to Taha’a.
1 pm: 20-minute private boat transfer from Raiatea Airport to the car rental office in Taha’a. Our amazing Airbnb host arranged our boat transfer and car rental.
1:30 pm: Picked up the car rental with Taha’a Location. It was a 25-minute drive to our Airbnb. Checked in, grabbed some groceries at Superette Haamene, and relaxed poolside to watch the sunset.
Breakfast/Dinner: At the villa rental in Moorea/Taha’a
Day 8: Snorkel at the Famous Coral Garden
10:15 am: Stop #2: We snorkeled at the famous Coral Garden. This is the REASON you come to Taha’a. It’s like a giant adult slip ‘n slide.
11:30 am: Stop #3: Pearl farm tour at Love Here Pearl Farm.
1 pm: Stop #4: Delicious local lunch with the fish and the baby reef sharks on a private motu. You’ll love the “coconut show.”
3:30 pm: Stop #5: Vanilla plantation tour at Fare Vanira.
7 pm: Dinner was a delicious pizza at Taha’a Kebab.
Overnight: Villa Lou Faret
Day 9: Lunch/Snorkel at Le Taha'a
12 pm: We enjoyed the Coral Garden drift snorkel so much, we decided to do it again. It’s located right next to the luxury resort, Le Taha’a by Pearl Resorts. Our Airbnb host kindly arranged lunch at the resort, and we were able to snorkel at the Coral Garden as many times as we wanted. The resort picked us up and dropped us off at the dock, which was a short drive from our Airbnb.
6 pm: Dinner at Top Food for delicious poke bowls and beautiful sunset views. Get a delicious Nutella & Oreo Crepe next door at Crêperie de Taha’a for dessert. Yum.
Overnight: Villa Lou Faret
Day 10: Fly to Bora Bora
12 pm: 20-minute direct flight from Raiatea to Bora Bora.
Afternoon: We relaxed at our beautiful overwater bungalow
Breakfast: At the villa rental.
Dinner: At the hotel.
Day 11: Snorkel with Reef Discovery
8:30 am – 12 pm: We did an incredible snorkeling tour with Reef Discovery. We saw manta rays, eagle rays, and a variety of beautiful fish! I highly recommend this small-group tour.
Afternoon: We relaxed at the overwater bungalow, paddle boarded, and snorkeled.
Breakfast/ dinner: At the hotel.
Overnight: InterContinental Le Moana
Day 12: Fly to Rangiroa
11 am: 1 hr. 15 min. direct flight from Bora Bora to Rangiroa
We rented bikes from the hotel and biked to the eastern part of the island to enjoy a nice seaside lunch at Les Relais de Josephine. This was one of our favorite restaurants in Rangiroa! Then we biked to the western side, passed some churches, and viewed the Avatoru Pass. Rangiroa is a flat island, so biking is easy and fun!
Breakfast: At InterContinental Le Moana
Lunch: Les Relais de Josephine
Dinner: At Hotel Kia Ora Resort & Spa
Day 13: Blue Lagoon
8:20 am – 5 pm: We did an all day tour to the Blue Lagoon! We snorkeled with baby blacktip reef sharks, enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch, and snorkeled the Avatoru Pass. Incredible day!
Lunch: BBQ at the Blue Lagoon
Dinner: Delicious pizza at Pizzeria Moanatea
Overnight: Hotel Kia Ora Resort & Spa
Day 14: Snorkel the Tiputa Pass + Aquarium
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Our first snorkel stop was the Aquarium. We saw reef sharks, an eel, and schools of fish like the humpback red snapper. Our second snorkel stop was in the famous channel called the Tiputa Pass. You can only snorkel here during certain times of the day. Our guides expertly led us through the pass, where we say reef sharks, an eagle ray, and a variety of fish!
4:30 pm: We biked over to the Dolphin Viewpoint to watch the dolphins playfully jump in and out of the water at the Tiputa Pass.
Breakfast/ Dinner: At Hotel Kia Ora
Overnight: Hotel Kia Ora Resort & Spa
Day 15: Pearl Farm + Snorkel at Resort
1 pm: We snorkeled near the underwater bungalows at Hotel Kia Ora.
6 pm: Dinner at Chez Rua for some fish ‘n chips and a homemade Bao burger. Delicious!
Overnight: Hotel Kia Ora Resort & Spa
Day 16: Fly to Tahiti & Then Home
5:10 pm: 1 hr. direct flight from Rangiroa to Tahiti. Arrived in Tahiti at 6:10 pm
11 pm: Flight back to the U.S.
Relax at the resort until the flight.
Dinner: Fresh tuna sashimi at Vini Vini at Tahiti Airport
Who Will Love This French Polynesia Itinerary
- Beach lovers
- Snorkeling & hiking enthusiasts
- Foodies
Best Time to Visit French Polynesia
- The best time to visit is during the dry season, May – October.
- We had great weather at the end of May/early June.
- Whale season is from July – early November if you want to swim with humpback whales in Moorea! This is still on my bucket list.
Hotels
- Waterfront Villa Rental in Moorea (6 nights)
- Villa Lou Faret (3 nights)
- InterContinental Le Moana in Bora Bora (2 nights)
- Hotel Kia Ora Resort & Spa in Rangiroa (4 nights)
Airlines
- We flew with American Airlines to Los Angeles and Air Tahiti Nui from Los Angeles to Tahiti. Total flight time was around 19 hours.
Air Tahiti
- We booked direct flights with Air Tahiti from Moorea to Taha’a, Taha’a to Bora Bora, Bora Bora to Rangiroa, and Rangiroa to Tahiti.
- Flights only go in certain directions when you island hop. Here are the island options when you purchase a multi-island pass.
Car Rental
- We booked a car with Albert Transport in Moorea. Great company!
- In Taha’a, we reserved a car with Taha’a Location through our Airbnb host. Another great experience.
- In Rangiroa and Bora Bora, we did not rent cars.
Tours
- Snorkeling Tour with Alex Lagoon Tours (Moorea)
- Sea Scooter Tour (Moorea)
- Coral Garden Drift Snorkel (Taha’a)
- Snorkel with Manta Rays (Bora Bora)
- Blue Lagoon Tour (Rangiroa)
- Snorkel the Tiputa Pass + Aquarium (Rangiroa)
Dinner Reservations
- Dinner at Casa Vincenzo (Moorea)
- Dinner at Le Lezard Juane Cafe (Moorea)
What I Would Have Changed
- I would have loved to do the Three Pines Trail in Moorea if I had more time.
- If I had more days, I would have considered adding Fakarava for more great snorkeling.
I’m Nichole, the author of all the blog posts on Enriching Pursuits. Think of me as your geeky DIY discerning travel friend who dives deep—Google Page 20 deep—to uncover the best ways to enjoy exceptional outdoor adventures and foodie experiences.
My husband and I are experienced snorkelers, day hikers, and casual cyclists who also love delicious street food, an incredible glass of wine, and the occasional Michelin-starred meal.
Balancing full-time careers, we cherish every second of our vacation days and love sharing tips to help you do the same. If this sounds like your kind of travel, subscribe below or drop me a note with any questions—I’d love to hear from you!
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Questions about our French Polynesia itinerary?
Let me know in the comments below!
Nichole you have provided a very comprehensive amount of information and I wanted to say thank you so very much. My husband and I are planning to go to Tahiti/Moorea in June or September and I appreciate all the valuable tips and pointers to help us out. Is it ok to email you with a question or two as we work toward planning our trip. We are both retired and my husband has a bad back but floating in water is not painful so we want to do that as much as possible!!
Thanks so much Sue for your kind words! Happy to help. If you feel it would help other readers, feel free to drop your questions here and I will do my best to answer them.
Hi Nichole
What a great gathering of information, gave me a lot of tips when planning a trip to Moorea.
Just wanted to ask what you did between arriving back at Tahiti 6pm and leaving at 11pm? That is a big question mark for me still as our flight home does not leave until 11:59 pm.
Thanks for reaching out!
We were advised to check in 3 hours before our international flight. So, for our 11 pm flight, we needed to check in by 8 pm.
By the time we picked up our checked bags and walked just outside the airport, it was around 6:30 pm.
We picked up delicious fresh tuna at Vini Vini Airport Snacking. There’s no seating. They just offer takeaway. So we found a bench outside to enjoy dinner.
By the time we finished it was around 7 pm.
I share all this to say we really only had 1 free hour before we needed to check in. This didn’t allow enough time to do anything fun outside the airport, so we just checked in early.
We downloaded lots of shows beforehand to watch on the iPad to kill time.
As a heads up, there’s no AC in the airport. I wore shorts and then changed into fresh pants right before we boarded. Not the most pleasant airport to kill time.
There is an Air Tahiti Nui Lounge at PPT (which has AC I understand), but my husband’s AA status did not give him access. I believe you can pay 6000 XPF (~$52 USD) for a Lounge Pass.
Alternatively, you could take an earlier flight to Tahiti and then get a day pass at the InterContinental Tahiti (but I’m not sure if they are still offering day passes so check first). We haven’t done this, but I believe the pass offers access to the pool and day room for showering.
Hope this helps! We love Moorea!
Hi Nichole, awesome blog!
I found your blog after already booking my trip. I’m doing 8 days in Moorea and 4 days in Rangiroa. We are both scuba/free divers and snorkelers traveling with two young kids 4 and 2 yo. I skipped Bora Bora, although I could still change it now that I’ve realised there a direct flight to rangiroa from Bora Bora !!! Do you think we would miss much skipping it? I was thinking about intercon le Moana as well. Thank you!
Hi Belle,
Apologies for the slow reply. We just got back from celebrating our wedding anniversary in Tanzania, and I’m slowly catching up!
You’re planning such a great trip.
Rangiroa definitely delivers when it comes to shark encounters, and Moorea offers a really well-rounded snorkeling experience (eagle rays, stingrays, blacktip reef sharks, the whole lineup).
The only real thing you’d be missing by skipping Bora Bora is the chance to see manta rays.
Rangiroa and Moorea are both amazing and each has its own vibe. Rangiroa is super flat and easy to explore by bike, while Moorea is more dramatic and mountainous. Definitely rent a car there if you can. And if your timing’s right, you might even get to snorkel with humpback whales in Moorea.
If you have any other questions, I’m happy to help.
We’re big fans of French Polynesia. Fakarava is next on my list!