Yes, French Polynesia is easy to backpack independently, but it is expensive and every island hop beyond Moorea depends on a domestic flight.
Most independent travelers stay in family-run guesthouses (pensions), which cost roughly 8,000 to 15,000 XPF (US$70 to 135) a night for a private room, with dorm beds or campsites on
Moorea,
Tahiti and some atolls from about 3,000 to 4,500 XPF (US$27 to 40). Plan on roughly 7,750 to 13,100 XPF (US$75 to 125) a day, with flights and dives on top. Booking pensions ahead by email is normal, and some French helps outside Papeete and Bora Bora.
Ten to fourteen days is the right amount of time for French Polynesia if you want the Society Islands plus one atoll; five days covers two or three islands at a calm pace.
With a week, combine
Tahiti (1 night),
Moorea (2 to 3 nights, 30 to 45 minutes by ferry) and
Bora Bora or
Huahine (2 to 3 nights, 40 to 50 minutes by air). With two weeks, add
Raiatea and
Taha’a and fly about 1 hour 10 minutes to
Fakarava or
Rangiroa for diving. The
Marquesas need a separate 5 to 7 days, with flights of around 3 to 3.5 hours each way.
Yes, you can get around French Polynesia without a car by combining ferries, Air Tahiti flights and rented bikes or scooters on the islands.
The ferry from
Papeete to
Moorea runs several times a day, takes 30 to 45 minutes and costs about 1,500 to 2,000 XPF (US$14 to 18). Every other island is reached by air, with one-way fares typically 15,000 to 35,000 XPF (US$135 to 320); Air Tahiti’s multi-island passes cut that cost if you visit several islands. Tahiti has a working bus network, Moorea’s buses are infrequent, and on
Bora Bora,
Maupiti and the atolls a bicycle covers most distances.
The must-visits in French Polynesia are Moorea, the Bora Bora Lagoon, the atoll of Fakarava and the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands near Papeete.
Moorea is the cheapest and quickest island to reach from Tahiti, with public beaches such as Temae. A half-day tour of the
Bora Bora Lagoon (10,000 to 15,000 XPF, US$90 to 135) is worth the splurge even on a tight budget.
Fakarava, about 1 hour 10 minutes by air, offers some of the best shark diving in the Pacific at its south pass. Give
Taha’a a day for vanilla farms and a snorkel in its coral garden.
If you are short on time in French Polynesia, skip the Marquesas, Tetiaroa and anything more than one day in Papeete.
The
Marquesas Islands are magnificent, but flights to Nuku Hiva or Hiva Oa take around 3 to 3.5 hours and fares are high, so they only make sense with 5 days or more to spare.
Tetiaroa is mostly occupied by a private resort, and day cruises from Tahiti cost upward of 20,000 XPF (US$180).
Papeete itself needs a morning for the market and an evening at the food trucks. Smaller sights like the botanical garden at Papeari can wait for a second trip.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for French Polynesia in seconds. Try it out!
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