TRIP OVERVIEW
Day 1 – Marae Fare Opu · Shark & Ray Lagoon Snorkel Cruise · Matira Point
Day 2 – Mount Otemanu Viewpoint · Bora Bora 4×4 Safari · Vaitape Village
Day 3 – Bora Bora Scenic Flight · ATV Mountain Adventure · Coral Garden
Day 4 – Faanui WWII Naval Guns · Tahitian Black Pearl Farm · Half Day Lagoon Safari Tour
Day 5 – Bora Bora Jet Ski Tour · Motu Tapu · Faanui Village & Va'a Canoe Culture
Day 6 – Farepiti Wharf · Anau Village · LUXURY Catamaran Bora Bora: The Sunset Escape
Day 1
1.
Marae Fare Opu
~45 min
An ancient Polynesian ceremonial platform in Anau village, built from coral and basalt stones by early Tahitian settlers. Marae served as sites for religious ceremonies, social gatherings, and community decisions across the Society Islands.
Open 24/7
No pictures available.
2.
Shark & Ray Lagoon Snorkel Cruise
~6 hr
A guided boat excursion into Bora Bora's protected shallow lagoon, where blacktip reef sharks and stingrays glide through clear turquoise water. Snorkel gear and a lagoon lunch are included.
3.
Matira Point
~1 hr
The southernmost tip of Bora Bora's main island, where a narrow sandbar extends into the lagoon with calm, waist-deep water on both sides. Consistently ranked among the most beautiful beaches in the world, Matira is free and open to the public.
Open 24/7
Day 2
1.
Mount Otemanu Viewpoint
~1 hr
The Fitiiu Point lookout frames Mount Otemanu, the extinct basalt plug rising 727 meters at the center of Bora Bora. The summit requires technical gear, but this accessible viewpoint captures the full volcanic silhouette against the encircling reef and open Pacific.
Open 24/7
2.
Bora Bora 4×4 Safari
~3.5 hr
A guided 4×4 circuit through the interior of Bora Bora's main island, visiting WWII American gun emplacements on mountain ridges, inland vanilla plantations, and lookout points high above the lagoon.
3.
Vaitape Village
~1 hr
The main settlement on Bora Bora's main island, Vaitape lines the western waterfront with small boutiques, a central market, and pearl shops facing the lagoon. Farepiti Wharf, the arrival point for inter-island ferries and hotel boat transfers, sits at the center of the village.
Open 24/7
Day 3
1.
Bora Bora Scenic Flight
~30 min
A light aircraft flight above the lagoon revealing the full oval shape of Bora Bora's reef, with the gradient from shallow turquoise to deep Pacific blue visible across the entire atoll. Departs from Motu Mute, the island's airport on a separate northern motu.
2.
ATV Mountain Adventure
~3 hr
An off-road quad bike excursion through the jungle-covered interior of Bora Bora, climbing mountain ridges to open lookouts above the lagoon and surrounding motus. No prior ATV experience required.
3.
Coral Garden
~1 hr
A shallow section of the lagoon on the western side of Motu To'opua, where dense coral formations host parrotfish, surgeonfish, and stingrays in water clear enough to see the bottom from the surface. Accessible by hotel boat from the Conrad jetty.
Open 24/7
Day 4
1.
Faanui WWII Naval Guns
~45 min
Four decommissioned naval guns, originally built for battleships, still stand on the ridges above Faanui Bay where the US Navy's Seabees mounted them in 1942 to defend the lagoon's northern entrance during Operation Bobcat. The island was never attacked, so the guns sit exactly as the Navy left them.
Open 24/7
2.
Tahitian Black Pearl Farm
~45 min
A working lagoon pearl farm where the black-lipped oyster, Pinctada margaritifera, is seeded, grown on suspended lines, and harvested for the grey and black pearls French Polynesia is known for worldwide. A short walkthrough shows the grafting process before opening onto a retail counter.
3.
Half Day Lagoon Safari Tour
~4 hr 30 min
A shared-group boat safari across the lagoon's shallow reef flats, stopping at several sites to swim with stingrays, spot blacktip reef sharks, and drift over coral gardens near the barrier reef pass.
Day 5
1.
Bora Bora Jet Ski Tour
~2 hr
A guided jet ski circuit across the lagoon, riding past overwater bungalows and sailboats with Mount Otemanu framing the route, with stops for swimming and a coconut-husking demonstration on a motu beach.
2.
Motu Tapu
~30 min
A tiny private islet inside the lagoon, once held as a personal beach by 19th-century Tahitian queen Pōmare IV. Too small to land on today, it is a passing landmark for lagoon boat tours — a single ring of palms and white sand ringed by turquoise water.
Open 24/7
3.
Faanui Village & Va'a Canoe Culture
~45 min
Faanui's waterfront is where local va'a outrigger canoe crews train year-round for the Hawaiki Nui Va'a, French Polynesia's marquee long-distance canoe race between islands. Long wooden outriggers line the shore between practice runs, and the sport remains the island's most-followed pastime.
Open 24/7
Day 6
1.
Farepiti Wharf
~30 min
Bora Bora's main inter-island wharf, where cargo ships and passenger ferries from Papeete dock several times a week. It is a working harbor rather than a tourist stop — a quiet vantage point to watch supply boats unload and see how a remote island actually gets its goods.
Open 24/7
2.
Anau Village
~45 min
A small residential settlement on the east coast, its lagoon-front houses and gardens typical of the villages strung along Bora Bora's ring road. Anau sees far fewer visitors than Vaitape, making it a straightforward way to see how islanders actually live between the resorts.
Open 24/7
3.
LUXURY Catamaran Bora Bora: The Sunset Escape
~2 hr
A sailing catamaran cruise timed to the sunset, tracing the inside of the lagoon as Mount Otemanu turns from green to silhouette against the color-changing sky. Drinks and light snacks are served on deck for the return leg after dark.
Weekly Closures
Bora Bora Yacht Club · Closed Monday
Tours
Viator
Guided boat excursion to the shallow lagoon to snorkel alongside blacktip reef sharks and stingrays.
6 hr · Max 16
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Small-group outrigger canoe snorkel tour to the lagoon's shark and ray feeding grounds, with a BBQ island lunch.
5 hr 30 min · Max 12
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4×4 circuit through the interior visiting WWII gun emplacements, vanilla plantations, and ridge overlooks above the lagoon.
3 hr 30 min · Max 10
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Off-road quad bike excursion through the jungle interior climbing to mountain ridge viewpoints above the lagoon.
3 hr · Max 8
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Light aircraft flight over the full atoll revealing the lagoon's complete oval shape and reef gradients from above.
30 min · Max 4
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Shared-group boat safari across the lagoon's shallow reef flats, with stops to swim with stingrays and blacktip sharks and drift over coral gardens near the reef pass.
4 hr 30 min · Small group
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Guided jet ski circuit across the lagoon past overwater bungalows and sailboats, with stops for swimming and a coconut-husking demonstration.
2 hr · Small group
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Sailing catamaran cruise timed to the sunset, tracing the inside of the lagoon with drinks and light snacks served on deck.
2 hr · Small group
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GetYourGuide
Circle-island boat tour with multiple snorkeling stops, swimming alongside rays and blacktip sharks in shallow turquoise water.
7 hr · Small group
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Guided lagoon tour swimming in shallow water to spot stingrays, sharks, and tropical fish across multiple reef stops.
4 hr · Small group
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Eco-focused afternoon snorkel with a dedicated shark and ray feeding-ground stop and multiple reef sites.
2 hr 30 min · Small group
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Restaurants Near Hotel
Iriatai · 4.6 · 60+ reviews
The Conrad's poolside restaurant serving Polynesian and international cuisine.
In the hotel · Pool level
Daily 7:00am - 10:00pm
Bora Bora Yacht Club · 4.4 · 1500+ reviews
Waterfront bar and grill on Vaitape's pier, open-air seating over the lagoon.
Tuesday - Sunday 10:30am - 11:00pm
Closed Monday
Saint James Bora Bora · 4.5 · 900+ reviews
Casual bistro in Vaitape's shopping strip serving French Polynesian fish dishes.
Daily 11:00am - 3:00pm · 5:00pm - 11:00pm
Local Tastes
Poisson cru
French Polynesia's national dish: raw tuna cubed and marinated in fresh lime juice, then finished in coconut milk with cucumber, tomato, and spring onion. Found at every restaurant on the island.
Poê
A baked pudding made from ripe banana or papaya mixed with arrowroot starch, sweetened and cooked until firm. A traditional Polynesian dessert served warm or at room temperature.
Ma'a Tinito
A slow-cooked one-pot stew of pork, kidney beans, and vegetables influenced by the Chinese immigrant community in the Society Islands. A staple at local family gatherings and casual restaurants.
Fafaru
Raw fish soaked in seawater with fermented sea urchin and left to cure for several days. A deeply traditional delicacy with a strong fermented flavor, found at local gatherings.
Food Delivery
No delivery platforms serve the island. All dining is at the resort, on-property restaurants, or at restaurants in Vaitape village, reached by boat or a short bicycle ride from most properties.
Getting Around
No ride-hailing apps operate on the island. Transfers between the main motu and Vaitape use resort boats and hotel shuttles; bicycles and scooters are rentable from local operators in Vaitape for exploring the main island road.
Heads Up
Vaitape Village — Sunday Closures
Nearly every shop and boutique in the village closes on Sundays; only resort boutiques stay open, so save market and pearl shopping for another day.
Air Tahiti Domestic Flights — Unassigned Seating
Seats aren't assigned on the short inter-island hop from Papeete to Bora Bora; arrive at check-in early for a window seat over the lagoon on approach.
Worth Knowing
Bora Bora's reputation as the world's most beautiful island rests on a specific geography: an extinct basalt volcano ringed by a shallow lagoon of extraordinary clarity, enclosed within a coral reef. That geometry — mountain, lagoon, reef, open Pacific — is visible from every point on the island and from the air above it. The Conrad on Motu To'opua sits inside the lagoon itself, making the reef and the mountain the view from every direction. Three days is enough to see the lagoon from its surface, from a 4×4 on the ridgeline above it, and from the air above it.
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