Bora Bora: the lagoon and its shades of blue

Statue on a small coral islet surrounded by the turquoise lagoon of Bora Bora with its incredible shades of blue, French Polynesia

Bora Bora, just the name makes you dream! It was my first island after arriving in Tahiti, and it’s where I discovered for the first time the beauty of tropical underwater life: corals, colorful fish, rays… I’ll be honest: it’s not the island that moved me the most. The starving stray dogs touched me deeply, and the island tour left me a little wanting… But the lagoon with its extraordinary color, which you appreciate from the moment you arrive — the airport itself being set in a paradise — is truly worth it!

When: Mid-October 2018
Location: Bora Bora, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia
What to do: Snorkeling, lagoon excursion, island tour

The place in a few words

Aerial view of Bora Bora from the plane showing Mount Otemanu, the lagoon in its shades of blue and the village of Vaitape, French Polynesia

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward Islands archipelago, in French Polynesia, with around 10,500 inhabitants. It is world-famous for its lagoon with exceptional colors, considered one of the most beautiful in the world. The island is dominated by Mount Otemanu, an ancient volcano rising 727 meters and offering a spectacular setting. Before leaving, I was a little worried about the “very touristy” side of the island, but in fact the large hotels are located on the motus, those small islets surrounding the lagoon, and you end up with an island far more peaceful than you might have imagined.

Practical information

Comment se rendre à Bora Bora ?

The island is served by Air Tahiti and Air Moana from Tahiti, with a flight time of around 50 minutes. During my trip, I paid €150 for the flights Tahiti → Bora Bora then Bora Bora → Moorea. By the way, the view of the island from the plane will remain one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen — just breathtaking!

Où se situe l’aéroport de Bora Bora ?

The airport is not on the main island but on a motu — a free boat shuttle then takes you to the port, which is already in itself a wonderful introduction with a magnificent view over the lagoon 😊!

Quelle est la meilleure période pour visiter Bora Bora ?

French Polynesia has two seasons, a dry season from May to October and a wet season from November to April. The dry season is the ideal time to visit, with less rainfall and slightly cooler temperatures. That said, it’s warm all year round!

Collage of the arrival in Bora Bora: Manava welcome sign, Air Tahiti plane on the motu, boat shuttle and first glimpse of the turquoise lagoon, French Polynesia — *The white building is the airport — you can wait with your feet in the water* *before boarding* 😊

Où dormir à Bora Bora ?

The choice is wide: from large luxury hotels with overwater bungalows on the motus, to family guesthouses on the main island, which are much more affordable.

Comment se déplacer à Bora Bora ?

Renting a car or scooter is ideal. The main road is about 32 km long — allow 1h30 to 2 hours to do the full tour with stops.

The Sunset Hill Lodge was our accommodation for these 3 nights in Bora Bora. An apartment located near the town centre, right above the water, huge (up to 10 beds!) and quite affordable for Bora Bora. I paid €450 for 3 nights without meals. The owner was very friendly and we could swim directly from the accommodation. It’s also here that I had the chance to share a surprise swim with a turtle 😍! We also regularly saw rays passing by — a real aquarium right beneath our feet!

Discovering tropical underwater life

Collage of orange and black coachman butterflyfish on the colorful coral reef of the Bora Bora lagoon while snorkeling, French Polynesia

I had booked a half-day excursion on the lagoon with the company Reef Discovery. Captain William was so kind, like the vast majority of Polynesians 😊. There were 5 of us on the boat and he took us to the different spots before the other boats arrived.

Mount Otemanu dominating the turquoise lagoon of Bora Bora with overwater bungalows on the motus, French Polynesia

Collage of birds spotted in Bora Bora: brown booby perched on a pole facing the overwater bungalows, Pacific dove and reef heron in the lagoon, French Polynesia

First stop to try to spot the Manta rays and we were lucky enough to see one… OLALA 😍! It’s actually at that moment that this expression was born and never left me for the rest of the trip — my synonym for wow. Needless to say I said it thousands of times during those 15 days in Polynesia 😉! 👉 Read my article about Fakarava

Manta ray in the depths of the blue waters of the Bora Bora lagoon while snorkeling with Reef Discovery, French Polynesia — *Sorry for the quality — the lady stayed in the depths 😊*

Then on to the coral garden, where I experienced my first encounter with real tropical corals — pure joy!

Collage of corals and marine life from the Bora Bora lagoon: tropical fish, black sea urchins, giant clams with blue lips and varied corals, French Polynesia

Poissons-papillons oranges et noirs nageant près d'un corail massif avec bénitier aux lèvres bleues lors du snorkeling dans le lagon de Bora Bora, Polynésie française

Récif corallien aux coraux roses et violets avec un banc de poissons chirurgiens lors du snorkeling dans le lagon de Bora Bora, Polynésie française

Corail massif aux couleurs violettes et roses avec oursin noir sur le récif corallien du lagon de Bora Bora lors du snorkeling, Polynésie française

Then came the eagle rays — we were lucky enough to see dozens of them… it was like watching dancers. They formed a true underwater flying ballet, just breathtaking.

Dozens of eagle rays forming an underwater ballet in the deep blue waters of the Bora Bora lagoon while snorkeling with Reef Discovery, French Polynesia

And to finish, one last snorkeling stop to enjoy this incredible lagoon a little longer. However, caught up in the euphoria of the day, we completely forgot about the sun… and we paid for it for several days 😉! From then on, the rash guard became our best friend for the rest of our swims!

Snorkeler in mask face to face with striped sergeant major fish in the blue waters of the Bora Bora lagoon, French Polynesia

The “big” island tour

View of Mount Otemanu dominating the port of Vaitape with boats on the blue lagoon, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Bora Bora is small — the “big island tour” is easily done in a day! We rented a tiny car and made the most of this mini road trip to discover the magnificent Banyan Tree, a giant sacred tree that is said to have inspired James Cameron for the Tree of Souls in Avatar, as well as a marae, a remnant of the ancient sacred sites of Polynesian culture.

Collage of the Bora Bora island tour: Renault Twizy electric car rented from AVIS and the island's single road lined with tropical vegetation, French Polynesia

Immense banyan tree with impressive aerial roots, the famous Tree of Souls of Bora Bora, a sacred tree of Polynesian culture, French Polynesia

We also took the opportunity to stroll through town, where several locals were selling fruits from their gardens by the roadside: mangoes, divine pineapples… an absolute treat, and we couldn’t help dreaming in front of the overwater bungalows 😉.

Two overwater bungalows with thatched roofs on the turquoise lagoon of Bora Bora with a lush green hill in the background, French Polynesia

White sand beach with sun loungers and coconut palms facing the blue turquoise lagoon of Bora Bora with an overwater bungalow, French Polynesia

Continuing our walk, we came across three elderly Polynesian men playing music on a pavement. They sat us down, put flower leis around our necks and treated us to a private concert 😊! One of them, Michel, even proposed to me 😄! A wonderful moment, truly representative of the warmth and simplicity of Polynesian people.

Vaitape harbor with moored boats and Mount Otemanu dominating the town under a blue sky, Bora Bora, French Polynesia — The harbor

Collage of vegetation and Polynesian culture in Bora Bora: view over the lagoon from a flowering garden, tiki surrounded by bougainvillea, passionflower and a tree decorated with shells, French Polynesia

And to finish, a short hike up to the American cannons. These cannons were installed by the Americans during World War II (between 1942 and 1946), who had turned Bora Bora into a strategic military base in the heart of the Pacific. Fortunately the island was never attacked, but 8 cannons are still visible today. The walk starts from the village of Faanui, covers about 2 km return and is easily accessible. It also offers a lovely view over the lagoon and the peaks of Otemanu and Pahia, especially on a clear day 😊!

Collage of the hike to the American World War II cannons in Bora Bora: lush trail, historic cannon and panoramic view over

Sunset on the island of Bora Bora with a Polynesian on his pirogue

The Bora Bora lagoon in pictures…

Photo of a stone heart drawn on the ocean floor in Bora Bora

Because some things are better contemplated than described, here are a few photos of this magical lagoon and its endless shades of blue.

Row of overwater bungalows with thatched roofs on a coconut palm-lined motu, lagoon in shades of deep blue and turquoise, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Bora Bora airport sign on the motu — turquoise lagoon and Mount Otemanu, French Polynesia

Turquoise lagoon of incredible intensity stretching as far as the eye can see under a blue sky, Bora Bora, French Polynesia

White sand beach with a leaning coconut palm facing the turquoise lagoon and Mount Otemanu in the background, island tour of Bora Bora, French Polynesia

The Bora Bora lagoon with a traditional Polynesian outrigger boat.

As mentioned earlier, the unfortunate stray dogs were the downside of this trip. One of them touched me particularly — a female who was clearly nursing, permanently stationed outside a restaurant, in a pitiful state. I bought her some food and that’s how I discovered the association Bora Bora Animara, which takes care of stray animals on the island. They knew this dog and had already intervened with the restaurant owners… As it weighed heavily on me, I made a donation for her care 😊.

Traveller stroking a black stray dog on a white sand beach in Bora Bora under a cloudy sky, French Polynesia

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