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Tahiti and French Polynesia

Program Overview

Set sail for the idyllic islands and motus of French Polynesia on this spectacular 9-night tour. Enjoy unmatched small-ship sailing amid the emerald-green peaks, chalk-white atolls, and blue lagoons of the Society Islands with a list of optional excursions. Explore the South Pacific’s history, culture, and topography on Tahiti; Mo’orea; Ra’iatea; Taha’a; Bora Bora; and Huahine. This exceptional itinerary also includes a stay at the 5-star Intercontinental Tahiti in Pape’ete. Extend your time in paradise with the Mo’orea Post-Program Option.

Program Details

January 16 to 26, 2024 (Wind Spirit)
  • Uniquely designed 9-night land/cruise program featuring Tahiti and the natural beauty of the spectacularly lush Society Islands—a South Pacific paradise.
  • An unforgettable 5-star sailing experience aboard the Wind Spirit in its home waters, this intimate, 4-masted motor yacht features ocean-view accommodation for all of its 148 guests.
  • Enjoy a wide range of optional excursions throughout the cruise.
  • Tour of Tahiti’s west coast featuring visits to the sacred ’Ārahurahu Marae and the Spring Garden of Vaipahi. 
  • Excursion on the east coast of Tahiti, featuring the well-preserved James Norman Hall Museum and the Point Venus lighthouse.
  • Panoramic tour on idyllic Bora Bora, featuring the site of its largest temple. 
  • Traditional French Polynesian dinner on a private motu of Bora Bora. 
  • Extraordinary visibility and color during optional snorkeling in turquoise lagoons.
  • Exploration of the legendary islands that inspired Paul Gauguin, Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson, and James Michener.

Day 1 - Depart Home City

Day 2 - Arrive Pape’ete, Tahiti, Society Islands

Day 3 - Pape’ete / Embark Wind Spirit

Day 4 - Mo’orea

Day 5 - Ra’iatea

Day 6 - Ra’iatea / Taha'a

Day 7 - Vaitape / Bora Bora

Day 8 - Bora Bora

Day 9 - Huahine

Day 10 - Pape’ete / Disembark ship / Depart for U.S.

Day 11 - Arrive in home city

View detailed program itinerary >

Wind Spirit

Five-Star, Small Sailing Ship

The intimate, 4-masted Wind Spirit offers an unforgettable 5-star sailing experience. This small ship is designed to sail its year-round home of French Polynesia, from deep seas into lagoons inaccessible to larger vessels. Wind Spirit’s gourmet dining and wide teak decks with unobscured views provide a private sailing experience to each guest.

Learn more about the Wind Spirit >

Hilton Mo’orea Lagoon Post-Program Option

Extend your sojourn in French Polynesia for two nights and stay in the deluxe Hilton Mo’orea Lagoon Resort & Spa, where you can watch magnificent sunrises and sunsets from your overwater bungalow. Observe abundant, colorful marine life on a reef excursion and experience the exotic fusion of fresh local seafood and French Polynesian flavors. Enjoy the hotel’s overwater Toatea Bar, spectacular views, turquoise lagoons, and wide array of watersports. This post-cruise extension includes accommodations, breakfast daily, a round-trip ferry between Tahiti and Mo’orea, and a sightseeing tour of the East Coast.

The Post-Program Option is available at an additional cost. Details will be provided with your reservation confirmation.

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Program Itinerary

Day 1 and Day 2 Pape’ete, Tahiti

Depart your home city and the next day arrive in Tahiti and check into the 5‑star InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa in Pape’ete, the capital city of French Polynesia. Enjoy a day at leisure to experience the resort’s luxury amenities or choose to explore Pape’ete on your own. Attend a Welcome Reception at the hotel this evening.

Day 3 Pape’ete / Embark Wind Spirit

Tour Tahiti’s scenic west coast and visit the Mara’a Grotto with its freshwater pools and small caves. Walk through the sacred ’Arahurahu site and the Spring Garden of Vaipahi—a tranquil haven where precious wood and tropical flowers can be seen. Attend the Captain’s Welcome Reception on board. 

Day 4 Mo’orea

Spend the afternoon is at leisure with opportunities to swim and snorkel or book an optional excursion that includes a scenic drive through a landscape of ancient volcanic peaks and stop at Belvedere Point for views of Mount Rotu’i. 

Day 5 Ra’iatea

Today’s optional excursion, Opa Heritage tour, takes you to visit French Polynesia’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, the well‑preserved marae complex of Taputapuatea. End the evening with a barbecue dinner on deck under what Matisse once described as an “ash‑blue sky alive with stars.” 

Day 6 Ra'iatea / Taha’a

To discover traditional French Polynesian agriculture, opt to tour the grounds of a vanilla plantation, which includes a visit to a farm where you may choose to harvest your own black pearl. Savor an included beach barbecue lunch on a private motu, where you can also swim, snorkel, or kayak.

Day 7 Vaitape/Bora Bora

Today the ship arrives in Bora Bora, where you will may choose an optional excursion to tour the island on an open-air truck. Discover relics left behind by the U.S. military in WWII—all while admiring the colors of Bora Bora’s famous lagoon. Or, enjoy a
day at leisure on board the ship. 

Day 8 Bora Bora

Choose from a morning at leisure or opt to take a snorkel safari and stingray excursion, which includes a guided tour on a lagoon cruiser. Once past the famous Motu Tapu, you will stop at a shallow sandbank, a favorite spot for stingray sightings. With your guide’s assistance, you will be able to touch these gentle creatures as they swim an effortless ballet around you. Later,
an included excursion takes you to the private Motu Tapu for a Tahitian-inspired dinner

Day 9 Huahine

The optional Sacred Sights & Cultural Walk excursion gives you the opportunity to ride on an open‑air truck between the ocean and a woodland of towering mape trees to the settlement of Maeva—the ancient religious center of Huahine‑Nui where you will see more than ten 16th century marae as well as former homes and fortification walls. After this or a day at leisure aboard the ship, attend the Captain’s Farewell Reception.

Day 10 & 11 Pape’ete, Tahiti

Explore Tahiti’s east coast with a visit to the former home of American author James Norman Hall, best known for Mutiny on the Bounty, and see Point Venus—named for the observatory Captain Cook established here in 1769. Day‑room accommodations are open to you in the InterContinental Tahiti. Continue to the airport for your return flight home.

Arrive home the next day.