View  from the airplane – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

A true paradise for divers in French Polynesia, Rangiroa pleases not only the many divers that come from all over the world, but is also a great option for couples, honeymooning or not, that want to relax, have some unique adventures or practice a spectacular snorkeling.

1)RANGIROA- PERFECT ATOLL FOR THE SEALIFE LOVERS

We had had this dream of visiting some unmissable destinations at French Polynesia for a long time. The nature wonders and the exotic atmosphere always attracted us. We were fortunate to spend 15 days over there and decided to focus on 2 islands: Bora Bora and Rangiroa.

Kia Ora Hotel – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

The French Polynesia, as its name describes, is considered French territory. As we love France a lot, it was an excellent start. We did a lot of research to decide what we would like to do in our first visit to this special archipelago. It was not easy, because there are several outstanding places in this piece of paradise, each with its own peculiarity.

We opted to invest our time over there in few destinations, get to know all that they offer and understand a bit of the local culture. We always avoid the short city to city rush in every country we go. At French Polynesia it was not different. On this post we will share our experience, writing about what we think is the best of Rangiroa, one of the most beautiful atolls in the world.

From the airplane – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

Rangiroa is the 2nd largest atoll in the world, and probably the most stunning. The lagoon has more than a thousand square kilometers. Rangiroa means, in the local language, immense sky! An atoll is an oceanic island with a ring shape, built by ancient volcanic activity and the accumulation of coral, with a salty water lagoon inside it. As the island sinks, the coral reefs grow in search of more rich waters. In the picture from the airplane (above) you can see the open sea, darker, the coral ring and the turquoise of the lagoon. Indescribable beauty.

2)HOW TO GET TO RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

Rangiroa airport – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

We arrived in Rangiroa from Bora Bora, our first island in French Polynesia. We took a twin-engine plane from Air Tahiti, the airline that links the Polynesian Islands. Super simple and easy, since the airports in the region are small and generally in wonderful beaches…It was a 1:15 h flight in the morning. The air trip itself was gorgeous, almost impossible to take our eyes off the small airplane window.

TIP OF THE BEST OF RANGIROA: VISIT THE ATOLL  BETWEEN SEPTEMBER AND DECEMBER! THE WEATHER IS BETTER DURING THESE MONTHS!

The only cloudy day in all of our trip to French Polynesia was the day we arrived at Rangiroa. Statistically, the best weather in the islands is between September and December. We visited the region in October.

3)WHERE TO STAY – BEST OF RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

Kia Ora Hotel – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

Upon our arriving in Rangiroa, we took a cab direct to the Kia Ora hotel, 20 minutes from the airport.

We absolutely loved it! Very comfortable, seaside and full of coconut trees. Breakfast and a meal (lunch or dinner) is included on the rate. In the island, there are 2 very small villages with not many options for lodging.

The location of Kia Ora Hotel is very convenient for the ones planning a scuba dive trip. Our case.

When we decided to go to French Polynesia, we did a quick (weekend) PADI diving certification course in Bombinhas (Santa Catarina). We thought that going to French Polynesia and not doing at least some scuba diving would be a wasted opportunity. 

4)SCUBA DIVING – BEST OF RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

Best of Rangiroa – Scuba Diving Paradise in French Polynesia

The atoll has two passes to the sea, in other words, two exits from the lagoon to the open sea. One is called Tiputa Pass and the other Avatoru Pass.

Rangiroa is considered one of the best places in the world for snorkeling  and, mainly, scuba diving. The passes are the ideal spots to do it.

We had dreamed with the diving in this paradise and as soon as we get there, we scheduled a twilight dive, with a French company called The Raie Manta Club Team. They were outstanding. European style, no baby sitting. We assembled our diving equipment. A big difference from what we experienced in Bora Bora.

TIP: IF YOU ARE CERTIFIED FOR SCUBA DIVING, DON’T MISS THE TWILIGHT DIVE IN RANGIROA

The diving was unforgettable!!…We took a small Zodiac boat at 5:30 pm. The day was cloudy and the sea very shaky. To start with, the entrance in the water was totally different from what we had learned in our certification classes and from what we did in Bora Bora…It was a dive in a sea with big waves and with strong currents. For the divers, it was a back entrance with a fully deflated vest, diving as quick as possible to 30 feet deep level. All divers (8 in our trip) together with the instructors. 

It sounds scary but was sensational!! During the dive we saw hundreds of sharks, manta rays, dolphins, napoleon fish (3m long) and thousands of colorful fishes. The dive finished at 6:30 pm, already night, even more spectacular. We loved so much that we repeated this dive in the following day.

But Rangiroa has other cool things to do besides of scuba diving:

5)A WALK IN AVATORU VILLAGE – BEST OF RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

Bank and grocery store at Rangiroa in French Polynesia

Avatoru Pass at Rangiroa in French Polynesia

Strolling at Avatoru Village is cool! We went twice there. The first on a ride in the back of a truck, a normal practice at Rangiroa. In our first trip, we went there to buy some snacks and local beer, called Hinano, very good. It is really a small Village and we were amazed by the size of the bank and stores.

6)RENTING A FUN CAR – BEST OF RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

Fun car – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

It is nice and not expensive to rent a fun car to move around Rangiroa. The Fun Car is a micro car, with a motorcycle engine, perfect for this place. We felt like the Flintstones. Very cool. We went back to Avatoru Pass, visited some small stores and bought some typical sarongs, colorful and with Tahitian motives.

7)RELAXING IN THE HOTEL’S BEACH AT RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

Kia Ora Beach – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

Relaxing  and sunbathing at the beach and on the pontoon of Kia Ora Hotel is a must. We stayed a couple of hours per day at the beach, amazed by the incredible landscape and swimming in the hot sea waters of the atoll. Even in shallow waters you can have a wonderful snorkeling experience, seeing lots of fishes.

Kia Ora Hotel – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

Another beautiful part of Kia Ora Hotel is the pier where the boats stop to pick you up for tours. The water has an unbelievable turquoise color and is transparent. Nice spot to shoot some nice pics. You will always see high profile yacht anchored around and they are especially nice at night, when lit.

Infinity pool at Kia Ora Hotel – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

 8)TYPICAL POLYNESIAN DANCE SHOW – BEST OF  RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

Typical dance – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

You must watch a typical Polynesian Dance Show in any of the islands you visit at French Polynesia.

We went to an event offered by the Kia Ora Hotel. It was a buffet dinner (very good), followed by the typical shows. Very cool. The Tahitian music is contagious and invites you to dance. The group call the tourists to dance with them in a family environment. I was picked up in my table and shared the Brazilian dance skills with them. 

9)EATING IN A LOCAL RESTAURANT – BEST OF RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

It is a great program but demands some planning. There aren’t many restaurants in the atoll and we chose the Relais de Josephine, a small one, at the Tiputa Pass. The menu is, as expected, fresh fish and seafood. The lunch was great! You will need to get a reservation at least with one day of anticipation.

10)THE WONDERFUL SKY AND STARS – BEST OF RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

This is another wonder of this paradise. At night, given it the very low artificial luminosity from the islands, you can see millions of stars. It is magic!. You can spend  hours feeling the hot breeze and admiring the immense sky, covered with stars. Another unforgettable experience.

11)VISITING THE BLUE LAGOON – BEST OF RANGIROA IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

Visiting the Blue Lagoon is a one day tour that includes a local barbecue for lunch. It is a 2 hour boat trip until the captain anchors the boat close to a beach. From there you walk, with water at your knees, to the Blue Lagoon, which is considered the untouched paradise at South Pacific. There are MANY sharks, something very common around this islands. In the way back, there is a stop to snorkel at Avatoru Pass, a perfect ending for a great day out!

In summary, this was one of the best trips we did so far. The views, the landscape and few tourists make this place a must. Here, we also had the best dives of our lives and it will be difficult to repeat them in any other place. We stayed 4 nights at Kia Ora Hotel in Rangiroa and proceeded to a place even more remote and fantastic…The Kia Ora Sauvage, but this trip we will cover in another post!!

Kia Ora Hotel – Best of Rangiroa in French Polynesia

SOME PRICES:

Fun Car – Many places to rent at US$ 90 per day.

Raie Manta Club – One dive with equipment costs $55 euros. The snorkeling trip costs 33 euros per person. 

Blue Lagoon Tour – US$ 120 per person, including the barbecue lunch. Prices vary according to the company.

If you didn’t decide which beach you will visit in the your next vacation trip, you can check some of our suggestions, such as the ALGARVE, in the south of Portugal, the wonderful SANTORINI including tips of lodging, things to do and eat.

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Best of Rangiroa -Scuba diving paradise in French Polynesia

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