Bora Bora is a tiny island in French Polynesia northwest of Tahiti in the South Pacific.
It’s a haven where turquoise waters and lush green mountains meet with endless sparkling white sands and crystal-clear water adorning the enchanting blue lagoon surrounded by a barrier coral reef.
Besides the natural beauty, there are many things to make your vacation unforgettable. You’ll be astonished to explore what Bora Bora has in store for you. Explore through the abundant Marine resources and dive into the deep waters to swim with the rays, eels, sharks, and other ocean fishes.
Parasail over the coral reef, hike Mount Otemanu, snorkel with stingrays and sharks, stargaze in a private motu, and much more await you in Bora Bora.
The island of Bora Bora is also a very famous honeymoon destination.
Here’s a list of 15 amazing things that you should try in your holidays.
- Matira beach
- Mount otemanu and mount pahia
- Bora Bora lagoonerium
- Snorkeling
- 4×4 excursions
- Walking tour
- Helicopter tour and parasailing
- Local beer and Deep Ocean spa
- The Bora Bora Turtle Center
- Romantic sailing tour
- Canoe breakfast
- Aqua bike adventure and scuba diving
- Tahiti Pearl Market
- Art gallery & studio ALAIN DESERT
- Go on a bicycle ride
1. Matira Beach
Taking a long walk along the coast of Matira Beach is one of the best things about Bora Bora. Matira Beach is the largest famous beach in Bora Bora, spreading over a mile of distance and having public access.
The beach is located about five miles south of Vaitape. It extends from the Hotel Bora Bora to the Matira Point. The beach has incredibly blue crystal-clear water with soft and downy white sand.
There is a natural shade along the coast of Matira Beach, made of palm trees in a row. The beach is a great place to spend your day as it is peppered with resorts, shops, and restaurants.
You can get to the beach by bicycle, taxi, or driving. The shoreline is rarely crowded. This makes the beach the best place to rest and relax. The floor is flat as the white sand slopes into the sandy-bottomed lagoon, and the water is clear and shallow.
Exploring Matira Beach is one of the best must-do things in Bora Bora.
2. Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia
Hiking is one of the best things to do, and Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia are the best hiking destinations in Bora Bora.
Bora Bora has formed due to an ancient extinct volcano, and Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia are the evident remnants. Mount Otemanu has a height of 2385 feet. The mountain has a magnificent and mystical appearance with great picturesque.
You can hike up to the base of the Mountain with the help of a local guide. However, the mountain view can be enjoyed from the surrounding waters through a boat. Your list won’t be completed without hiking to Mount Otemanu.
Mount Pahia is one of the most formidable peaks to climb. The view of the surrounding waters and lagoons from the top of the mountain is incredible. Mount Pahia is 2159 feet high, but the trek is challenging, even harder, without the guidance of a local hand.
You need to cross a deep jungle section and five extremely steep parts of hiking up the mountain, but the hard work is worth it.
3. Bora Bora Lagoonerium
The Bora Bora Lagoonerium is a natural aquarium on a small island made from a portion of an actual lagoon.
You can see different kinds of ocean fish, sharks, and turtles. This family-owned attraction has prime importance.
Depending on your liking, you can choose a full-day tour, a half-day morning tour, or a half-day afternoon tour, and enjoy some extras such as a canoe tour of the island or a barbecue picnic.
The Bora Bora Lagoonerium has paved a great path to snorkeling since it feels safe and confined. The price range is from 6200 to 9500 francs, approximately about $60 to $92, depending on whether you prefer morning or afternoon. You have to make a reservation with Lagoonerium directly to schedule your visit.
4. Snorkeling
Snorkeling is one of the best things to do. There are five best tours in Bora Bora.
Bora Bora shark and snorkeling safari, Tohora Bora Bora snorkeling lagoon tour, full-day Bora Bora lagoon cruise, 3.5-hour lagoon boat tour with snorkeling, and Bora Bora luxury tour and picnic. Bora Bora has a marine environment that’s abundant with resources and vibrant.
While snorkeling, you may see blacktip sharks, stingrays, moray eels, and ocean fish. You’ll be provided with a professional and knowledgeable guide in his work. Moreover, they are passionate about these marine creatures and will help you identify various types of rays, dolphins, turtles, corals, and dolphins.
When you get tired of relaxing under the sun, one of the adventures is snorkeling with sharks. You don’t have to go into deep waters as you’re snorkeling in waist-high waters.
These sharks do not attack humans as they’re human-friendly and fish-preying.
5. 4×4 Excursions
Exploring the Island on four wheels. You can have customizable 4×4 island tours offered by various tour companies of Bora Bora, such as Vavau 4×4 Adventures, Natural Discovery, and Tupuna Safari.
Taking a break from the seaside and hopping onto the jeep will get you to discover the nooks and corners of Bora Bora Island.
The island’s surface has become pretty rough due to the volcanic eruptions and ash deposits. Thus, jumping around the bumpy and muddy roads in a rugged jeep is an incredible experience and a must-be thing to do in Bora Bora.
You will learn colorful tales from your guide and a deep dive into the famous Hawaiian fruit, which is rooted in this island, and other exotic juicy fruits and flowers.
Also, you’ll get to see a few long cannons in this little paradise as Bora Bora was the American base in World War II. A significant part is the excellent guides who tell tales and historical and cultural facts about Bora Bora Island.
A maximum of eight travelers are allowed in one tour, about three and a half hours long.
6. Walking Tour
A walking tour, How would it feel to watch the colorful island sunset during this tour in Bora Bora? It is an enjoyable thing to do in Bora Bora evening.
You get to sail out into the South Pacific in a boat and a glass of bubbly. There, against the backdrop of the lush mountain of Bora Bora, awaits an amazing multicolored tropical island sunset.
Then you travel to an islet where you gaze at the stunning night sky with the twinkling stars. Star Guide tells you the tales of the ancient Polynesian people and how they used stars to decode the night sky to help them travel around the Pacific.
The tour is three hours long with the accompaniment of a small group of fellow travelers of a maximum of twelve people.
7. Helicopter Tour & Parasailing
If you are an enthusiast with an aviator’s spirit, you’ve got the best option to explore your passion here in Bora Bora.
You get a short ride in a helicopter around the magnificent island and roam the skies. The fantastic view from those heights and the crystal-clear water shining like tiny blue sapphires will take your breath away.
And the breathtaking aerial view of Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia, with the world’s most beautiful lagoon encircled by a palm-covered islet. It is one of the most beautiful panoramic flights globally, extending from ten minutes to thirty minutes depending on the flight you select.
If you would like to discover the most stunning view of Bora Bora with the stunning contrasts, the crystalline waters of the lagoon, the white foam of the barrier reef, and the intense blue of the Pacific Ocean, then parasail over one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world.
Discover a symphony of marine life and its colors in 360° with the feeling of Serenity and freedom. Allow one or two people at a time and fly to the height you prefer.
8. Local Beer and Deep Ocean Spa
A beach will not be complete without a glass of frothing lager. Bora Bora has a unique flavored local beer to offer.
It is necessary to try the beer brewed in a peculiar indigenous technique in Bora Bora. Hinano lager has been the traditional beer of Tahiti, brewed and enjoyed since 1955. It has bitter crispiness and leaves an intense sting in the first few sips.
It is not a smooth lager and cheap as it’s a local brew. Most people fall in love with this local beer and have as many glasses as before leaving the island.
Treat yourself to a blissful moment in the Intercontinental Bora Bora resort and Thalasso spa’s deep ocean spa. It would feel amazing to get the treatment while enjoying the crystal-clear waters and the marine life beneath through the glass floors.
They offer regenerating sun, sports, facial, and Bora Bora bliss massage. You can get to the spa by shuttle boat from the main Island.
9. The Bora Bora Turtle Center
Interacting with turtles is a must-have thing to do in Bora Bora. The turtle Center provides many opportunities to interact with several varieties of sea turtles, including the green, hawksbill, and loggerhead species.
It is located in the inner lagoon of Le Meridian Bora Bora resort and is dedicated to conserving these sea mammals.
The place encourages locals and visitors to look after the environment and its creatures.
You visit the turtle hospital, look after the turtles, and swim with them. It is one of the most beautiful experiences.
10. Romantic Sailing Tour
Bora Bora is the perfect destination if you plan on a romantic getaway. Whether planning your wedding, anniversary, honeymoon or just vacationing, they have the perfect tour set for you. You can have a scenic lagoon cruise, sunset sail, romantic dinner, wedding ceremony, or anything of your liking.
These tours provide safe and comfortable boats with the best staff, a knowledgeable guide, and a private island. Create a memory that you will keep for the rest of your life with a romantic sailing tour for couples.
11. Canoe Breakfast
Enjoy the canoe breakfast, delivered directly to your overwater villa in a traditional outrigger canoe, and you are greeted with ukulele and singing.
You can enjoy a delicious American breakfast facing the beautiful turquoise lagoon. You can have a canoe ride while the staff sets up the breakfast.
It is a memorable experience that you can have while staying at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa.
12. Aqua Bike Adventure and Scuba Diving
How about finding yourself on an underwater scooter in Bora Bora’s turquoise lagoon? With the accompaniment of an experienced diver, you get to see the underwater wonders of Bora Bora’s famed lagoon.
This is a fantastic thing to do on Bora Bora’s vacation. You get to have the fish swimming all around you.
You will be able to breathe normally as your head will be covered with a glass helmet.
You will travel about one and a half kilometers at about fifteen feet. The tour duration will be two hours, whereas the diving will be about forty minutes. The guide will tell you tales about the variety of colorful corals and tropical fishes around you, which is an incredible experience.
There are lots of scuba diving sites around Bora Bora. Inside the calm, crystal clear waters and the lagoon is the perfect place for those new to diving or nervous about open ocean diving.
Bora Bora offers a fantastic experience of diving with Manta rays and sharks. You’ll be able to see the incredible diversity of marine life and the colorful corals.
Scuba diving is one of the best things. The diving sites in Bora Bora include Miri Miri, Tupitipiti, Anau, Haapiti, and Toopua.
13. Tahiti Pearl Market
Tahiti pearl market extends the opportunity to their customers to select the pearl of their choice from thousands of pearls and have them mounted in a setting they choose.
Indigenous pearl farmers of this heavenly island have been cultivating the famous buffed black pearls in the lagoons of French Polynesia. You can buy these mystical gemstones in the local stores of Vaitape, the main town in Bora Bora.
The legend is that the visitors will fall sick with black fever if they lay their hands on these precious gemstones of Bora Bora.
Thus, watch out for any tormented spirit visiting you when you carry these stones back with you. Deep-sea pearls in the Pahia shopping center of Vaitape are highly recommended for gorgeous pearls of high quality with many unique designs.
14. Art Gallery & Studio Alain Despert
If you are an art lover and looking for a little bit of art during your stay at Bora Bora, then make an appointment with the art gallery& studio of Alain Despert to see the bright and colorful artworks of Bora Bora Island.
Alain Despert is a French artist who became famous for his vivid, colorful scenes of Bora Bora’s life. He paints using enamel and acrylic on canvas in his studio, located on the hill above Matira Beach.
He has a wide range of subjects for his paintings, such as Cars of the fifties, Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Absolute Despert.
His bold and vibrant paintings are now exhibited in many major cities throughout the US and are collected by many art enthusiasts worldwide.
15. Go on A Bicycle Ride
Going on a bicycle trail in the natural expanses of Bora Bora Island. It is a tiny island where you can travel through the whole island on a bicycle as the road that goes around the whole island is just twenty miles long.
You can enjoy the ride by stopping by some amazing sights on your way. Visit the old fishing villages of Bora Bora and enjoy the fantastic views and feel the warmth of the past of Bora Bora.
Wander through the ancient Polynesian temples that still stand erect to witness the changes that happened in the ages. Cycling lets you explore the visual beauty of the lush greenery and allows you to feel it close to your heart.
You’ll be able to wander through the nooks and corners of the tiny isle and be content with the charm the local streets and paths offer. Once you get tired, take a halt in your tracks and enjoy a splendid meal and a few drinks in the cozy surroundings of the Bloody Mary’s.
Bora Bora has got a lot of other unique places to tour, such as jet ski tours, sunset Cruise, Moana adventure tours, lagoon tours, snorkeling excursions, deep-sea fishing, overwater bungalows, art galleries, famous Bloody Mary’s restaurant, leisurely cruise, short helicopter ride, lagoon tours, and beautiful coral gardens, guided tour with a professional and experienced guide.
The marine life here delivers the pleasure of swimming along with black-tipped reef sharks, tropical fish, colorful fishes, eagle rays, stingrays, graceful manta rays, anemone fish, and native blacktip reef sharks among the vibrant coral gardens and the blue lagoon.
Closing Thoughts
A guided tour with a personal Captain through Bora Bora’s local culture, colorful coral gardens, and stunning scenery leaves visitors with an unforgettable day at the final destination.
Jet skiing is one of the must-do things. A jet ski ride among the vibrant coral garden in Bora Bora’s private island is a fantastic experience to cherish. The island visit won’t be completed without paying a visit to Bloody Mary and having traditional Tahitian barbecue and signature cocktails.
There are different private tours to explore Sandy Beach with clear and shallow waters, Bora Bora’s lagoon and the circle island road from Bora Bora’s main town is a must-have thing to do in Bora Bora.
Include as many of these as you can to have a fun-filled vacation in Bora Bora full of beautiful experiences unique to Tahiti!
Last Updated on by Pragya Chakrapani