Note: There may be affiliate links below, if you decide to purchase something after clicking on the link, we would receive a small commission, at no cost to you. You can/read more in the Disclaimer.
Tahiti in French Polynesia is welcoming back visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before planning a trip check the requirements for getting into the country at this website Tahiti Tourisme Coronavirus COVID-19 Travel Information. Also, as you plan your vacation, check each hotel, restaurant, tour or activity for their COVID opening hours and requirements.
If you’re planning a trip to Tahiti or just thinking about going to Tahiti, here are 10 tips to give you an idea about what to expect when traveling to Tahiti and other islands of French Polynesia, a true tropical paradise!
At the end of this list are links to the two articles on NspireTravel that show photographs from our travel adventures in Tahiti and the nearby islands, so read on!
1 How do you get around between islands?
When flying to Tahiti/French Polynesia, you will land at Faaa International airport on the island of Tahiti. If you plan to go to Bora Bora, Moorea, Raiatea, or any of the other islands, there are two options: inter-island flights on Air Tahiti or taking a ferry (there is a quick ferry to the closest island of Moorea but to go to the farther islands of Bora Bora or Raiatea it is better to fly). We flew between the islands and got to see spectacular views of the island from the air.
Flying past Bora Bora on an inter-island flight
2 What can you do on Tahiti if you have several hours between flights?
If you have to wait overnight for your next flight out of Tahiti, then there are hotels nearby that you can stay at. Our flight from the mainland U.S. landed in the evening, and our flight to the island of Raiatea wasn’t until the next morning, so we stayed one night at the Tahiti Airport Motel. The hotel was simple, clean, and convenient since it was located across the street from the airport. You can walk there, although because of the extremely steep driveway it might be better to take a taxi, especially if you have heavy or lots of luggage. We were planning to walk but it started to rain, so we took a cab (for $20) and we were so happy that we did especially when we saw a few people struggling to drag their suitcase up the steep rough driveway. In the morning, we walked to the airport — it’s a lot easier to drag the suitcases down the driveway! There are other hotels nearby that you can stay at as well, such as the Intercontinental Hotel.
Before leaving French Polynesia, on your last day, it is possible to end up with many many hours during the day between your inter-island flight and your flight home. There are two options for how to spend the time:
Drop your luggage off at the booth at the airport and head into Papeete. It’s about a 20 minutes cab ride into the center of town. We decided to explore Papeete and to do some souvenir shopping at the Central Market.
The Intercontinental Hotel nearby has day passes, where you can get a room for the day with all the amenities and relax while waiting for your flight out. Some people may opt to do this as they can wait in an air conditioned room, take a shower, browse the internet, or go swimming in the pool.
The Central Market in Papeete, Tahiti
3 What currency is used in French Polynesia?
The Pacific Franc (XPF) is the currency and as of this writing it is about 100 XPF to 1 US dollar. To roughly figure out the cost in dollars we would just divide the XPF price of an item by 100. We found that some vendors would take US dollars as well, so it doesn’t hurt to go to Tahiti with some dollars in your wallet. We used the ATM at the airport to withdraw Pacific Francs. It’s worth getting money at the airport since depending on what part of the island you’re going to there might not be any ATMs nearby.
Poisson Cru
4 what can I expect in regards to eating out in tahiti?
Eating at restaurants is pricey here with main courses priced from $25 to $35. Cocktails are costly as well at about $17 each, so look for Happy Hour! Liquor is highly taxed on the islands so going to the store to purchase some is an eye opening experience. Wine was less expensive so is a good option and there are many French wines available, besides ones from nearby Australia and New Zealand.
Tuna in all sorts of forms is on most menus. One of the popular dishes in Tahiti is “poisson cru”. It is raw tuna and thinly sliced vegetables mixed with coconut milk and lemon juice, most often served in a coconut.
5 What kind of clothing should I take?
The weather is hot and humid — we didn’t wear long pants, other than on the flight in and out, so there’s no need to bring more than one pair. Swim suits/swim trunks, tank tops or camisoles, light dry fit shirts, and shorts are what we lived in. If you have a light colored long sleeved shirt with a UPF rating, it can be useful as well to keep the sun off your skin. Also don’t forget to bring a hat or two.
A rash guard is a must! Having a long sleeve UPF rash guard is important so that when you’re in the water snorkeling, paddleboarding, or kayaking you can protect your skin and also not have to use as much sunscreen.
How about shoes? Waterproof shoes like Keens or sport sandals are the shoes of choice, unless you plan to do activities where closed toe shoes are required. When snorkeling, the lagoon floor can have rocks, shells and pieces of coral so it’s good to wear water shoes. Flip flops are convenient to have as well.
6 Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Have plenty of reef safe sunscreen! The French Polynesian islands are close to the equator and the sun rays are strong so if you plan to go in and out of the water many times during the day you should reapply sunscreen often. We also used zinc-based sunscreen to protect our face and ears.
7 Do you need bug repellant?
Black sand beach on Oponohu Bay on Moorea
Yes! Mosquito and bug repellant is highly recommended. If you’re going to spend any time on land, there are several types of biting bugs. We spent one night in a water front bungalow at the Sunset Beach Motel on Raiatea before getting our Moorings sailboat. We ate a snack out on the dock over the water and when returning to the cabin, placed the left over charcuterie on the table on the patio for just the time it took to unlock the door and there were already ants crawling up onto the meat! I started having flashbacks of living in Florida where we had to keep things like sugar in the refrigerator so that the bugs wouldn’t get to them.
There are LOTS of mosquitoes on land so use bug repellant. When we were sailing we didn’t get bothered by mosquitoes out on the water, but once on land, even by the edge of the water there are mosquitoes.
Locals use Monoi Oil, which is coconut oil infused with the Tahitian tiare blossom. It has a floral smell so I’m not sure if men would like it but for women it smells nice and most importantly works as a bug repellant.
Sunset at the Sunset Beach Motel, Raiatea, French Polynesia
8 Remember to drink lots of water!
It is hot and humid, you will sweat like crazy and will need to replenish your body with lots of water. The water from the tap is safe, although some locals said we might not like the taste. We ended up buying large bottles of water that we would then pour into our smaller refillable water bottles to carry around.
9 Local Greetings to know
The Tahitian people are super friendly and everywhere we went we would hear the greeting “Ia Orana” (sounds like ee-yo-rah-nah) which means “Hello”. We also heard “Maururu”, which means “Thank you”. It’s part of the fun of traveling to learn a few words in the native tongue and attempt to say them back. Also in Tahiti, as French is one of the official languages besides Polynesian, we heard “Bon Jour” for “Hello/Good Day” and “Merci” for “Thank you”.
10 What kind of souvenirs should you purchase to take home?
The main souvenirs that are worth purchasing in Tahiti are Tahitian vanilla beans (and vanilla products) and black pearls. A woman working at our hotel suggested purchasing the vanilla at the Central Market in Papeete for the best price. We missed going to a vanilla farm, but I’m sure that it would be a good place to purchase some there too.
Black pearl jewelry at Champon Pearl Farm on Tahaa Island
The famed Tahitian black pearls, are beautiful reminders of the islands. There are many stores in town, and also there is a shop at the Faaa International airport with good selections and prices. During our travels, we went to the Champon Pearl Farm on the island of Taha’a, which is where we purchased our black pearls souvenirs. You can read about the visit to the farm in the Sailing in Tahiti article.
Pareaus, the colorful fabric worn as a dress or as swimsuit coverup, can be purchased at stores. There are also tours that will take you to places where the fabric is painted.
See the photos and read about our adventures in Tahiti:
