Discover the Leeward Islands

Huahine consists of two islands connected by a bridge: Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti. Nui is the larger one. On Raiatea, Marae Taputapuatea, a striking landscape and a hiking trail to Mount Temehani take center stage. Taha’a is home to numerous vanilla plantations. These different themes give you concrete points of reference when planning your trip through the Leeward Islands and choosing a suitable hotel base.

Huahine and Taha’a: islands with distinct highlights

The bridge between Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti makes Huahine’s division into two islands an easy point of reference. You can also plan your journey to Huahine from different departure points: Air Tahiti flies to the island in 35 minutes from Papeete and 25 minutes from Bora Bora. Taha’a offers a different point of interest, with its numerous vanilla plantations. If you want to visit individual plantations, check their visitor arrangements in advance. This lets you distinguish between Huahine’s island scenery and Taha’a’s vanilla cultivation when planning your trip, rather than treating the islands as interchangeable stops.

Raiatea: marae, landscape and hiking trail

Marae Taputapuatea on Raiatea was once a religious and political center of power throughout Polynesia. Its sphere of influence also included Hawaii, New Zealand, Easter Island and the Cook Islands. The site’s historical significance is one of Raiatea’s cultural highlights. The landscape is also shaped by a lagoon, rocky mountain cliffs and lush, distinctive vegetation. Raiatea is also home to Polynesia’s only navigable river. This geographical feature sets the island apart from the landscape and cultural attractions described here for Huahine and Taha’a. If you would also like to explore Raiatea on foot, there is a hiking trail leading to the summit of Mount Temehani. Check local trail conditions before setting out.

Travel options for planning your island trip

Taha’a can be reached directly by ferry from Tahiti, Bora Bora and Huahine. Check current operators and schedules when planning. The flight times given for Huahine vary depending on the departure point: 35 minutes from Papeete and 25 minutes from Bora Bora. Since these times refer to different departure airports, your own starting point is the key factor for planning. Also check current flight routes and schedules. This lets you factor the listed connections into your plans without treating different departure points as the same.

French Polynesia as the wider travel destination

In the wider destination of French Polynesia, Tahiti offers its own distinctive scenery: lush hills, black- and white-sand beaches, and characteristic landscapes are among the island’s described features. Along Tahiti’s west coast, coconut palms line the white-sand beaches, which are suitable for swimming and sunbathing. On the east coast, black-sand beaches formed through past volcanic activity offer a setting for relaxing and taking photographs. These beaches and landscapes are on Tahiti, not among the island features of Huahine, Taha’a and Raiatea described above. Across the wider region, the trade winds bring the Society Islands consistently very pleasant temperatures year-round.

Choose a hotel base that suits your trip

To choose a hotel base, first decide which island and theme you want your trip to focus on: Huahine’s islands connected by a bridge, Taha’a’s vanilla plantations, or Raiatea’s history, landscape and hiking trail. Then factor the flight or ferry connections listed for your departure point into your plans, and check the latest schedules.

Discover more destinations

Fare, Uturoa, Opoa, Fa'nui, Vaitō'are, Tevaitoa, Pātio, Vaitape, Tefareri'i, Tapu'amu, Faie

For the main travel overview: French Polynesia.