Sailing in French Polynesia: The 15 Best Days Under Canvas

1.Half Day Tour : Moorea Snorkeling & Sailing on a Catamaran named Taboo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 529 reviews · from $157Our pick

Review of Moorea’s Taboo catamaran tour, with small-group snorkeling, sharks, rays, tropical fruit, cocktails, and practical booking advice.

“What a great way to spend a morning on the water in Moorea. We got to swim with sharks and stingrays and snorkel in a beautiful coral garden. Johann and Max were fun, friendly, and knowledgable guides on this wonderful experience. Do yourself a favor and book a morning on the catamaran Taboo.”

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2.Sunset Cruise : Moorea Sailing on a Catamaran named Taboo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 245 reviews · from $156

Sail Moorea’s coast aboard the small catamaran Taboo, with bay views, island stories, cocktails, and a sunset over the lagoon.

“Leo was a great guide, giving us good historical and cultural information during the sail, as well as plenty of opportunities for photos and conversation. One thing to keep in mind - you will board a small skiff to get out to and onto the catamaran. If you have any disabilities or difficulties in getting in and out of boats, this might not be for you. However, Leo and other passengers will assist if you’re just a bit tentative about the transfers.”

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3.LUXURY Catamaran Bora Bora : Sailing, Snorkeling & Floating Bar

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 157 reviews · from $327

Sail Bora Bora aboard a 40-foot catamaran, snorkel a private coral garden, and enjoy a floating bar with a small group and hotel pickup.

“One of the most enjoyable things we did. Easy day with lots of sun to snorkel and then finish the day off with some alcohol!? Met some great people and had a blast”

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4.From Tahiti: Tetiaroa Island Tour by Sailing Catamaran

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 156 reviews · 11 hours · from $227

Sail from Tahiti to Tetiaroa for a guided island walk, local meals, reef snorkeling, and a full day in one of French Polynesia’s finest settings.

“The island is spectacular. The reef is amazing. Note, there is no sailing, it's all motoring.”

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5.Introduction to sailing and discovering the lagoon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 144 reviews · from $126

Sail Moorea’s lagoon on a hand-built double canoe, learn Polynesian navigation, snorkel with rays and sharks, and enjoy fruit and drinks.

“Awesome experience and amazing tour guides. Removing one star because we were only on boat from 7:45am-10:45am. Not sure why we needed early, I didn’t ask. Overall great time, just wished we got to explore longer and snorkel longer.”

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6.LUXURY Catamaran Bora Bora : The Sunset Escape

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 129 reviews · from $267

Review of Bora Bora’s 2-hour luxury sunset catamaran, with Otemanu views, hotel dock pickup, drinks, snacks, crew details, and value tips.

“We were picked up in a skiff and transferred to the catamaran. It was a beautiful boat with plenty of room for our group. The captain and first mate were both excellent. They gave lots of great insight into the history of and local lifestyle in the area. The sun was hidden by clouds but we still had a great trip.”

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7.PRIVATE Half Day Tour : Moorea Snorkeling & Sailing on a Catamaran named Taboo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 105 reviews

Review of Moorea’s private Taboo catamaran tour, with reef snorkeling, rays, sharks, tropical fish, drinks, snacks, and practical booking tips.

“This excursion was absolutely worth the money!! We took a 4hr private ride - our captain was very knowledgeable, spoke multiple languages (including English) and took us to multiple locations around Moorea! We went North around the island and snorkeled at a coral garden, with stingrays and sharks, and at the tikis. They provided rum punch, bottled water, and fresh fruit. Even my husband said this was his favorite, most relaxing excursion and has never snorkeled! Highly recommend! The transportation was easy and right on time with easy directions provided in the welcome email!”

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8.Sunset sailing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 56 reviews · from $115Best value

Watch Moorea’s sunset from a traditional canoe, snorkel with rays and sharks, hear Polynesian sailing stories, and enjoy fruit and a cocktail.

“Had a wonderful time. The views of the island and snorkeling in the lagoons was amazing. Would absolutely recommend the trip.”

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9.Moorea Discovery Half-day Sailing

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 53 reviews · from $115

Review of Moorea Discovery’s intimate three-hour sailing trip, with snorkeling, rays, fruit, hotel transfers, pricing, and practical booking advice.

“Repos et liberté entre amis ! Une très belle prestation. Je le recommande fortement ! À très bientôt,”

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10.Excursion to Tetiaroa by Catamaran Visit Lunch Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 52 reviews · from $235

Sail from Papeete to Tetiaroa for island walks, a Polynesian lunch, reef snorkeling, breakfast, and a sunset punch aboard a spacious catamaran.

“Really excellent excursion! The departure point was easy to find, the boat was really nice, and the crew was kind. The food served on board was delicious!! The island itself was beautiful and it was really nice to have some free time to walk Read more”

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11.PRIVATE Sunset Cruise : Moorea Sailing on a Catamaran named Taboo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 42 reviews

Review of Moorea’s private Taboo catamaran sunset cruise, with Cook’s Bay sailing, open-ocean views, drinks, transport, price, and tips.

“This was absolutely the highlight of my honeymoon with my husband! The captain of the boat was so friendly, accommodating, and loved sharing information about the island with us. He served us delicious mai-tais, played traditionRead more”

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12.LUXURY PRIVATE Catamaran Bora Bora : Half-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 33 reviews

Sail Bora Bora’s lagoon on a private 40-foot catamaran with snorkeling, a floating bar, drinks, hotel pickup, and personal service.

“The trip on the Vitamin Sea is 4 hours of paradise. Excellent crew, amazing boat and an unforgettable trip. Can’t recommend enough.”

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13.PRIVATE Full Day Tour : Moorea Snorkeling & Sailing on a Catamaran named Taboo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 30 reviews

Private Moorea catamaran tour with snorkeling, reef views, turtles, tikis, tropical fruit, and a flexible itinerary for up to four.

“It was an absolutely perfect day with Leo as our guide. He knew the best snorkeling spots and places for us to see. A very relaxing day with some of the best scenery in the world.”

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14.Private sailing adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews

Sail Moorea aboard a traditional va'a with local crew, swim with rays and sharks, spot turtles and dolphins, and enjoy fruit and local snacks.

“We really had a good experience, we had good fruit, we were able to enjoy the swimming with Sting Rays and Sharks. I felt like Moana in a movie. The guys were really cool and made sure that we were safe, he even helped my aunt swim with sharks. Amazing 10/10 !!”

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15.LUXURY PRIVATE Catamaran Bora Bora : Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 20 reviews

Sail Bora Bora on a private catamaran with hotel transfers, snorkeling, rays, snacks, drinks, and flexible time on the lagoon.

“This was 1 of the highlights of our trip. David, 1 of the owners, picked us up at the dock for the transfer and took us to his 40' catamaran. The captain and deck hand, Clement and Perla were absolutely amazing. I don't think the description coRead more”

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