Rangiroa or The Island of The Immense Sky.
Rangiroa (“Huge Sky” or “Vast Sky” in the Paumotu language) is an atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago.
From a geological point of view, this atoll is a coral outgrowth of the summit of the underwater volcano of the same name, which measures 1,185 meters from the seabed.
Rangiroa is the second largest atoll in the world by the size of its lagoon, a veritable inland sea. The island of Tahiti could even fit into this wide and heavenly lagoon!
In its maximum dimensions, the lagoon has a length of 80 kms and a width of 32 kms, its maximum depth is 35 meters and its area reaches 1,446 km². The area of land is 79 km², divided into 415 groups of “motu” (islets). Only two islands are permanently inhabited: Tiputa and Avatoru.
Rangiroa is world-renowned for its exceptional underwater fauna: dolphins, sharks, reef and pelagic fish. Depending on season, whales can be seen from August to October.
If you don’t dive, you may as well enjoy the lagoon with its delightful colors. We recommend a picnic on a secluded “motu”, and remember to bring a mask and snorkel for a swim over one of the countless coral gardens! Visit the preserved islets full of wild birds and meet rays and small black-tip sharks, far from being Fearful!
The atoll is also renowned for the quality of its pearl farming and for… viticulture! Indeed, vineyards are cultivated on the edge of the lagoon next to a coconut grove and produce two crops a year!
With that being said, YOU can never get bored in Rangiroa… Our Experts have not yet mentioned the Blue lagoon, the Pink Sand beaches or even the Reef Island!
Rangiroa or the Divers’ Paradise!
Let yourself be tempted by an exploration or introductory dive for beginners.
What’s on the program? A multitude of sharks such as tiger, grey, sleeper, white tip…, or manta rays, or turtles and the most classic eagle rays, grey rays, dolphins, tropical species of fish…. You can also observe the humpback whales from August to October and hammerhead sharks from January to March.
Rent bikes and travel 9 kms between the Villages of Avatoru and Tiputa at your own pace. Halt wherever you desire to admire this unique landscape, an enchanting lagoon but also majestic religious buildings including the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of the Last Days.
Visit a pearl farm and make your final stop at Tahiti Cave for a wine-tasting bottled on Rangiroa!
Discover the Reef Island, one of the most magical and specific sites in Rangiroa. An hour trip on a sailboat from Tiputa Village, “Motus” and coral reefs called “Feo” delineate the atoll and create stunning natural pools and raised coral formations, worked through by erosion. This site is only accessible on a day trip tour.
Pick-up is set at around 8:30 AM to the Tiputa wharf from where you can observe the dolphins in the pass, then head to a coral garden where you will enjoy snorkeling, also discover and walk on the Reef island.
And complete your journey on a private island for lunch on the beach with your feet in the very fine sand, watching over the lagoon with its many colors leaving you mesmerized forever! A must-do, for sure!
Discover the Blue Lagoon, in reality, a lagoon in the lagoon. Let’s go on a boat trip, a flagship activity among others around the atoll. Picture it, a natural site made up of 5 sandbanks (“motu”) that surround a lagoon of 30 hectares, as if being laid on to the coral reef of the atoll. Excursions only available on a day trip tour.
What’s on the program? Visit a coral garden while food is being prepared then enjoy a local meal on the beach, lazing in the heart of a landscape where the nuances of the blue lagoon, the green of the coconut groves and the pristine white of idyllic beaches are intertwined!
Discover the Pink Sands, a display of pink and blue colors on a canvas. Pink sandbanks emerging inside the lagoon where the perfect combination of turquoise clear water and pink sands sure know how to put on a show!
That spectacle being created by the accumulation of Foraminifera shells (microscopic marine cellular organisms) that give the sand this sparkling color, peculiar almost unreal effect. This site is accessible on a day trip tour.
What’s on the program? Visit a coral garden, enjoy a local meal on the beach, relax in the heart of “motu”, do it all in a paradise landscape. A moment in time where time actually has no meaning any more and gives way to an unforgettable moment of relaxation. No doubt about it, you are one of the lucky few!
Choose one or even several of the many activities offered by the local professionals. Between the 3 emblematic outings of the atoll (detailed above), a sunset cruise, a jet ski tour, a drift dive open to everyone in the Tiputa Pass or the rental of a Donut boat, just make your choice!
