Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island of French Polynesia and the gateway to the whole archipelago, the place nearly every journey through these islands begins. It is tempting to treat it as a quick stopover on the way to Bora Bora or Moorea, but the island deserves more than that. Its lush, mountainous interior hides dramatic waterfalls and deep green valleys, its coast is rimmed with striking black volcanic sand, and its surf breaks, above all the legendary Teahupoo, are famous the world over.
Beyond the scenery lies the cultural heart of the islands. The lively Papeete market is piled high with tropical fruit, vanilla, black pearls and tiare flowers, the air is full of Polynesian dance and song, and the painter Paul Gauguin found his muse on these very shores. This is where the rhythm of Polynesian life is easiest to feel, in the markets and the music and the warmth of the welcome that travelers remember long after the lagoons fade.
A drive around the island ties it all together, taking in cascading waterfalls, blowholes where the sea bursts through the rock, surf coasts, ancient marae temples and viewpoints that look out over Moorea across the water. We love Tahiti as the soulful opening chapter of a French Polynesia trip, a day or two of scenery and culture before you slow down to the rhythm of the outer islands.
