Bora Bora · Getting around
Getting around
Bora Bora.
A 32 km road on the main island, and boats for everything else. What you need depends on whether you sleep on a motu or on the mainland.
Mount Otemanu over the Bora Bora lagoon
Islands · Bora Bora · Getting around
Bora Bora runs on two networks. On the main island, a coast road of about 32 km makes a full loop1, flat enough for a bicycle, with Vaitape's quay as the hub for rentals, taxis and the local trucks2. Across the lagoon, everything moves by boat, on timetables you don't set. Where you sleep decides which network you live on.
01 · Motu or mainland
Where you sleep
decides it.
On a motu, the resort's boats are your transport. The St. Regis runs one free shuttle a day to its base on the main island, except Sundays and public holidays, booked through the concierge; extra runs cost 3,600 XPF (≈ US$35) per person return3. The Four Seasons' water taxi to Vaitape takes 25 minutes and runs twice a day from Monday to Saturday on a fixed schedule4. The Westin's daily transport to its main-island base is part of its 11,550 XPF (≈ US$113) nightly destination fee5. Read these before booking the room, not after.
On the main island, you need much less. The area around Matira works on foot for the beach, snack bars and a few restaurants; from Vaitape or the north, a bicycle, an e-bike or a one-day rental covers the island. Most tour and dive operators collect you: Moana Adventure Tours and Bora Diving Center both advertise free pick-up67. Ask whether that includes your address.
Cars stay on the main island, and Avis's free delivery stops at the shore: it brings vehicles to main-island hotels, from 6,000 XPF (≈ US$59) of rental, but not to motu hotels, whose guests need a boat taxi first1.
02 · The options
Every way
to move.
- Resort shuttle boats
- St. Regis: departures from the resort 08:30, 09:40, 10:30, 13:30, 16:30, 18:00; from its main-island base 12:00, 14:30, 16:40, 21:003One free run a day, others 3,600 XPF per person return
- Boat taxis
- The Westin lists a motu taxi from the airport at 7,000 XPF (≈ US$69) one way, booked ahead5Elsewhere, ask your hotel to book and quote
- Rental car
- Avis: Fiat Panda 9,500 XPF for 4 hours, 10,800 for 8, 11,900 (≈ US$117) for a day; hybrid Clio or manual Duster 11,500–13,9008Unlimited kilometres on the 32 km loop
- Electric fun car
- Eli Zero: 8,900 XPF for 4 hours, 12,900 (≈ US$126) a day; Kate E-Moke 12,900–15,9008
- Scooter
- Peugeot Tweet 50 cc: 5,500 XPF for 4 hours, 6,800 (≈ US$67) a day8
- E-bike
- 3,400 XPF for 4 hours, 4,000 for 8, 4,200 (≈ US$41) a day8
- Bicycle
- Tahiti Tourisme suggests hiring a bike for the day and lists Bora Bora Rent Scooter and Bike2We found no published bicycle price
- Taxis
- Wait at the Vaitape quay2; the government tariff published in 2023 is for Tahiti and Moorea9No published Bora Bora fares: agree the price first
- Le truck
- The open-sided trucks are the island's local public transport, from the Vaitape quay210We found no published timetable
- Lodge transfers
- Bora Vaite Lodge, in the north: daytime transfers to Matira or Vaitape at 800 XPF (≈ US$8) per person return11
03 · Driving and riding
The rules
of the road.
Traffic drives on the right. The limit is 60 km/h, and 40 in places1; on a loop this short there is no reason to push it.
Avis requires drivers to be 21 and to have held a licence for a year, with a young-driver option under 25; its vehicles that need no licence are open to anyone over 181. Its rentals include comprehensive insurance, with an optional excess buy-back, but cover stops on mountain roads, tracks and beaches1. The hill tracks belong to the 4x4 tour operators.
Rental desks are at the Vaitape quay, about 100 m from where the airport boat lands10. Tahiti Tourisme lists Avis Bora Bora, Rani Car, Heitaki Bora Rental Cars and Bora Bora Rent Scooter and Bike2; Avis has a second agency at Matira, open daily from 08:30 to 17:00, with Vaitape open from 08:001. Book ahead for July and August.
A car for one day is enough for the whole road, with stops at Matira and at Faanui for the walk up to the wartime guns. A four-hour rental, 9,500 XPF for the smallest car8, is a fair half-day for a lap and a swim.
04 · What you need
Motu stay,
mainland stay.
- Daily transport
- Motu resort: The resort's boats, on its timetable: at the St. Regis one free run a day3
Main-island pension or hotel: Feet, an e-bike or the trucks; a car for one day - Dinner off-site
- Motu resort: A boat each way; the last one back from the St. Regis base leaves at 21:003
Main-island pension or hotel: Walk or ride; ask the restaurant to call a taxi back - Lagoon tours
- Motu resort: Operators collect from some resorts; check yours
Main-island pension or hotel: Pick-up is advertised by the main operators67
Verdict. On a motu, choose the resort partly by its boat timetable. On the main island, skip the car for most of the stay and rent one for a single day.
05 · By base
What each area
needs.
Matira and the south
The beach, snack bars, a dive centre and a few dinners within walking distance: the one base where you can do without wheels. Rent for a day to see the rest. Avis has a desk here1.
Faanui, Anau and the north
Quiet, residential and furthest from Matira. A bike or car stops being optional; some lodges run their own transfers, such as Bora Vaite Lodge's 800 XPF return trip to Matira or Vaitape11.
06 · A main-island day from a motu
One day ashore,
planned around the boats.
07 · Questions
Questions.
- 01
- 02
How much is a rental car in Bora Bora?
At Avis, from 9,500 XPF for 4 hours, 10,800 for 8 and 11,900 for a day, rising to 24,900 a day for a hard-top SUV8.
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
How do I get from a motu resort to Vaitape?
On the resort's boat. The St. Regis runs one free shuttle a day (not Sundays or holidays) and charges 3,600 XPF per person for others3; the Four Seasons' water taxi runs twice a day, Monday to Saturday, in 25 minutes4; the Westin includes daily transport in its destination fee5.
- 07
What is the speed limit?
60 km/h, and 40 km/h in places1.
- 08
Can I drive up the mountain tracks?
Not in a rental if you want to stay insured: Avis's cover excludes mountain roads, tracks and beaches1. Take a guided 4x4 tour instead.
Sources · last verified 19 October 2026(11)
- Avis Bora Bora: Avis Bora Bora — agencies (Vaitape quay 08:00–17:00, Matira 08:30–17:00, daily), conditions (insurance, delivery, age, licence, speed limits, 32 km island loop) ↗
- Tahiti Tourisme: Getting to Bora Bora (Vaitape quay: car and scooter rental, taxis, 'trucks'; bike hire; rental listings) ↗
- Marriott International: The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort — overview (shuttle service: once-daily complimentary shuttle to the main island, extra runs 3,600 XPF per person return, timetable) ↗
- Four Seasons: Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora — getting here (water taxi to Vaitape, 25 minutes, twice daily Monday–Saturday) ↗
- Marriott International: The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa — overview (destination fee incl. daily transport to the main-island base; Taxi Motu 7,000 XPF one way) ↗
- Moana Adventure Tours: Eco Shark and Ray, Coral Garden Snorkel Safari (free pick-up and drop-off) ↗
- Bora Diving Center: Bora Diving Center — certified divers (free pick-up and drop-off) ↗
- Avis Bora Bora: Avis Bora Bora — tarifs courte durée (4 h, 8 h, 1 day; cars, fun cars, scooter, e-bike) ↗
- Direction des transports terrestres: Modification des tarifs des taxis de Tahiti et Moorea (arrêté n° 1540 CM du 06/09/2023, in force 12 Nov 2023) ↗
- Air Tahiti: Flights to Bora Bora (services in Vaitape: local public transport, taxis, vehicle hire 100 m from the landing stage) ↗
- Tahiti Tourisme: Bora Vaite Lodge (updated 23 May 2025; daytime transfers to Matira or Vaitape 800 XPF per person return) ↗