What is there to do in Bora Bora apart from the resort?

The lagoon tour with its ray, shark and coral stops; diving with manta rays; Matira Beach; the Mount Pahia hike with a guide; the US wartime guns at Faanui and Fitiu'u Point; Marae Fare Opu; and Vaitape. Sunset sails, jet skis, 4x4 tours and helicopter flights are the paid extras.

Can you climb Mount Otemanu?

Not to the top: the tourist board's hiking guide says you can't get all the way up. Mount Pahia, 661 m, is the summit hike, best with a guide and in dry weather.

Is it safe to swim with the sharks and rays?

Blacktip reef sharks are shy and the stingrays are used to people. The real risks are coral cuts, sunburn and boat traffic. Keep your hands to yourself and follow the guide.

Is feeding sharks and rays allowed?

French Polynesia's environment code bans attracting wild animals with food where it bothers others or draws predators, and the tourist board says not to feed the rays. Some boats still do; choose one that says it doesn't.

What can you do in Bora Bora for free?

Swim at Matira, walk the Faanui ridge to the guns, visit Marae Fare Opu and the Ha'amaire battery, wander Vaitape, and watch the sunset from the beach. A rented bike makes a day of it.

Do I need to book tours in advance?

In July and August, yes: it is the busiest time of year. Otherwise a day or two ahead is usually enough, except for private boats and Pahia guides.

Is there a pearl farm on Bora Bora?

We could not verify one open to visitors in 2026. Pearls are farmed mainly in the Tuamotu and the Gambier; Taha'a, next door, is the nearest island for a farm visit.

How many days do I need?

Three to four nights covers the essentials: see our Bora Bora itinerary for three, five and seven nights.

Bora Bora · Things to do

Things to do
in Bora Bora.

The lagoon is the main event, the mountain is mostly a view, and the village is where the island lives. The full list, with what each costs and who runs it.

Matira, the island's one public beach

Islands · Bora Bora · Things to do

Bora Bora is a lagoon with a small island in the middle, and the list of things to do follows that shape. Most of what is worth doing happens on or under the water. On land there is one public beach, one climbable summit, a coast road of about 32 km¹ and a village; the famous peak, Otemanu, cannot be climbed to the top². That is the honest frame for everything below.

01 · The short list

If you only
do five things.

1. A lagoon tour, for the rays, the blacktip sharks and the coral gardens. 2. A morning at Matira, the public beach. 3. A dive with the manta rays, or a snorkel over the coral if you don't dive. 4. Mount Pahia with a guide, if you are fit and the trail is dry. 5. Half a day on the main island: the wartime guns, a roadside marae and the village of Vaitape.

Everything else — jet skis, sunset sails, 4x4 tours, helicopter flights — is pleasant, priced like a resort extra, and optional. Do them if the budget is loose; skip them without guilt if it isn't. Within each section below, the order is our order of preference.

The ranking weighs three things: how much of the island an activity shows you, what it costs for what you get, and how easy it is to do well. It is editorial and independent. No operator paid to appear, and none saw this page before it went up.

02 · On the water

The lagoon
first.

A lagoon tour

The day nobody should skip. The standard circuit stops at a stingray site, a blacktip shark site and a coral garden, often with lunch on a motu; the tourist board puts visibility at up to 40 m⁴. Moana Adventure Tours' shared 2.5-hour safari leaves at 9:00 and 13:00 for 11,400 XPF (≈ US$112, approximate) an adult and 5,700 XPF (≈ US$56) a child of 3–12, with hotel pick-up (prices published in October 2026), and states that it does not feed the animals⁵. Lagoon Service runs 4-hour half days and 6-hour full days with a motu lunch, from 9:00⁶; Rohivai Tours, based at Matira, adds a 4-hour coral tour⁷. A private boat starts at about 46,000 XPF (≈ US$451; October 2026) for Moana's 3-hour version⁸ and lets you time the stops away from other boats.

A dive with mantas or lemon sharks

Manta rays visit the Anau cleaning station inside the lagoon, which the dive centres protect; large lemon sharks live on the outer slope at Tapu; Muri Muri is the drift dive, with garden eels and trevally⁹. Bora Diving Center has worked from Matira since 1992: introductory dive 14,900 XPF (≈ US$146), a two-tank morning for certified divers 23,000 XPF (≈ US$225), one lagoon and one ocean site, nitrox, gear and pick-up included, dives 15–29 m (prices published in October 2026)¹⁰. HiRO DiVE Bora Bora takes small private boats, run by an instructor with more than 20 years on the island¹¹. Mantas are likely, not promised.

Snorkelling the coral gardens

The coral is out towards the motu, so it is a boat trip: the lagoon tour's coral stop, a longer private trip, or the house reef of a motu resort. Matira is for swimming rather than coral. Non-swimmers can see the same water from Moana Adventure Tours' glass-bottom boat, 1.5 hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from about 6,300 XPF (≈ US$62; October 2026)⁸. The tourist board's rule applies throughout: don't touch the coral, don't chase the fish⁴.

A sunset sail

Sailing Bora Bora (Vitamin Sea) takes a 40 ft former racing catamaran out for a 2-hour shared sunset at 21,000 XPF (≈ US$206) a person, or privately at 108,000 XPF (≈ US$1,059) for two (price list checked October 2026)¹². Lagoon Service's private sunset trips leave at 17:00 and last 2 hours⁶. Pleasant, and priced as a treat; the same sunset from Matira costs nothing.

Paddle, kayak or va'a

The cheapest way onto the lagoon is your own effort: the tourist board lists outrigger canoe, va'a and paddleboard outings among the island's things to do⁴, and many hotels have boards or kayaks — ask what yours lends. If you are here at the end of October, the Hawaiki Nui Va'a outrigger race finishes its three stages from Huahine in Bora Bora (28–30 October in 2026)¹³.

A jet-ski tour

Moana Adventure Tours runs a guided 2-hour circuit of the lagoon at 9:00 and 13:00, with a motu stop and pick-up, for about 33,600 XPF (≈ US$329) per jet ski for one or two people (October 2026); drivers must be 16, passengers 11¹⁴. You see the whole lagoon fast and hear nothing else. Good fun, poor value for anyone who came for the quiet.

A helicopter flight

Tahiti Nui Helicopters flies from its base at Pago, in Nunue; its shortest panoramic tour, 20 minutes, starts at about 42,000 XPF (≈ US$412; €352 on its site in October 2026), and the page doesn't say whether that is per seat or per aircraft — ask before booking¹⁵. It is the only way to see the whole lagoon and its motu at once.

03 · Rays, sharks and feeding

Swim with them.
Don't feed them.

Most lagoon tours include a stop where stingrays come right up to the boat and another with blacktip reef sharks, which are small, shy and no danger to snorkelers who leave them alone⁴. Animals that come to boats have often learned that boats bring food. That is the problem.

French Polynesia's environment code forbids disturbing wild animals for entertainment, and specifically attracting them with food where that bothers other users or draws predators¹⁶. Manta rays and every shark species are on the territory's protected list¹⁷. The tourist board's own advice is blunt: don't feed the rays⁴.

Practice lags behind the rules. Some tourist-board listings for Bora Bora boats still advertise 'shark and ray feeding'¹⁸. Ask before you book, and choose an operator that says it doesn't — Moana Adventure Tours states it in writing, and says plainly that sightings are not guaranteed⁵, which is what an operator that doesn't feed has to say. If a guide throws fish in, the animals crowd and jostle and you are watching a show, not wildlife.

In the water: keep your hands to yourself, keep your fins off the coral, wear a rash vest rather than a slick of sunscreen, and let rays glide past instead of reaching for them.

04 · On land

One beach, one summit,
one road.

Matira Beach

The tourist board calls it the island's only public beach⁴: white sand at the southern tip, shallow and calm, with snack bars, hotels and a dive centre along the point. Free. Go in the morning. On cruise-ship days — the commune allows up to 1,200 passengers ashore a day¹⁹ — it is noticeably busier.

Mount Pahia, with a guide

At 661 m, the summit you can actually reach: a 7 km trail with slippery slopes and rope railings, and the tourist board says it is best done with a guide²⁰. Its hiking guide adds that it takes 'a good few hours each way' — take a packed lunch². Go early, after a dry spell. We could not verify a 2026 listing for an independent Pahia guide, so we name none; ask your hotel or pension to book one.

The wartime guns

In 1942, Operation Bobcat brought about 3,500 US servicemen to the island²¹. From Faanui village, an easy walk of about 2 km reaches a viewpoint and runs on along the ridge to two American guns²¹. On Fitiu'u Point, the Ha'amaire battery has two 7-inch naval guns, two small ammunition stores and a firing post, restored by the association Mémoire polynésienne, with boards in Tahitian, French and English; it is about 15 minutes' walk from the main road on a path kept by the landowners²².

A 4x4 tour

Some viewpoints are reached only by 4x4. Bora Bora Explorer's 3-hour history and culture tour leaves at 9:00 or 13:00 daily and stops at the wartime gun lookout, the Amanahune antenna lookout, Matira and a pareu workshop, from about 8,950 XPF (≈ US$88; €75 on its site) an adult and 4,530 XPF (≈ US$44) a child (October 2026)²³. Worth it if you won't rent a car; otherwise the Faanui walk is free.

Otemanu: the view, not the top

At 727 m the island's highest point²⁴, and you 'can't get all the way to the top', in the tourist board's own words². Guided trails climb partway for the view; the Valley of the Kings is a half-day walk for families². The famous profile is best seen from the water, or from Matira.

Marae Fare Opu and the coast road

Just north of Faanui, squeezed between the road and the shore and partly under the road, Fare Opu has two slabs carved with turtle petroglyphs²⁵. It makes a stop on a lap of the coast road, which is flat enough for a bicycle; rental desks for cars, scooters and bikes cluster at the Vaitape quay²⁶. Look, don't climb: marae are sacred sites.

Vaitape

The village where the island does its errands: the quay, the shops, the craft stalls, and artisans selling pareos, carvings and monoi. In July, Tuvavau square hosts the Heiva i Bora Bora, the island's dance and song competitions⁴. In the evening, the roulottes (food trucks) are the cheapest hot meal on the island.

Black pearls: to buy, not to farm

Vaitape's shops sell plenty, but the pearls are not a Bora Bora crop: in 2019 the Tuamotu and the Gambier produced 71% and 25% of the country's output²⁷. We found no working pearl farm on Bora Bora that we could verify as open to visitors in 2026; for a farm visit, go to Taha'a. Before buying anything serious, ask for a written description of size, shape and quality.

An evening with music

Hotel Royal Bora Bora has Polynesian bands at its bar and restaurant twice a week at the end of the day²⁸; the tourist board lists traditional dance shows among the island's evenings⁴. That is about the extent of the nightlife. Bloody Mary's, the island's best-known restaurant, was listed by the tourist board as temporarily closed in August 2026²⁹; check before planning an evening around it.

05 · Practical notes

Before you
book anything.

Pick-ups: Transfers from your accommodation are usually included in excursion prices; confirm the meeting point when booking, especially on a motu²⁶.Some boats collect only from a pontoon or a beach with sea access
Booking ahead: July is the peak of the year for visitor nights³⁰: book the lagoon tour, any private boat and a Pahia guide before you arrive. In January, February and November, a day or two ahead usually works.Put the lagoon tour early in the stay so weather can move it
Prices: Operators quote per person, per boat or per jet ski. Read which. Several show euros online; 1,000 XPF is fixed at €8.38³.Ask what the price covers before you pay
Weather: July to September are the driest months at the airport, about 62–65 mm of rain each; December and January the wettest, about 245–251 mm³¹.Rain doesn't stop a dive
Cruise days: Up to 1,200 cruise passengers a day may come ashore¹⁹. Ship days are busy at the Vaitape quay, in the taxis and at Matira.Choose your beach day accordingly
Getting around: A bike suits the flat coast road; a car or scooter for one day covers it. Rental companies at the Vaitape quay include Avis Bora Bora, Rani Car and Heitaki Bora Rental Cars²⁶.Motu guests depend on the resort shuttle

06 · The limits

What Bora Bora
doesn't do.

Hikers and road-trippers run out of island in a day. The coast road is about 32 km¹, the one summit hike needs a guide, and the famous peak is off limits at the top. There is one public beach. There is little nightlife beyond hotel bars and dinner shows, and Bora Bora is not a surf island: the known break, Teavanui Pass, is reached by boat and breaks over shallow coral, for advanced surfers only³².

Almost everything costs money, and more than elsewhere: the island's international hotels averaged 137,000 XPF (≈ US$1,343) a room-night in July–September 2025, the highest in the country³³, and activity prices follow. The free things — Matira, the Faanui walk, Fare Opu, a bike lap, the sunset — are worth doing first, not as consolation.

If you want more on land, Moorea has the trails, the valley marae and a 60 km road. If you want more reef, Rangiroa and Fakarava are the diving atolls. If you want the same kind of lagoon with fewer people, look at Maupiti or Taha'a.

07 · Questions

Questions.

01
What is there to do in Bora Bora apart from the resort?
The lagoon tour with its ray, shark and coral stops; diving with manta rays; Matira Beach; the Mount Pahia hike with a guide; the US wartime guns at Faanui and Fitiu'u Point; Marae Fare Opu; and Vaitape. Sunset sails, jet skis, 4x4 tours and helicopter flights are the paid extras.
02
Can you climb Mount Otemanu?
Not to the top: the tourist board's hiking guide says you can't get all the way up². Mount Pahia, 661 m, is the summit hike, best with a guide and in dry weather²⁰.
03
Is it safe to swim with the sharks and rays?
Blacktip reef sharks are shy and the stingrays are used to people. The real risks are coral cuts, sunburn and boat traffic. Keep your hands to yourself and follow the guide.
04
Is feeding sharks and rays allowed?
French Polynesia's environment code bans attracting wild animals with food where it bothers others or draws predators¹⁶, and the tourist board says not to feed the rays⁴. Some boats still do; choose one that says it doesn't.
05
What can you do in Bora Bora for free?
Swim at Matira, walk the Faanui ridge to the guns, visit Marae Fare Opu and the Ha'amaire battery, wander Vaitape, and watch the sunset from the beach. A rented bike makes a day of it.
06
Do I need to book tours in advance?
In July and August, yes: it is the busiest time of year. Otherwise a day or two ahead is usually enough, except for private boats and Pahia guides.
07
Is there a pearl farm on Bora Bora?
We could not verify one open to visitors in 2026. Pearls are farmed mainly in the Tuamotu and the Gambier²⁷; Taha'a, next door, is the nearest island for a farm visit.
08
How many days do I need?
Three to four nights covers the essentials: see our Bora Bora itinerary for three, five and seven nights.

Sources · last verified 19 October 2026(33)