The Aranui cargo-passenger ship anchored below the spires of Ua Pou

Planning

Planning.

Every international flight lands at one airport. The islands are connected by one small airline, a few ferries and a freighter. Four guides to making the chain of bookings hold.

Ua Pou, Marquesas

Book the scarce things first: international seats, Marquesas and Gambier flights, the rooms you must have. Move in one direction so you do not pass through Papeete twice. Leave a day on each island with nothing booked, because weather and boats will take it anyway.

Four guides

The guides.

Plan

When to go

Two seasons, a month-by-month table, and the windows for whales, diving and festivals.

Plan

Getting there and around

Flights, ferries, the Aranui freighter, and the order in which to book them.

Plan

Itineraries

Four routes for ten to fourteen days, with the reasoning shown.

Plan

What it costs

Where the money goes, which costs can be reduced, and the same trip at three prices.

The short version

Six things to know
before booking.

Arrivals: Every international flight lands at Faa'a on Tahiti, usually late at night. Sleep there before connecting.Air Tahiti requires 90 minutes between flights
Money: The CFP franc (XPF) is pegged to the euro at 119.33. Cards work in the Society Islands; the atolls and Australs run on cash.Tipping is not expected
Between islands: Air Tahiti's turboprops, three Moorea ferries, the Leeward fast ferry, and the Aranui freighter. Multi-island passes are cheaper than single fares.Some islands have two flights a week
Seasons: May to October is drier and cooler. November to April is warmer, wetter and greener, with a small cyclone risk from December to March.Whales July to November
Language: French and Tahitian; English in hotels and dive centres. 'Ia ora na is hello, mauruuru is thank you.Every vowel is pronounced
Pace: Fewer islands, held longer. Two nights on an island is transit, not a visit.Keep a buffer night on Tahiti before the flight home