The 15 Best Raiatea Tours & Boat Trips

1.Authentic Polynesian Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 491 reviews · from $146Our pick

Meet ARE Tours at Uturoa quay at 8:30 am for a boat trip around Tahaa. Guides such as Terehau, known as Tarzan, lead you to a vanilla farm, pearl farm, coral garden, and white-sand motu. Expect provided snorkeling gear, a local lunch, reef sharks, music, and a coconut-climbing show.

“You Will have the best day of your trip here , you are gonna discover multiple différent place , some farm , a lot of fish , maybe even daulphin if you are lucky.”

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2.1/2 day Tahaa coral garden – departure Raiatea / ideal for cruise passengers

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 149 reviews · from $144

From Raiatea, take a scenic boat ride to Tahaa’s coral garden for a gentle drift-snorkel through clear, shallow water. Guides including Gony, Julian, and Laurence help you follow the channel safely. Bring water shoes, expect about three hours, and allow extra time if your ship schedule is tight.

“The snorkel drift was amazing, The coral was beautiful and an abundance of fish. Our guide was informative and excellent. Highly recommend!”

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3.The Vanilla tour of Taha’a in a comfortable outrigger canoe

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 58 reviews · from $156

Set out from Raiatea at 8:30 a.m. aboard Blue Lagoon, a small outrigger canoe for no more than 12 people. Jimmy, Hiti, Fab, Lorenzo, or another Raiatea Blue Lagoon guide may lead the day. You’ll visit a pearl farm, vanilla plantation, rum shop, and coral garden, with snorkeling gear, snacks, and a Polynesian buffet lunch included.

“Really loved drift snorkeling and swimming with sharks. The pearl farm was great and the guides were terrific.”

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4.Guided tour of the island of Tahaa with Revanui Excursions

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 56 reviews · from $148

From Uturoa, you’ll cruise to Tahaa with guides such as Vai, Jason, or Julian, stopping at a vanilla shop, rum distillery, pearl farm, and coral garden. The day ends with a generous local lunch, music, dancing, and swimming on a private motu. Expect a small group, a fast boat, and about five to six hours on the water.

“I've done the coral gardens drift snorkel on two other trips, so this was a super option to add a number of other activities. The vanilla farm, distillery, and pearl farm were very interesting. We then did the drift snorkel. Afterwards, we wRead more”

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5.Tahaa Snorkeling in our beautiful Coral Garden

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 51 reviews · from $128

Sail from Uturoa to Tahaa’s Tautau motu for a guided drift snorkel through shallow coral gardens filled with tropical fish. Papa Zoulou supplies masks, snorkels, soft drinks, and fruit. Guides such as Roy and Tura also share local culture, and a free pearl farm visit has been added since August 2024.

“Roy was very knowledgeable. Small boat with 5 people. Had drinks and fruit ready for us. Not rushed. Great reef with some amazing fish”

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6.1/2 day “Treasures of Raiatea” by boat – ideal for cruise passengers

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 33 reviews · from $144

Spend 3 to 4 hours with Hava’i and Sea exploring Raiatea by boat. Cruise the Faaroa River, French Polynesia’s only navigable river, visit a working pearl farm near Opoa, and enjoy fresh fruit and drinks. Guides including Julien and Teiki provide local context. The small-group format, with a maximum of 12, suits cruise passengers.

“Fascinating learning about the pearls! Very peaceful trip down the river at the end! Delicious little snack treat while on the River!”

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7.Private flight, in a light plane over the Polynesian motus from Raiatea

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 32 reviews · from $72

Fly privately from Raiatea Airport with Georges of Tahiti Air Lagon over Taha’a, coral motus, and, on the longer flight, Bora Bora. Expect about 35 to 60 minutes in the air, personal attention, and a comfortable waiting area with Wi-Fi. Pickup may be arranged, including from the cruise terminal.

“What an awesome way to spend the day! Spectacular view of parts of Raiatea and fully circled Bora Bora (hour long option). Great way to see Bora Bora when only in Raiatea for a cruise stop.”

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8.Apetahi day trip around Raiatea on a modern outrigger canoe

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 30 reviews · from $156

Spend 7 to 8 hours aboard Blue Lagoon, Raiatea’s modern outrigger canoe, with captain-guide Jimmy and a small group of up to 12. Cruise the coast, look for dolphins, snorkel at Nao Nao, visit Taputapuatea Marae, enjoy lunch by the water, and travel inland on the Faaroa River when weather allows.

“Fantastic trip and a great guide , we had a lot of fun Water and dr8nks including beers are included The lunch is in a nice place although it was a small lunch, but you can order more at your own cost”

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9.Taha’a Island or Raiatea Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · from $121

Set out from Uturoa for an eight-hour island day with O Taha'a Excursions. Samuel and his daughter Heremana guide a small group of up to 12 to a vanilla grove, artisan rum shop, coral garden, pearl farm, and private motu lunch. Snorkeling gear, water, and fruit juice are included.

“This tour was absolutely amazing. Our guide was the best!!! The Pearl tour was the very best. We learned so so much. I would highly recommend this tour”

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10.3H Adventure in JET SKI Snorkeling and Tahaa Lagoon

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews

Join Yannick and guide Pino for a three-hour jet ski trip from Raiatea into Taha’a Lagoon. You’ll ride across clear water, snorkel the Coral Garden, float with tropical fish, visit a white-sand beach, and watch black-tip sharks under guide supervision. Groups are limited to six, with equipment and bottled water included.

“Our tour guide was awesome!! We had a group of 6 people on 3 jet skis and he always made sure we were safe at all times. We went slow to get our bearings and then we went out further and sped up and really got going!! We stopped to Read more”

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11.Half day excursion Tahaa – departure Raiatea / ideal cruise line

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 23 reviews · from $144

Travel from Raiatea to Tahaa by boat for a focused four-hour visit to a vanilla plantation and black pearl farm. You’ll learn how vanilla is grown and prepared, then see how Tahitian pearls are cultivated. Guides may include Julian, while Arohanui and Claudine have led especially well-received farm visits. Snorkeling is not included.

“A fun and scenic boat ride wrapped around an entertaining, learning experience on Tahaa. Everything you want to know about vanilla agriculture and processing. Also, amazing info and demonstrations about raising oysters that produce pearls.”

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12.Unique in Raiatea: discover the lagoon, fish, cook, enjoy!

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · from $340

Spend about seven hours fishing the lagoons of Raiatea and Taha'a with Captain Kenzo and his crew. Try for tuna, mahi-mahi, wahoo, grouper, snapper, and more, then prepare and grill your catch on a motu. Snorkeling, snacks, drinks, photos, and fishing gear are included.

“A fun way to spend the day on this well equipped fishing boat with Captain Kenzo and ABS Mano. After our catch we dressed it and grilled it on the beach- then a relaxing swim in the water after eating. A great way to spend the day and wRead more”

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13.Beautiful Black Pearl of Tahiti and the Vanilla of Tahaa

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 18 reviews · from $129

Sail from Uturoa to Tahaa with a cultural guide such as Rore or Tehau. Visit a black pearl farm, Mana’o rum distillery, and family vanilla plantation, with tropical fruit and soft drinks included. The four-hour trip may also include a free lagoon stop to watch sharks or manta rays.

“Great cruise around Ta'haa. Pearl farm surprised us by using Mississippi River clams. Pearl jewelry ranged from reasonably priced to (expected) expensive. Bought pearls there.”

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14.2h Express Adventure by JET SKI in Raiatea – Sacred Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews

You’ll pilot your own jet ski without a license on Raiatea’s clear lagoon, following a local guide from Hôtel Raiatea Lodge. The two-hour route visits Tehurui Bay for mountain and lagoon views and Vaia’au for dolphin watching. Snorkeling gear is included, and guides such as Pino and Maitu Peno may add coral-garden or shark-swimming stops when conditions allow.

“This excursion was so fun! We went around a good part of the island. We saw dolphins, which was a bonus for us. The guide was patient and you can tell he’s proud of his island.”

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15.Discovery in Kayaking of the Faaroa River in Raiatea

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 14 reviews · from $117

Kayak the Faaroa River in Raiatea for about three hours with a local guide and a maximum of eight people. Expect calm paddling, plant and wildlife commentary, and a personal stop at the guide’s home for fresh coconut water. The kayaks have strapped backrests, making this a gentle choice for many paddlers.

“Having booked 2 days before, no one showed up on the D-day:( I had to call, and finally they came 1 hour late. But I got a ride with a private guide who taught me a lot about the fauna, flora and life of the inhabitants of Raiatea. So I was not disappointed with the experience, even if it only lasted 2 hours instead of the 3 announced.Auto-translated”

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