Things to do in Bora Bora
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bora Bora
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Sweet spot: full dry-season conditions with softer rates and crowds than July and August.
Best weather plus Heiva, but peak prices and the earliest booking pressure.
Good: August is driest with whales and busiest; October is shoulder with whales.
Acceptable with discounts in the shoulder and early wet season.
Worst for rain and humidity, February riskiest, despite a Christmas price spike.
What's on
- Heiva i Bora Bora July
Weeks of Polynesian dance, song, traditional sports, crafts and feasting centred on Vaitape.
- Bastille Day 14 July
French celebrations layered on top of Heiva in July.
- Raid Anei Late July
Mountain trail events occasionally run in late July; check Tahiti Tourisme listings.
- Hawaiki Nui Va'a Usually late October or early November
Outrigger canoe marathon finishing at Matira after racing from Huahine via Raiatea and Taha'a.
Best things to do in Bora Bora
Reef Discovery
Small-group lagoon tour operator praised for intensive guided snorkelling in the coral gardens.
Lagoon Service Bora Bora
Lagoon tour operator known for the cultural version with a Polynesian lunch on a private motu.
Moana Adventure Tours
High-volume lagoon and adventure operator covering boat tours, jet skis and fishing charters.
Matira Beach
The island's great free public beach, with shallow turquoise water and sunset views.
Coral Gardens
Shallow coral bommies with dense reef fish, suited to nervous swimmers and families.
H2O Bora Bora
Small-group snorkel operator spending longer in the coral gardens than safari boats.
Tohora Bora Bora
Snorkel-focused operator capped at six guests for a quieter coral garden trip.
Mount Otemanu
The iconic basalt peak to admire from the lagoon, road viewpoints and motu beaches.
Where to stay in Bora Bora
Motu resorts
honeymoon and resort-as-holiday stays
Private islets with beaches and Otemanu views, reached only by boat on resort schedules.
Matira Point area
smart-money base, beach and independent travel
Walk to Matira Beach, roulottes and rentals, and join tours at Vaitape rates.
Vaitape / Povai Bay
eaters and tour-joiners
Near the village, quay and restaurants, with sunset lagoon views but narrower beaches.
Think twice about
- Inland mountain side of the ring road
No beach access, no food within walking distance and no view, leaving you car-dependent after dark.
- Vaitape immediate port strip
A working quay with early boat noise, so do not expect resort quiet here.
- Unreviewed far east coast rentals
Stretches of east shore are shallow reef flat and muddy at low tide, so confirm the lagoon is swimmable.
Best restaurants in Bora Bora
La Villa Mahana
Tiny villa restaurant serving French-Polynesian tasting menus, the island's honeymoon dinner.
Lagoon Restaurant by Jean-Georges
Overwater fine dining by Jean-Georges, with glass floors and a dramatic Otemanu view.
Le Saint James
Waterfront terrace near the quay for French-Polynesian seafood and sunset drinks into dinner.
Lucky House
Beloved best-value proper restaurant near Matira, with generous Polynesian-European plates.
Bora Bora Beach Club
Feet-in-the-sand beach club lunch on Matira, strong on poisson cru and grilled fish.
Matira Beach Restaurant
Terrace dining over Matira Beach, open to non-guests and easy for pension guests.
Arii Moana
Four Seasons flagship for Mediterranean-Polynesian fine dining in the evening.
Vaimiti
Overwater Asian restaurant and bar that owns the sunset slot at the Four Seasons.
Best bars in Bora Bora
O'A Bar
Splurge-drink detour at the Westin's bar footnote.
Outdoor things to do in Bora Bora
Anau
Signature lagoon dive at a manta ray cleaning station in calm, protected water.
Tapu
Best-known outer-reef dive, with lemon sharks, drop-offs and clearer deeper water.
Muri Muri
Sandy White Valley dive with garden eels, pelagic traffic and big reef species.
Tupitipiti
Outer-reef drop-off and canyon dive with sharks, barracuda and Napoleon wrasse.
TOPDIVE Bora Bora
Long-established dive operator positioned for the pass and outer-reef two-tank mornings.
Tupuna Safari
Original 4x4 safari operator for interior viewpoints, marae and WWII cannons.
Bora Bora Explorer
4x4 safari covering panoramic bays, marae sites, a pareu workshop and fruit tasting.
Bora Bora Adventures ATV
Quad tours to Mount Popoti and Faanui Valley viewpoints by a rougher, playful route.
Best hotels in Bora Bora
The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort
Largest overwater villas, butler service for every room and the most frontal Otemanu view.
Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora
Huge overwater bungalows, strong kids programme and service ranked first for families.
Conrad Bora Bora Nui
Luxury resort with thriving live coral and the best off-the-beach snorkelling of the big resorts.
The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa
Newest big resort after a full rebuild, with most dining venues and the largest infinity pool.
Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts
Thatched Polynesian-style luxury with a house reef and a warmer, less corporate feel.
InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana
Main-island resort on Matira Beach with overwater bungalows at about half motu prices.
Maitai Polynesia Bora Bora
Best-value overwater bungalows on the island, with main-island freedom to walk out.
Village Temanuata
Family-run pension near Matira Beach, in the island's genuine cheap stay tier.
Is Bora Bora expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CFPF 10,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CFPF 18,000 a person |
| Splurge | CFPF 150,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Reef Discovery: a few days ahead
- Lagoon Service Bora Bora: a few days ahead
- Moana Adventure Tours: a few days ahead
- H2O Bora Bora: a few days ahead
- Tohora Bora Bora: a few days ahead
- Mount Pahia: a few days ahead
- Bora Bora Lagoonarium: a few days ahead
- Eco Center Bora Bora: a few days ahead
- Overwater bungalows book 9 to 12 months ahead for July and August, and 3 to 6 months in shoulder season.
- La Villa Mahana books 6 plus weeks ahead in season by email, with no walk-in version.
- Top lagoon and dive operators fill 3 to 7 days ahead in dry season; private boats a week plus.
Is Bora Bora safe?
- Clean and dress coral cuts promptly, wear reef shoes, and follow guide briefings around sharks and the pass.
- Reef-safe sunscreen is a health item at 16 degrees south, and repellent helps at dawn and dusk.
- Serious medical cases evacuate to Tahiti, so insurance covering medical evacuation is not optional.
Bora Bora travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Spending the whole trip on a motu and seeing only a lobby, a deck and a buffet.
- Paying resort-desk prices for tours that are cheaper booked direct with Vaitape operators.
- Pearl shopping pressure on farm visits; set a budget before the showroom and buy only with written grading.
- Bloody Mary's on stale lists: closed November 2023, reopening as a hotel project in fall 2026.
Getting around Bora Bora: public transport and more
- One 32 km ring road. Walk the Matira cluster, then bike, scooter or small car; taxis are few and expensive.
- On a motu the resort boat shuttle to Vaitape on a fixed timetable is your only independent exit.
- Air Tahiti runs a free shuttle boat from the airport motu to the Vaitape quay.
Who Bora Bora suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | OK |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Bora Bora your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store