Private yacht charter in French Polynesia
French Polynesia is more than a hundred islands and atolls in five archipelagos, spread across an area of the South Pacific comparable in size to Europe. A yacht charter in French Polynesia usually centres on the Society Islands: Tahiti and Moorea, then the Leeward Islands of Huahine, Raiatea, Taha'a and Bora Bora, each ringed by a reef and a lagoon. Beyond them lie the coral atolls of the Tuamotus and the high, reefless Marquesas.
From the water, those distances become a sequence of lagoons: the yacht enters through a pass and anchors in calm water, and the next island is rarely more than a few hours away.
The islands from the water
Tahiti and Moorea. Tahiti holds the capital, Papeete, and the international airport. Moorea lies 17 km to the north-west, its north shore cut by two bays, Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay, beneath Mount Mouaputa, 830 metres high. Humpback whales pass the island from July to October.
Huahine. Two islands, Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti, joined by a bridge and enclosed by one reef, with many marae, the ancient ceremonial sites of Polynesia.
Raiatea and Taha'a. The two islands share a single lagoon. Raiatea is the nautical centre of the islands, home to several charter companies, and its marae of Taputapuatea was inscribed by UNESCO in 2017. A river navigable by tender for a few kilometres runs into Faaroa Bay. Taha'a grows about 80 percent of Polynesian vanilla, and black pearls are farmed in its bays.
Bora Bora. About 230 km north-west of Papeete, Bora Bora rises to Mount Otemanu, 727 metres, inside a lagoon edged by motu. A single pass, Teavanui, opens on the west side, and much of the lagoon outside the channel is shallow, so larger yachts keep to the deep water and the tender does the rest.
The Tuamotus. North-east of Tahiti, the atolls are low rings of coral around vast lagoons. Rangiroa, 355 km away, has a lagoon of some 1,446 km², with dolphins and sharks at Tiputa Pass. Fakarava, 450 km away, is part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with the widest pass in French Polynesia.
The Marquesas. About 1,370 km north-east of Tahiti, steep, high islands with almost no fringing reef, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024. They are an expedition in their own right.
A week in the Leeward Islands
The simplest week starts at Raiatea, a short flight from Tahiti: a first night in the shared lagoon off Taha'a, two or three days at Bora Bora, then east to Huahine before returning to Raiatea, with passages of a few hours each. With ten days, the route can begin in Tahiti, with Moorea first and a longer passage to Huahine.
When to go
The dry season, from May to October, is cooler, less humid and the most settled time to cruise, with the trade winds keeping the weather steady. The wet season, from November to April, is warmer and more humid, with brief tropical showers, and coincides with the South Pacific cyclone season. Humpback whales are present from about July to October, sometimes into November.
June to September is the high season, busiest in July and August. The Heiva i Tahiti, the islands' main festival of dance and song, takes place in Papeete in July, and each autumn the Hawaiki Nui Va'a outrigger canoe race crosses the Leeward Islands from Huahine to Bora Bora.
Marinas and arrival
Faa'a International Airport, the only international airport in French Polynesia, lies about 5 km from Papeete. Flights arrive from Los Angeles and San Francisco in about eight hours, and from Seattle, Honolulu, Tokyo and Auckland, with Paris connected through Los Angeles. Air Tahiti and Air Moana fly on to the other islands, with several flights a day to Bora Bora. Charters embark at Papeete or nearby Marina Taina on Tahiti, at Uturoa on Raiatea, or at Bora Bora.
Yachts and what a week costs
The resident fleet is built around sailing catamarans, crewed or bareboat, many of them based at Raiatea; larger motor and sailing yachts are fewer, so the shortlist is best built early for the dry season. For the Tuamotus and the Marquesas, range and sea-keeping matter more than size.
A charter is quoted on a weekly rate. On top come the Advance Provisioning Allowance for fuel, food and moorings, the applicable tax for the cruising area, set out before anything is signed, and a gratuity at your discretion, with a delivery fee if the yacht starts away from its base. Our guide to what a yacht charter costs gives the benchmarks, and the charter toolkit explains the APA and gratuities.
How a French Polynesia charter is arranged
We shortlist the yachts that suit your group and your route, align the charter with the inter-island flights, and plan the passages around the trade winds and the tides in the passes. A charter here pairs easily with a stay on land. The Galápagos offer a very different Pacific voyage, and the Pacific page covers both.
Tell us your dates, the size of your group and what you have in mind, and we will come back with a shortlist. Start the conversation.
