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French Polynesia spans 5.5 million square kilometres of the South Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and California, an archipelago of 118 islands across 5 administrative archipelagos (Society Islands, Tuamotus, Marquesas, Australs, Gambiers) with approximately 280,000 residents concentrated on Tahiti. A 50m motor yacht working the Society Islands in July or August runs $200,000 to $400,000 per week before APA. The working charter inventory is thin given the South Pacific repositioning cost (5,000+ nautical miles from the western Pacific charter base and 4,500+ nautical miles from the western Mediterranean) and most charter inventory enters the region only on dedicated South Pacific seasons or on round-the-world voyages. Faa'a International Airport (PPT) at Papeete on Tahiti handles commercial lift from Los Angeles on Air France and Air Tahiti Nui, Paris via Los Angeles, Tokyo, Sydney, Auckland, and the regional Air Tahiti cluster.
The point of a French Polynesia charter on a 7 to 14 day Society Islands rotation is the Bora Bora lagoon (the 30 square kilometre lagoon with the Otemanu Mount at the centre, surrounded by motus and over-water bungalow resorts), the Moorea Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay anchorages, the Tahaa and Raiatea shared lagoon, the Huahine working anchor calendar, and the volcanic-and-coral South Pacific charter water. The Tuamotus rotation (200 to 400 nautical miles northeast of Tahiti) holds the working dive-charter product at the Tiputa Pass at Rangiroa, the Garuae Pass at Fakarava, and the manta cleaning station at Tikehau. The Marquesas (1,400 kilometres north of Tahiti, 6 inhabited islands with Hiva Oa, Nuku Hiva, Fatu Hiva, Tahuata, Ua Pou, and Ua Huka) hold the working remote-archipelago and the post-Polynesian voyaging culture product.
The on-shore product runs the Bora Bora resort cluster (Four Seasons Bora Bora at Motu Tehotu, Conrad Bora Bora Nui at Motu To'opua, St Regis Bora Bora at Motu Ome'e, InterContinental Le Moana at Matira Point, Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts at Motu Tevairoa), the Moorea resort cluster (Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort, Sofitel Moorea, InterContinental Resort Moorea), the Tetiaroa private atoll (the Brando, the Marlon Brando-purchased atoll, 35 villas at the Pacific Beachcomber-managed property), and the Papeete restaurant calendar (Les Roulottes food trucks at Place Va'iete, the Marche de Papeete, La Place by Pink Coconut at Papeete). The standing charter pattern absorbs the Tetiaroa stop or the Bora Bora resort visit as a 1 to 2 day window inside the wider Society Islands rotation.
When to charter French Polynesia
May. Dry-season start. Water 27 degrees Celsius. Trade winds 10 to 18 knots from the east-southeast. The cleanest single shoulder window before the July-August peak with reduced cruise-passenger traffic at Bora Bora and Moorea, full charter inventory selection (limited as it is), and shoulder rates.
June. Peak begins. Water 26 to 27 degrees. The Hawaiki Nui Va'a outrigger canoe race runs in early November but the June calendar runs the start of the Heiva i Tahiti cultural festival window (the Heiva i Tahiti runs from late June through late July, the canonical French Polynesia cultural festival with the dance, music, and sport calendar in Papeete and across the islands).
July and August. Peak. Water 25 to 26 degrees. The Society Islands at peak utilisation with the Bora Bora resort cluster running at 90 to 100 percent. The Heiva i Tahiti festival absorbs the cultural calendar through late July. The humpback whale season opens at Rurutu (Australs) and at the Society Islands with the southern-hemisphere migration. Rates at peak; book 9 to 12 months out.
September and October. Late peak. Water 26 degrees. The humpback whale season runs at full strength with the working whale-swim charter calendar at the Australs and the Marquesas. The cleanest single shoulder window for charter inventory at end-of-season rates and the dry-season calendar still in full force.
November. Transition. Water 27 degrees. The Hawaiki Nui Va'a (the 3-day outrigger canoe race from Huahine to Bora Bora via Raiatea and Tahaa, the canonical French Polynesia sporting calendar event since 1992, typical early-November dates) absorbs the working sporting calendar. The wet-season transition begins from late November.
December to April. Wet austral summer. Water 28 to 29 degrees. Higher humidity, regular afternoon rain showers, cyclone-risk windows in January and February. Most superyacht charter inventory departs the region in the November to April window; the working liveaboard dive charter calendar at the Tuamotus continues year-round. Rates at 30 to 50 percent below peak with reduced inventory selection.
The French Polynesia cruising zones
Tahiti (Papeete). The working charter base. Papeete (the capital, population 26,000) sits at the northwest coast of Tahiti with the working Marina Taina at Punaauia (8 kilometres south of Papeete) holding 40m to 80m yacht inventory and the Port of Papeete absorbing the commercial and 80m+ charter inventory. The on-shore product runs the Marche de Papeete (the central produce market), the Les Roulottes food trucks at Place Va'iete (the canonical Papeete dinner street), and the Tahiti-side restaurant cluster including L'O a la Bouche, the Lou Pescadou, and the Coco Beach at the Punaauia coast. The Papeari and Teahupoo south coast holds the canonical surf product at the Teahupoo break.
Moorea. 12 nautical miles northwest of Tahiti via the Sea of the Moon channel. The 134 square kilometre island holds Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay as the working twin anchors on the north coast with depths from 8 to 25 metres, the Tiki Village cultural site, and the Belvedere lookout above the bays. The Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort, the InterContinental Resort Moorea, the Sofitel Moorea, and the Manava Beach Resort hold the resort cluster. The morning dolphin and humpback whale calendar at the Moorea reefs holds year-round (humpback whales seasonal August to October).
Huahine. 100 nautical miles northwest of Tahiti. The 75 square kilometre twin-island (Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti) with Fare on the west coast as the working anchor. The Maeva archaeological site at the northeast coast holds the working pre-European Polynesian temple complex (marae) calendar. Less developed than the rest of the Society Islands; the working anchor calendar absorbs the day-stop product at Avea Bay and Fare.
Raiatea and Tahaa. 130 nautical miles northwest of Tahiti. The shared lagoon between the two islands holds the working multi-day anchor calendar with the Apooiti Marina at Raiatea (the working sailing-charter charter base for the bareboat market) and the Tahaa motus (small reef islets on the lagoon perimeter) holding the working over-water and beach calendar. Le Tahaa by Pearl Resorts at Motu Tau Tau holds the Tahaa over-water bungalow resort. Raiatea holds the historic Taputapuatea marae (UNESCO World Heritage Site, designated 2017, the canonical ancient Polynesian temple complex).
Bora Bora. 160 nautical miles northwest of Tahiti. The 30 square kilometre island with the Otemanu Mount at the centre, surrounded by a 7-by-3 kilometre lagoon and the motus on the perimeter. The lagoon holds depths from 5 to 30 metres at the working anchor positions and the resort cluster on the motus absorbs the canonical Bora Bora product. The Mai Kai Marina at the north coast holds limited slip inventory; most charter yachts anchor at the inner lagoon positions. Bora Bora airport (BOB) on Motu Mute at the north end of the lagoon holds the regional air gateway with Air Tahiti lift from Papeete (50 minute flight).
Tetiaroa. 30 nautical miles north of Tahiti. The 7-motu atoll under the Pacific Beachcomber-managed control with the Brando (the Marlon Brando-purchased atoll, the 35-villa eco-resort, opened 2014) at Motu Onetahi. Anchor at the protected south lagoon entrance; tender access to the Brando jetty controlled.
Tuamotus (Rangiroa, Fakarava, Tikehau). 200 to 400 nautical miles northeast of Tahiti. The 76-atoll archipelago with the dive product. Rangiroa (the world's second-largest atoll at 1,640 square kilometres of lagoon) holds the Tiputa Pass and Avatoru Pass with the year-round shark-and-dolphin drift dives. Fakarava (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, designated 2006) holds the Garuae Pass at the north and the Tetamanu Pass at the south with the canonical wall of sharks. Tikehau holds the manta cleaning station at the south of the atoll.
Marquesas (Hiva Oa, Nuku Hiva). 1,400 kilometres north of Tahiti. The 6-inhabited-island archipelago with the working post-Polynesian voyaging culture, the steep volcanic coastline, and the limited charter inventory. Hiva Oa holds the Paul Gauguin and Jacques Brel graves at Atuona. Nuku Hiva holds the Hatiheu and Anaho bays. The Marquesas charter is the working 21 to 30 day specialist voyage.
A standard 10-day Society Islands charter (Papeete embark)
| Day | Anchorage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sat | Papeete board (PPT arrival) | Boarding afternoon at Marina Taina or Port of Papeete, evening at Les Roulottes Place Va'iete or L'O a la Bouche, overnight Papeete |
| Sun | Cross to Moorea | Cross northwest 12 nautical miles to Moorea, Cook's Bay morning, Opunohu Bay afternoon, Hilton Moorea dinner, overnight Opunohu Bay |
| Mon | Moorea day | Morning dolphin and whale watch on the north coast, Belvedere lookout via tender and rental, lunch at the InterContinental, overnight Opunohu Bay |
| Tue | Tetiaroa | Cross northeast 25 nautical miles to Tetiaroa, anchor at the south lagoon entrance, lunch at the Brando (subject to availability), afternoon swim, overnight Tetiaroa |
| Wed | Cross to Huahine | Overnight passage west 100 nautical miles to Huahine, morning at Fare, Maeva archaeological site afternoon, overnight Avea Bay |
| Thu | Cross to Raiatea-Tahaa | Cross west 25 nautical miles to the Raiatea-Tahaa shared lagoon, motu lunch at Tahaa, evening at Le Tahaa Pearl Resorts, overnight Tahaa motus |
| Fri | Tahaa and the vanilla tour | Tahaa vanilla plantation morning tour, drift snorkel at the Coral Garden between Tahaa motus, Apooiti Marina at Raiatea for the Taputapuatea visit, overnight Tahaa |
| Sat | Cross to Bora Bora | Cross northwest 30 nautical miles to Bora Bora, Mai Kai outer anchor, Bloody Mary's dinner, overnight Bora Bora |
| Sun | Bora Bora day | Morning at the Coral Gardens snorkel, lunch at the Four Seasons or Conrad, afternoon at Matira Point, sunset at the InterContinental Le Moana, overnight Bora Bora |
| Mon | Bora Bora disembark | Disembarkation morning at Bora Bora, BOB lift to PPT for outbound, or extend a 2-night resort stay at Bora Bora before departure |
This is the canonical Society Islands 10-day. The structure works on 30m to 80m motor yachts cleanly. The 7-day variant trims to Papeete-Moorea-Tahaa-Bora Bora; the 14-day variant extends west to Maupiti (the smaller Society Island west of Bora Bora) and absorbs additional Bora Bora resort and Tetiaroa days. The Tuamotus extension absorbs Rangiroa or Fakarava as a 3 to 4 day add-on with the overnight passage from Bora Bora.
French Polynesia yacht size guidance
25m to 40m. The clean fit. Marina Taina at Tahiti, Apooiti Marina at Raiatea, Mai Kai Marina at Bora Bora, full anchor inventory across the Society Islands. The cleanest single charter band for the Society Islands rotation.
40m to 60m. Marina Taina at the T-head positions, full Society Islands anchor inventory at depths from 8 to 25 metres. The Bora Bora lagoon accepts 60m at the inner anchor positions.
60m to 80m. Port of Papeete primary inventory, anchor at the Bora Bora inner lagoon at depths to 30 metres, working anchor at Moorea Opunohu Bay and the Raiatea-Tahaa lagoon at the deep-water positions.
80m and above. Port of Papeete primary inventory, anchor at standoff at the Bora Bora outer lagoon, anchor at the Tetiaroa south entrance. Most 80m+ South Pacific charters run with helicopter operations from the on-board helipad delivering the resort and inter-island access calendar.
French Polynesia charter cost math
| Line item | Range (50m motor yacht, July peak) |
|---|---|
| Weekly rate | $200K to $400K |
| APA (30% to 35%) | $60K to $140K |
| Marina Taina (per night, 50m) | $1.2K to $2K |
| Port of Papeete (per night, 80m) | $4K to $7K |
| French Polynesia cruising permit (Long-Stay Visa, per yacht) | $0.5K to $1.5K |
| Marine park entrance fees (Tuamotus, Tetiaroa, per yacht) | $0.1K to $0.5K |
| Resort island lunch ashore (per person at Four Seasons, St Regis, Conrad Bora Bora) | $0.2K to $0.5K |
| The Brando day lunch (per person, subject to availability) | $0.4K to $0.8K |
| Fuel (per week, Society Islands rotation) | $20K to $50K |
| Long-haul repositioning premium (amortised across charter weeks) | $20K to $80K |
| Gratuity (10% to 15%) | $20K to $60K |
| Full check | $325K to $710K |
The French Polynesia charter cost runs at the highest end of the global charter market on a per-week basis given the long-haul repositioning premium, the very limited inventory, the fuel cost across the multi-island rotation, and the resort-island shore costs. APA runs 30 to 35 percent at peak with the higher band reflecting the resort-island restaurant calendar and the fuel premium for the South Pacific rotation. The French Polynesia VAT (TVA) applies to imported provisions; the working charter contract structure absorbs this through the APA.
What we passed on
We pass on French Polynesia as a charter destination in the wet austral summer (December to April) for clients prioritising the Society Islands product. The 30 to 50 percent rate reduction does not offset the regular afternoon rain showers, the higher humidity, and the cyclone-risk windows. The wet-season charter calendar runs at limited inventory and reduced on-shore product reliability. The exception is the Tuamotus dive calendar which holds year-round.
We pass on the standalone Bora Bora 7-day charter. The Bora Bora lagoon absorbs 2 to 3 days of working anchor and resort product before the structure repeats; the cleaner 7 to 10 day window pairs Bora Bora with Moorea, Tahaa, and the Tuamotus. For clients prioritising Bora Bora as the destination rather than a charter base, the resort stay at the Four Seasons, Conrad, or St Regis is the cleaner answer.
We pass on the Marquesas as a charter destination for clients prioritising the working South Pacific charter calendar. The 1,400 kilometre north passage to Hiva Oa absorbs 5 to 6 days each way and the on-island product is the volcanic coastline, the post-Polynesian voyaging culture, and the very limited resort infrastructure (the Hanakee Hiva Oa Pearl Lodge is the standing working accommodation). The Marquesas rotation is the working 21 to 30 day charter for specialist clients prioritising the remote-archipelago product.
We pass on French Polynesia as a charter base for first-time charter clients. The long-haul repositioning premium, the very limited inventory, the multi-island cruising structure, and the resort-island access protocols make French Polynesia the standing repeat-charter-client destination. First-time charter clients are better served by the Mediterranean or the Caribbean before working up to the South Pacific rotation.
Multi-region pairings
The Society Islands-Tuamotus charter is the canonical 14 to 21 day French Polynesia rotation. Board at Papeete, run 7 days Society Islands, cross northeast 250 nautical miles to Rangiroa, 4 days Tuamotus (Rangiroa or Fakarava), return to the Society Islands or disembark at Rangiroa for the Air Tahiti flight back to Papeete.
The French Polynesia-Fiji-Tonga South Pacific rotation absorbs the wider Pacific charter calendar. The 1,500 nautical mile cross from the Society Islands to Suva on Fiji runs as a 6 to 8 day delivery passage; most charter clients book separate weeks at the destinations with the air gateway switch via Fiji Airways or Air Tahiti. The combined South Pacific charter season runs July through September across the dry austral winter.
The French Polynesia-New Zealand pairing absorbs the cyclone-season repositioning window. Most South Pacific charter inventory crosses from French Polynesia to New Zealand in November-December and back in April-May; the New Zealand charter calendar runs January through March in the northern summer.
The cross-pillar question (resort or charter)
The French Polynesia resort inventory at the Four Seasons Bora Bora, the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, the St Regis Bora Bora, the InterContinental Le Moana, the Hilton Moorea, the InterContinental Resort Moorea, the Brando at Tetiaroa, and the high-end cluster runs $1.5K to $25K per night with the working high-end at the Brando over-water villas and the Four Seasons Bora Bora over-water bungalow suites. For first-time French Polynesia visitors, the resort stay at the Four Seasons Bora Bora or the Brando is the cleaner answer. The charter is the cleaner answer for the multi-island Society Islands rotation and for clients prioritising the Tuamotus dive extension. Many charter weeks pair a 3 to 5 night Brando or Four Seasons stay at the start or end of the charter rotation.
The rest of the trip
VillasForKings covers the Brando private villas, the Four Seasons Royal Estate at Bora Bora, the Conrad Hilltop Villas, the Le Tahaa Royal Pool Villas, and the Tahiti hillside private homes. HotelsForKings covers the Four Seasons Bora Bora, the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, the St Regis Bora Bora, the InterContinental Le Moana, the Le Bora Bora by Pearl Resorts, the Brando, the InterContinental Resort Moorea, the Hilton Moorea, the Le Tahaa by Pearl Resorts, and the Sofitel Moorea. RestaurantsForKings covers the Arii Moana at the Four Seasons Bora Bora, the Iriatai at the Conrad, the Lagoon by Jean-Georges at the St Regis, the Bloody Mary's at Bora Bora, the Les Roulottes at Papeete, and the Te Honu Iti at Moorea. BarsForKings covers the Bloody Mary's at Bora Bora, the Sands at the St Regis, the Beach Bar at Le Tahaa, the Tipanier Bar at the Four Seasons, and the Papeete waterfront calendar.
FAQ
What size yacht works best in French Polynesia? 40m to 70m motor yacht. The Marina Taina, Apooiti Marina, and Bora Bora lagoon anchor inventory absorb the size range with the working 50m+ band running from the Port of Papeete on embarkation. Above 80m the working overnight is at Port of Papeete with the tender and helicopter absorbing the Society Islands access.
When is French Polynesia at its best? July and August. Dry austral winter, water 25 to 26 degrees, trade winds 12 to 22 knots from the east-southeast, full Society Islands anchor inventory at peak, and the Heiva i Tahiti cultural festival calendar. September delivers the shoulder window at end-of-season rates with the humpback whale season at full strength.
Should I charter French Polynesia or book a Bora Bora resort? Both, with the resort first for first-time visitors. The Four Seasons Bora Bora, the Brando at Tetiaroa, or the St Regis Bora Bora deliver the canonical French Polynesia resort product; the charter delivers the multi-island Society Islands rotation through Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, Tahaa, and Bora Bora.
How does French Polynesia compare with the Maldives? Different products. French Polynesia delivers the volcanic-and-coral South Pacific anchor product, the Heiva i Tahiti cultural calendar, and the May to October dry-season charter. The Maldives delivers the multi-atoll over-water resort product and the December to April season. The repositioning costs at French Polynesia run at the highest end globally given the 5,000+ nautical mile distance from the major charter bases; charter rates at the Society Islands run 20 to 50 percent above the comparable Maldives rates. We cover the Maldives on the Maldives page.
Are the Tuamotus worth the cross from the Society Islands? For dive-focused charter weeks, yes. The Tiputa Pass at Rangiroa and the Garuae Pass at Fakarava deliver the canonical South Pacific shark-and-current drift dives. The 200 to 250 nautical mile cross from the Society Islands runs as a 12 to 16 hour passage and absorbs as the overnight transit on a 14-day combined rotation. For charter weeks prioritising the resort and beach calendar over the dive product, the Society Islands rotation absorbs the full 7 to 10 day structure without the Tuamotus extension.