Ranked by the number of verified reviews, not by what anyone paid us. More than half of the most-booked trips start on Moorea, a 30 to 50 minute ferry ride from Papeete.
Which land tour suits whom?
Land tours here come in a few clear shapes. Shared island-loop trips on Tahiti run four to five hours and are priced per person, from €89. Private versions are priced per group of up to seven and last a half day (about five hours, from €480) or a full day of eight hours (from €730). Walking tours of Papeete take two to three hours, and the Moorea trips, whether 4WD, ATV, quad or food tour, run from three to six hours.
If you travel as a family or a group of friends, compare the per-group price with the per-person price before you decide. Couples should look at the quad tours, priced per group of two, and at the one-hour private photoshoot on a black sand beach, which promises 20 edited photos.
Almost everything in this category stays on land, so seasickness is rarely an issue. The exceptions are the Teahupoʻo wave-watching tour, a one-hour boat trip, and a half-day deep-sea fishing trip on Moorea. The wave-watching tour is rated 3.6 from 15 reviews, so read what guests wrote before you book.
Before booking, check where the tour starts and whether hotel pickup is included. Moorea tours start on the island itself, which puts the 30 to 50 minute ferry from Papeete on top of the tour time.
Before you book: Tahiti’s beaches are volcanic: the sand runs from chocolate brown to near black, and the white sand of the postcards is on the motu and on the neighbouring islands. Lafayette beach on the east coast, about 20 minutes from Papeete, is the easiest place to see what that actually looks like.