Bora Bora surrounded by Lagoon and Barrier Reef

An island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia and the most romantic island in the world, Bora Bora, is world famous for its glinting turquoise lagoon, with dazzling white sandy stretches of beach and luxurious resorts.

The island is located around 230 km northwest of Papeete and is surrounded by a lagoon and barrier reef. In the center of the island lie the remnants of an extinct volcano from two peaks, the highest point at 727 meters namely Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu.

The resorts have been a tempting retreat for couples for over forty years with their special amenities which have been fined tuned to perfection. Each resort has been designed with their own individual blend of unique romantic atmosphere for guest to choose from. An hour’s flight from the island of Tahiti or Moorea, the island of Bora Bora with lagoon of blues and greens is a great getaway for couples.

 This amazing island is love at first sight, with its lush tropical slopes and valleys blossoming with hibiscus where the castle-like Mount Otemanu reaches the skies and the palm covered motu border the lagoon like a necklace.

A Major International Tourist Destination

Bora Bora is a major international tourist destination and is famous for its aqua centric luxury resorts and Vaitape being the major settlement is on the western side of the main island opposite the main channel in the lagoon.

Bora Bora has a population of 8,880 according to 2008 census and the island’s economy is driven solely by tourism. The produce of the island is limited to what is obtained from the sea and the coconut trees, the copra, which were historically of economic importance. Since the past few years, several resorts have been built surrounding the lagoon.

Thirty years ago, the first over the water bungalow on stilts over the lagoon was built by Hotel Bora Bora and presently over water bungalows are a standard feature of most Bora Bora resorts where the bungalows range from cheap, basic accommodations to very expensive and luxurious resorts to stay in.

Scuba Diving and Snorkel - Popular Attraction 

Besides the attractions of aqua centric resorts there are also other attractions on land like the WWII cannons. The island is served by the Bora Bora Airport on Motu Mute in the north and Air Tahiti provides daily flights about five or six, to and from Papeete on Tahiti.

There are no public transports but rented cars and bicycles are the recommended mode of transport besides small two-seater buggies for hire in Vaitape and there is also the possibility to rent motorboat to explore the lagoon. Scuba diving and snorkeling in and around the lagoon are popular activities for the tourist where one will find many species of sharks and rays inhabiting the water body.

There are also a few dive operators on the island offering their services in manta ray dives as well as shark feeding dives to those who are interested. Besides the existing islands of Bora Bora, the new manmade motu of Motu Marfo is another addition in the northeastern corner of the lagoon on the St. Regis Resort.