10 Top Things to Do in Tahiti

Learn About Tahitian History and Culture

Located about 20 minutes from the capital city of Papeete on the main island of Tahiti, the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands TKTKTK

Visit Beautiful Waterfalls in Tahiti and Moorea

Vaimahutu Falls (Faarumai Waterfall), about a 30-minute drive east of teh capital city of Papeete on the main island of Tahiti, TKTKTK. Topatari Falls, Vaiharuru Falls, and Puraha Falls in the Papenoo Valley.

On the island of Moorea, don't miss Afareaitu Falls,

Sleep in an Overwater Bungalow

Sleeping in an overwater bungalow is a major bucket list item for any trip to Tahiti, and luckily, every island is dotted with the famously beautiful thatch-roofed huts poised on stilts. Check-in, change into your swimsuit, and savor your own private frangipani-scented paradise. Spend a few days waking up and falling asleep to the soothing lullaby of softly lapping water, enjoying a refreshing dip or invigorating snorkel right from your own private sun deck, and ogling colorful reef fish through strategically placed glass panels in your bungalow’s floor.

While there are lots of great overwater bungalow options throughout the Tahitian Islands, some of the most popular include Conrad Bora Bora Nui InterContinental Resort Tahiti, InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa, and The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, which can each be booked with loyalty program rewards points, in this case through Hilton Honors, IHG Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, respectively.

Feed Sharks and Stingrays by Hand

Humans aren’t the only creatures that enjoy Tahiti's crystalline lagoons. Stealthy black-tipped reef sharks and prehistoric-looking southern stingrays like to splash about, too. You can interact with both during a shark and stingray feeding tour, available on most islands—but you won’t just watch the food be tossed from a boat. Following your guide's lead, you'll actually get in the water as three-foot sharks circle while waiting for handouts—don't worry, they have no interest in snacking on you!—and curious rays scamper about, even rubbing their velvety bellies up against your legs like playful puppies. ADD: Moana Adventure Tours.

Otherwise, there's water, water everywhere in Tahiti and some of the islands' best scenery lies beneath its glassy surface. Slip on snorkel masks and fins after applying liberal amounts of sunscreen to each other's backs—you’ll thank us later!—and spend the day floating above wavering gardens of pastel-hued coral as silver-striped and neon-spotted fish dart amid the salty flora. Keep an eye out for starfish, sea turtles, and even the occasional eel.

Enjoy a Monoi-Oil Massage

There's nothing better than a soothing Tahitian massage, which combines long, smooth strokes and fragrant monoi oil scented with vanilla, coconut, or tiare blossoms. GET INTO WHAT MONOI OIL ACTUALLY IS / CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE, ETC. Whether on the beach at sunset or in a five-star resort or spa’s couples suite, like the one at the Mane Spa at the Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa, an hour of pampering is the perfect way to transition from active day to romantic night. OFFER MORE DETAILS / INFO / SUGGESTIONS FOR PLACES TO DO THIS.

Take a 4x4 Tour of Moorea

Emerald-peaked, heart-shaped Moorea is the ideal isle to explore via land, and the best way to see its many nooks and crannies is to bounce around in an open-air 4x4 truck. From atop Magic Mountain, where the lagoon spreads out before you in a mosaic of every possible shade of blue, to Belvedere Overlook, where twin Cooks and Opunohu bays jut out below like almost perfectly symmetrical fingers, you’ll be awed by the spectacle the South Pacific's forces of nature created. ADD: Moorea Activities Center.

Try Poisson Cru

Of all the traditional local dishes to sample—among them, breadfruit, taro, fish, and pork cooked in a himaa, or underground oven—none is as addictively delicious as poisson cru: raw tuna marinated in lime juice and coconut milk. It’s perfect for a healthy and refreshing lunch or light appetizer and you can enjoy it during a casual beachside luncheon or a romantic dinner for two. OFFER MORE EXAMPLES OF WHERE PEOPLE CAN TRY THIS ON DIFFERENT ISLANDS.

Visit a Pearl Farm

Aside from the freshest fish imaginable, Tahiti's most abundant salt-water bounty is its cache of precious black pearls. Not all are black, but instead come in a range of bright shades of gray, blue, bronze, green and aubergine, and are farmed in the waters off several islands—namely Taha'a, Huahine, and the Tuomotu Islands. Price depends upon size, symmetry, and luster and ranges from a few dollars for a souvenir-stand bauble to several thousand for a perfectly uniform strand. Mention some pearl farms to visit—are there tours?

Circle Bora Bora by Boat

Bora Bora is a chameleon among the islands, and the best way to appreciate its myriad profiles is to circle it by boat.

During a sail on a catamaran, you'll marvel as the rocky, green summit of Mt. Otemanu shifts from wide and fat to square and nubby to slender and needlelike as you view it from different spots on the lagoon. The 40-foot Vitamin Sea catamaran takes visitors on full or half-day sails around the island. OFFER OTHER EXAMPLES OF PLACES TO DO THIS, TOO. ADD Matira Jet Tours.

Watch a Polynesian Dance Show

While this may be the most touristy thing you’ll do in Tahiti, it will also be the most fun. Polynesian dance is an incredible, energetic art form set to a thunderous drum beat and punctuated by chants. And it's not just for the locals as visitors are encouraged to join in the action—it’s a lot faster than doing the Hula in Hawaii and many end up on YouTube shaking what their mama gave 'em.