Close Encounters With Humpback Whales In French Polynesia 2026

3* Hotel Kaveka Package Details

Our 3* Hotel Kaveka Package is based at simple but affordable beachfront accommodation, 20 minutes walk from town. This trip is perfect for guests whose main goal is to get in the water with whales and are happy with basic accommodation.

4* Cook's Bay Hotel & Suites Package Details

Our Cook's Bay Resort package is based at Moorea's newest resort. Brand new 4* accommodation makes for an affordable trip without compromising on a superior on-water experience. This trip is perfect for guests are looking to enjoy the best experience at an affordable price.

5* Manava Beach Resort & Spa Package Details

Our new 5* Manava Beach Resort & Spa Package benefits from one of the best resorts in Moorea. Superior accommodation in a more desirable location, Meet and Greet at the airport, transfers to and from Moorea, and a sunset cruise dinner on your last evening. This trip is perfect for guests seeking the ultimate Moorea experience, both on the boat, in the water, and at the resort.

Recommended Gear

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Sample Itinerary

• Day 1: International flight arrival at Tahiti (airport code: PPT), take a ferry to Moorea, hotel arrival.
• Day 2 - 6: Look for whales 8 AM-4 PM (times are examples based on previous years and not guaranteed to be the same each year).
• Day 7: Day of rest. Can be used to scuba dive the many sites around Moorea, explore the island, or potentially add another day of whale swimming (dependent on boat availability and agreement between all guests during the trip).
• Day 8: Depart hotel, take the ferry back to Tahiti for flight.

Additional Information

Please bring your own wetsuit, mask, and fins. There are no rental options on the island. A full 3mm wetsuit is recommended; many guests have skipped the wetsuit and gotten very cold when the weather got windy and cloudy.

We are not in the water all day. There may be long periods of time when you're on the boat looking for whales.

Guests must be good swimmers for this trip. Due to local regulations, we are dropped 100m away from the whales and must swim at a brisk pace up to them from that distance. It is possible to hire a private guide to help you swim if you are not a good swimmer. Please inquire for more details.

Many guests have gotten sunburn even though there is shade on the boat, so all skin must be covered. We suggest a hat, scarf for face/lips, face gaiter, full skin or wetsuit, and plenty of sunscreen.

Guests are required to be physically able to get up a small boat ladder on their own.  If assistance is required to climb up a boat ladder, a private guide will be placed on the boat to assist you at your own expense.

Meals

Meals are not included in this trip (except for lunch on boat days and breakfast at Manava Beach Resort). The rooms at Cook's Bay have kitchenette facilities which are more than adequate for preparing breakfast or a light evening meal. The rooms at all three resorts have a fridge. 

There is a grocery store within walking distance of all three resorts which offers a good range of local produce. Many guests find this an affordable way to stock up on snacks and breakfast supplies for the week. 

Manava Beach Resort and Cook's Bay have excellent (albeit expensive) restaurants on-site, and there are also a variety of restaurant options close to Manava Beach Resort. Cook's Bay and Kaveka are further from town but there are some food stalls in the area which serve surpisingly excellent and inexpensive meals. Some restaurants will also arrange a car to pick you up, free of charge, from your hotel.

Internet/Wi-Fi

The WiFi in many resorts around French Polynesian can be intermittent, especially in the islands of Rangiroa and Fakarava. It is worth checking if your cell provider offers data bolt-ons to give you connectivity during your trip.

There are also a surprisingly good number of options to buy local data when you arrive in Tahiti. Tahiti WiFi has a stand in the airport where you can rent a box that connects you to WiFi on most islands (it doesnt work so well in Fakarava and Rangiroa). The box acts as a router and allows you to connect several devices to WiFi at one time. It can be pre-booked for you to pick up at the airport or delivered to your hotelhttps://www.tahitiwifi.com/. They offer various data packages starting at 5GB for 4,600 XPF ($7).

A cheaper option would be to buy a SIM card for your phone which you can then use to hotspot to other devices. The Tahiti WiFi stand sells Vodafone SIM packages which work well in Tahiti and Moorea, but again arent so great in the more remote islands. They offer 3 packages starting at 2GB data, 30 minutes of local calls, and unlimited texts for around $4. Once you have your SIM card, you can top it up or buy more data at most supermarkets around the islands.

If you plan to island hop and will be exploring Fakarava or Rangiroa, your best option is to buy a SIM from local provider Vini https://www.vini.pf/mobile/international/vini-travel-card. These can be purchased from Cafe Maeva at the airport. Their packages are a bit more expensive but offer excellent coverage all over French Polynesia. For example, the Vini Travel Card costs 4,000 XPF ($33) and gives you 9GB data as well as some bonus calls and texts. Once you have your SIM card you can top it up at most supermarkets around the islands.

Finally, if you arrive out of hours and everything at the airport is closed, there is a gas station within a 5 minute walk of the airport that also sells local SIM cards.