Bora Bora in the South Pacific

Friday, 15 November 2013 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  4 minutes

© Taka-0905

© Taka-0905

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island, located about 230 kilometres (143 miles) northwest of Pape’ete, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef. In the centre of the island are the remnants of an extinct volcano rising to two peaks, Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, the highest point at 727 metres (2,385 feet). Bora Bora is a major international tourist destination, famous for its aqua-centric luxury resorts. The major settlement, Vaitape, is on the western side of the main island, opposite the main channel into the lagoon. Produce of the island is mostly limited to what can be obtained from the sea and the plentiful coconut trees, which were historically of economic importance for copra. According to a 2008 census, Bora Bora has a permanent population of 8,880. Today the island’s economy is driven almost solely by tourism. Over the last few years several resorts have been built on motu (small islands, from Tahitian) surrounding the lagoon. Thirty years ago, Hotel Bora Bora built the first over-the-water bungalows on stilts over the lagoon and today, over-water bungalows are a standard feature of most Bora Bora resorts. The quality of those bungalows ranges from comparably cheap, basic accommodations to very luxurious and expensive places to stay.

Most of the tourist destinations are aqua-centric; however it is possible to visit attractions on land such as WWII cannons. Air Tahiti has five or six flights daily to the Bora Bora Airport on Motu Mute from Tahiti (as well as from other islands). The island is served by Bora Bora Airport on Motu Mute in the north, with Air Tahiti providing daily flights to and from Papeete on Tahiti.

Public transport on the island is nonexistent. Rental cars and bicycles are the recommended methods of transport. There are also small, two-seater buggies for hire in Vaitape. It is possible to rent a motorboat to explore the lagoon.

© Tryfon Topalidis/cc-by-sa-3.0 Matira beach and lagoon © Scott Williams/cc-by-2.5 © K5 Boardshop/cc-by-sa-3.0 North-East view from Mount Pahia © flickr.com - rachel thecat/cc-by-sa-2.0 Bora Bora Airport © Saga70/cc-by-sa-3.0 © Taka-0905
<
>
North-East view from Mount Pahia © flickr.com - rachel thecat/cc-by-sa-2.0
Snorkeling and scuba diving in and around the lagoon of Bora Bora are popular activities. Many species of sharks and rays inhabit the surrounding body of water. There are a few dive operators on the island offering manta ray dives and also shark-feeding dives.

In addition to the existing islands of Bora Bora, the new manmade motu of Motu Marfo has been added in the northeastern corner of the lagoon on the property of the St. Regis Resort.

Read more on Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora and Wikipedia Bora Bora. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Routes of El legado andalusi/Al-Andalus

Routes of El legado andalusi/Al-Andalus

[caption id="attachment_202448" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Morningstar1814/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]In the 8th century, the Iberian Peninsula saw the arrival of Arabs and Berbers who mixed with the Roman-Visigot...

[ read more ]

Technion in Haifa

Technion in Haifa

[caption id="attachment_236671" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Aerospace Faculty © first_div[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Establ...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Hamburg - Inner city and Alster

Theme Week Hamburg - Inner city and Alster

[caption id="attachment_149077" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Alster Panorama © IqRS + DooFi[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Innenstadt Hamburg is the shopping metropolis of Northern Germany. The many shopping streets and shopping mall...

[ read more ]

The Istana in Singapore

The Istana in Singapore

[caption id="attachment_242448" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Sengkang[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Istana (from the Malay word for "palace") is the official residence and office of the president of Singapore. The palace is ope...

[ read more ]

Reus in Catalonia

Reus in Catalonia

[caption id="attachment_153313" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Market Square © Josep Llauradó/cc-by-sa-2.0-es[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Reus is the capital of Baix Camp, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The area ...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Bolivia - El Alto

Theme Week Bolivia - El Alto

[caption id="attachment_183367" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Market © Vallendar/IMEGS/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]El Alto is a municipality and the second-largest city in Bolivia, located adjacent to La Paz in Pedro Do...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Canary Islands - Lanzarote

Theme Week Canary Islands - Lanzarote

[caption id="attachment_153409" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Cactus © Méndez[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Lanzarote is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from...

[ read more ]

The port city of Port Said

The port city of Port Said

[caption id="attachment_153663" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Building of Suez Canal Authority © Abdelrhman 1990[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 kilometres (19 mi) alo...

[ read more ]

Santorini in the southern Aegean Sea

Santorini in the southern Aegean Sea

[caption id="attachment_153486" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Fira © Hans Peter Schaefer - www.reserv-a-rt.de[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Santorini is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast fro...

[ read more ]

The Saint Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai

The Saint Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai

[caption id="attachment_170987" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Saint Catherine's Monastery in front of Mount Sinai © flickr.com - Joonas Plaan/cc-by-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Saint Catherine's Monastery, officially "Sacred Mona...

[ read more ]

Saint-Omer in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region

Saint-Omer in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region

[caption id="attachment_160649" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Angel Aroca Escámez/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Saint-Omer is a commune in France. It is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department 68 k...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Sicily - Corleone

Theme Week Sicily - Corleone

[caption id="attachment_153575" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Palazzina Ficuzza © Azotoliquido/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Corleone is a small town and comune of approximately 11,000 inhabitants in the Province of Paler...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top