Tahiti Interior Safari - Spectacular!
The interior of the island seems inaccessible from the moment you arrive in Tahiti. There is a beautiful paved road that literally runs along the ocean around the entire perimeter of the island and then nothing but beautiful green peaks, jagged cliffs and waterfalls in the interior. We wanted to go there. Tahiti is a volcanic island and we learned on one of our first days here that there is a beautiful crater in the middle of the island with a little hotel and restaurant. We also learned that the single ‘road’ that runs through the interior is really rough and would only be wisely undertaken by a very experienced Tahitian driver and sturdy 4-wheel drive vehicle. So, not us! The solution was an interior safari tour, which quickly landed high on the list of excursions we wanted to do in Tahiti.
The tour representative was super hesitant when we approached her with 3 little kids to book this excursion. There was a 4 hour (half day) tour option and an 8 hour (all day) tour option. The half day option stops short of the crater, which she felt made it not really worth doing. The full day tour goes all the way across the interior of the island, but she worried that with our three young kids it could be a long, difficult and possibly miserable day. It took some time but we eventually were successful in convincing her that those kinds of days can happen whether we are on a tour or not! Of course we booked an 8 hour (all day) tour. The day before the tour we let the girls pick out a ton of snacks to bring then we charged up the iPads, crossed our fingers and went for it.
It was magnificent! This day is in the very top echelon of experiences that we have had together. Our driver and guide, Teddy, was fantastic. He shared traditions, legends, facts and figures on the Tahitian interior throughout the day. We sat in the back of the 4WD on bench seats with 2 lovely couples from France. Teddy was an INCREDIBLE driver, patiently shared information in French and English all day, was awesome to our daughters, and we had some fun times and great laughs with the two couples from France. To top it off, the girls were amazing and had a blast the entire day.
An overview of the day was:
9:30am pick up from the apartment. We wished it was earlier (as all of our kids are awake by 6am 🙁) but where we are staying in Arue was close to where you turn onto the track up the mountains so we were the last people collected.
A stop on the ocean near Papeno’o Beach (where we had surfing lessons) for some pictures and local history. A few minutes later we turned right and headed up a valley to start the drive through the interior.
Swim in a stream. We didn’t bring swim suits, but did have a change of clothes so that worked well enough. The water was pristine and fed by a little stream that started high up in the mountains. Teddy played some Tahitian tunes and sang while we all hung out. It was magic. There was an eel in the pond but no one seemed to be worried about it so we went with that approach too. Apparently eels are sacred in Tahitian folklore, so we were told these were very ‘friendly’ eels.
Feed the eels. After swimming in the stream we drove a few minutes further up the road to a small dam and crossing for vehicles. There were a bunch of eels there that are used to being fed by the tourists. The girls had a great time launching chunks of bread into the water and watching the eels fight over it. It was great fun, and perhaps a factor in why they weren’t wanting to nibble at us a few minutes earlier.
Scenery at every turn. Incredible cut back roads (think zig-zags up and down the mountain side), amazing lush green mountains, waterfalls seemingly everywhere and occasional ocean views through breaks in the mountains.
Lunch in the volcano’s crater. Our lunch stop was the hotel/restaurant in the center of the crater. It is perched on a ridge in the crater so the views are amazing. If we had understood how amazing this was before arriving I think we would have spent a night in one of the bungalows at this hotel (~US$140). They look out over the crater and seem like a great experience.
Drive out of the crater. After lunch you continue down the road that bisects the country, but this part of the drive is much more challenging, and incredibly scenic. There are numerous climbs, descents and hairpin turns. Not for the faint of heart! On many turns Teddy had to back the truck up to complete the turn stopping just short of the Cliffside opposite the road. The views and scenery were spectacular. At the very top we went through an amazing little tunnel and then commenced one of the most amazing descents I have ever done.
Drive back along the ocean. We came out of the crater about 40 minutes south of Papeete. Arue (where we are staying ) is about 20 minutes north of Papeete. So we had about 60 minutes of driving back. On the way we dropped the two other couples off in Faa’a and enjoyed a sunset drive home. We finally arrived at our apartment at ~6:30pm.
It was magnificent day. Incredible, just incredible scenery, and a far greater understanding and appreciation for the ruggedness and beauty of Tahiti’s interior.
Some pictures and a video to share our day.
