All Papeete Tours & Excursions in 2026
Must-Dos in Papeete
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What are people saying about Papeete
Caitlin_S, Oct 2026
The Most Amazing Experience Swimming with Humpback Whales
This was the most amazing experience ever.
Swimming with humpback whales was so beautiful and indescribable to be so close to the whale baby and momma. Our ocean/snorkel guide Kevin was so fun and helped make the experience go smoothly for swimming in deep ocean with these beautiful animals. Truly the best experience and unforgettable. The boat ride is very choppy so if you get sea sick this isn’t for you. Luckily my husband and I love boating and don’t get sea sick. It was perfect! The boats have to stay 100 m away from the whales so you do have to swim out to the whales to have your close encounter. It was incredible, we had a group of six people on our boat and we were able to go out into the ocean and snorkel with the momma and baby whale twice. We were only about 10-20 ft away from them.
10/10 recommend this amazing experience!
This is through Moorea Activities Center in Opunohu Bay. They were amazing! (we also booked our ATV and jet ski/snorkel tour with them) And you get a beverage at the end.
Kat_T, Oct 2026
Whale Swimming - incredible experience
Wow - what an incredible experience we had. In short, it was so incredible, we booked to go again! Communication with the whole team was great from the moment we booked.
We booked this tour with Teiki and his captain for the end of September. We were picked up and dropped off from the Hilton dock, so we only had to walk 50 metres from our hotel room - very easy.
Only ten minutes after collecting the other guests from Papeete town we were jumping into the sea and swimming towards a male humpback. The singing of the whale was such an emotional experience - the power and vibration shook your body.
The whale then ascended up to the surface passing close by us before proceeding onwards. We had an excellent view. Teiki then took us to a coral reef and to eagle ray rock, where we saw a large group of eagle rays.
It was so good, we booked to do it again a week later!
The second time, it was like an investigation. We spent some time scouting for a whale, where we had seen two surface fairly close to us but unfortunately, as we were the fourth boat, we couldn’t stay or swim. Time was running out and we were happy that we had at least seen two whales. Teiki then saw a whale in the distance with two boats, meaning we could get in and snorkel. We joined the other boats and saw their tour leaders bring their groups into the sea and swim into the distance quite far away. As I grabbed my mask, Teiki said to stay on the boat and wait, as he felt the others were going the wrong way and that the whale would surface nearer to us. Once again, his experience showed itself, as a mere few metres away, the whale surfaced. Once it had settled back under, we hopped off and snorkelled toward it ensuring we kept a safe distance. It then surfaced again, but ascending extremely close to us giving an incredible view better than our wildest dreams. Definitely the highlight of our trip! Thanks again!
Cecelia_S, Oct 2026
Great Tour, Awesome Guide
We were in town on a repositioning cruise and since we’ve never been to Tahiti before, we wanted to get out and experience as much as we could in the little time we had. This tour was perfect. Our tour guide, Mana, was awesome. He shared his knowledge of the island and its Tahitian people with us. The trip was well worth it. Thank you for sharing your culture and heritage with us!
Marie_R, Oct 2026
Best Tour of Papeete, Tahiti Scenes and Culture
This tour of Papeete, Tahiti included several stops. We visited sacred grounds, water falls, a botanical garden, a light house, and a black sand beach. Our group of 8 people traveled in a comfortable, late model, air-conditioned van. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about the island and culture of Tahiti. I would highly recommend this tour.
jeffrey_s, Sept 2026
Don't miss your opportunity to see the island.
This tour stops at some very amazing locations and also gives you a great amount of history of this beautiful island. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable of the history of this island. Although this is a van tour we received many chances to get out of the van and walk around. This is a perfect tour for those like us that aren't on the island very long but want to see as much as they can.
I highly recommend it!!!
Valerie, Sept 2026
An incredible tour!
Yoann was an incredible guide, taking time to tell us about the whales while we waited for our opportunity to swim with them. We were finally able to swim with them at the end of the tour, and we had many beautiful views of them swimming around as we waited for the right time to get in the water. I highly recommend this tour - be honest about your swimming ability because it can be challenging and recognize that while your guide will do their best, whales can be unpredictable and you may not actually swim with them! Overall, it’s a once in a lifetime chance and completely worth it.
Norbert_S, Aug 2026
Great snorkeling tour; we...
Great snorkeling tour; we did see some turtles, sharks, rays and some underwater sculptures. The team was accomodaring and funny (sometimes too much so). On the privat island we had a few drinks and ate lunch, that was tasty (and gluten free versions weren’t a problem).
Lea_K, Aug 2026
Absolutely amazing...
Absolutely amazing experience! Would always recommend! The lunch is focused on the fish (very delicious!), but there was also a chicken option. If you are vegan/vegetarian you’ll have to be ok with just the sides of rice/pasta and some sauce (and fresh cut coconut!) but otherwise this was absolutely amazing from start to finish. Hina und Tia were the best guides!!
Harshnil_P, Aug 2026
Had a wonderful time!
The jet ski tour was fantastic. While I've gone jet skiing before, it was nice to take a tour of the bays and other areas. Being able to go through certain areas that are smaller/narrower for boats was nice. Because the water is fairly calm in most areas, it was easy to go fast and keep up. We were able to see turtles, dolphins, stingrays, and even a couple of smaller reef sharks. Our guide was great and he gave us good advice on kayaking and took us to spots that were less crowded so we could be in the water without feeling like you had 100 other people on you. He also took all good amount of pictures, that they upload for you on FB. I think it was a good value for the amount of time you get to spend on the water. Having only 5 people (3 jet skis total) was so great. Just note that there are some spots where it might get slightly rough waters, but nothing to crazy. Safety is not an issue as you have all the gear and they make sure you're following at a good distance. Overall I'd recommend this to anyone that's looking to be on the water and want to explore with a personal craft.
Felicia_F, Jun 2026
Highly recommend!!!
We had an amazing day with Captain Vai and our tour guide Louis!! We did a private half day charter and loved every minute of it! We swam with sharks, stingrays, and turtles, and Louis guided us on one of the best snorkel experiences of our lives, where we found many unique shells and experienced some incredible reefs.
Laura_B, Jan 2026
Wonderful
So cool! This was a unique way to see a different side of Tahiti. We drove through town to get to a dirt road and then took dirt roads and 4x4 trails through the mountains. We saw beautiful waterfalls, amazing flora and fauna, eels, chickens, got to cool off in the river and eat a picnic lunch (they stop in the morning and you can purchase food from a bakery to take for the picnic). Mato was a great guide and we had a great time! I took too many pictures and videos. Take their suggestions for bug spray and sunblock seriously. Got a little burned and got bug bites because I forgot to reapply
Mary_H, Oct 2025
Fantastic Whale Encounter
Outstanding, knowledgeable guide - he was able to predict when the whales would surface, then the six of us left our boat 300ft away and swam fast to get close. Fantastic experience. (He actually assisted our swimming by pulling us on a rope attached to a buoy - so strong!). The whale was underneath us then surfaced right next to us. Unbelievable! Highly recommend Tahiti by Boat.
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