Apetahi day trip around Raiatea on a modern outrigger canoe
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Raiatea, French Polynesia
- 7 to 8 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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What's Included
- LunchGourmet break by the water
- SnacksWater, juice, chips and fruit (depending on the season)
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of Snorkelling equipment
- Gratuities
- Private transportation
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Shell7HC4+7J9, Uturoa, French Polynesia
The check-in date is set at 8am on the Uturoa platform, in front of Shell station. The departure of the excursion will take place at 8:30 am.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.8:30 am
Itinerary
1
Raiatea
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Nao Nao
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
3
Taputapuatea Marae
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
4
Fa'aroa Bay
2 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
5.0
based on 36 reviews
Cheryl_S, Apr 2026
Very fun day circumnavigating the island on a comfortable outrigger. Chased two different pods of dolphins before stopping to snorkel. Lunch on a beach before stopping at a Marae, then a long ride up the river with an Amazon feel to it. Wonderful day and great guide.
Ronald_K, Mar 2026
We had some very heavy rain during our trip but the boat captain, Fab, made the best of the situation. The boat was fairly comfortable and we enjoyed the snorkeling and a short trip of the river. There was a stop at an archaeological site but it was hard to learn very much about it from the signs. Lunch was at a small and very charming beachside restaurant. The food was very good.
jeff_s, Mar 2026
Well put together around the island hitting the best spots. UNESCO Archeological site, cruise up the river,Snorkeling and a fantastic lunch at a quaint beachfront resort. Saw spinner dolphins put on a fantastic show. Highly recommend this tour.
Kathryn_G, Feb 2026
Amazing day! Highly recommend booking. Had a bit of everything! Saw dolphins, 2 very private snorkeling sites with lots of fish, learned history of the island and had a great lunch. Couldn’t ask for anything more
stephen_w, Nov 2025
Superb day out, great food and service, We saw dolphins and a whale. Great boat with a tarpaulin on the side that you can catch the sun on.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you! We’re glad you enjoyed the boat, food, and dolphin and whale sightings.
Hope to see you again!
DarrenCherie_B, Oct 2025
I can’t believe how amazing this tour was , our guide was the most polite and informative fellow. This tour was one of the best we have ever done it started perfectly and just kept getting better , lunch was in a gorgeous location , the boat is luxurious and easy to move around Raiatea has my heart ❤️ it’s a beautiful location! Do this tour don’t hesitate to book it’s incredible . This tour exceeded our expectations
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much! We’re thrilled the tour exceeded your expectations and that you enjoyed Raiatea, the boat, and lunch. Hope to see you again!
Robert_S, Sep 2025
Nice boat, friendly staff, excellent excursion. Mostly English speaking. The lunch was great. Relaxed pace
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you! We’re glad you enjoyed the boat, crew, lunch, and relaxed pace.
Hope to see you again!
Stephanie_F, Aug 2025
Our family of five had an incredible experience on the Blue Lagoon. Our captain and guide, Jimmy, met us at the port and took us around Raiatea for a full day. With the first half hour, we were incredibly lucky to see more than 25 spinner dolphins that came inside the reef to rest before a coming ocean swell--this was an incredible and majestic sight! Jimmy took us to two great snorkeling sites and to a lovely lunch spot. He shared information about the island and his personal family history, all of which was very interesting. He is an accomplished captain and we felt safe on his very stable, well-designed and beautiful boat. He was also very well-prepared, sharing rain jackets during the occasional showers and snacks of fresh fruit and juice throughout the day. Highly recommend this wonderful experience!!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! We’re thrilled your family had such a memorable day, from the dolphins to snorkeling and lunch. It’s great to hear you felt safe, well cared for, and enjoyed learning about Raiatea. Thank you for the recommendation—we hope to welcome you again!
Nicola_S, Jun 2025
This was the best excursion that we did on our trip! Jimmy met us as we disembarked our cruise ship and walked us to his boat. The boat is new, comfortable and well thought out re: usefulness. Our captain/guide (whose name I know I would misspell) and his colleague who is also a captain were fabulous! They did the tours in both English and French and were great! We had some excellent snorkeling opportunities and saw lots of fish, coral, a stingray and a sea turtle, as well as an excellent tour of the UNESCO Marae and a cruise down the river. Absolutely wonderful! To top it off, we had a wonderful lunch at the Opoa Beach Hotel (3 choices!). A wonderful day! We highly recommend taking this tour!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled this was the highlight of your trip and that you enjoyed the snorkeling, cultural sites, river cruise, and lunch at Opoa Beach Hotel.
Thanks for the recommendation
Demetra_M, Jun 2025
Lengthy (7.5 hrs), comprehensive, and spectacular tour of Raiatea, including two snorkeling stops at deserted, private islands, a nice light lunch at a small oceanside hotel, a visit to the famous Marae, the largest and most important temple site in Polynesia, and a river tour of the only river in French Polynesia. Although their English was not fluent (but passable), the tour guides (Akrou and Hepieu) were very congenial, thoughtful, and attentive to all of our needs. We highly recommend this tour!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you for your great review! We’re glad you enjoyed the snorkeling spots, cultural visit, river tour, and lunch by the ocean. Aikau and Heipu will be very happy to read your kind words. Thank you for recommending us, and we hope to see you again in Raiatea!
Anonymous, May 2025
This was one of the best tours I have ever taken in my life and I’ve been around the world. He was very accommodating change the tour for us so we could follow our friends in another boat. The food was amazing beautiful boat specially on the trampoline so much fun
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! We’re honored to be one of the best tours you’ve experienced. It was a pleasure to adapt the tour for you, and we’re glad you enjoyed the boat, the food, and the fun on the trampoline.
Hope to see you again!
Ruth_H, Dec 2024
Best Day Ever!!! Beautiful outrigger boat with plenty of seating and tables. Easy to stay in the shade and be comfortable.
Right at the start saw lots of dolphins. Went to a very private snorkel site. We were the only boat there. Saw lots of baby black tip sharks, conches, clams, and many colorful reef fish.
After snorkeling went to the temple and learned a lot about Polynesian culture and sacred sites of their ancestors.
All the while, Hebu (our captain)offered us juice and water as well as delicious island fruit.
Next went to a private hotel for an island lunch. Had 3 choices (crabcakes were awesome).
After lunch headed up a river for about a mile until it got too narrow to navigate further. It was so peaceful and quiet. You couldn’t ask for a better tour of the island and our guide was perfect!!
Highly recommend Blue Lagoon!!
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Our best wishes for the New Year! Thank you very much for your detailed review and strong recommendation.
LEE_W, Nov 2024
Outstanding excursion, great communication, limited number of guests, comfortable seating, brilliant itinerary and lunch.
Highly recommended.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you for your feedback on your wonderful day around the island of Raiatea. Your recommendation is the sign of a mission accomplished.
Jan_D, Nov 2024
What was great: diverse experience with snorkeling, history, beautiful land/seascapes, and lunch combined. This tour skips the often “most desirable “ Ta’haa coral gardens and instead takes you completely around Raiatea, which is a beautiful island. We visited the Polynesian sacred marea site and also boated up the river which was awesome. Lunch was described basically as a picnic on the boat, but turned out to be a full lunch at a beachside resort restaurant. THAT was unexpected and yummy. Jimmy is an energetic and joyful guide and we felt gifted to have time with him learning about Raiatea’s history and beauty. A terrific human and a caring and playful guide.
The downside: You have to reserve very very early as there are limited spaces in his custom outrigger pirogi. Those who reserved later were placed on a separate regular boat with a friendly driver who did not speak much English and who did not share stories or insights through the day. Jimmy did his best to cover all of us for his guiding information, stories, historical info, etc., but we could see him talking to his passengers in the pirogi many times while we were following along in the second boat getting no information or insights. Unfortunately, some of the guests did not learn that they would be on the second (less comfortable, not unique) boat until receiving a message the day before the excursion. Disappointment is not a good way to begin a lovely day. My husband and I were aware of the pirogi being full when we reserved, and so accepted the second boat as our only option for this tour. It was still worth doing and a great day. I think this one downside could be addressed by having clear information at the time of booking for those not on the custom pirogi, and by hiring a more enthusiastic and English-speaking guide for the second boat.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Hello,
Thank you for your feedback on this Apetahi day trip. It's true that at the moment we only have one outrigger canoe like Blue Lagoon. The second boat was hard to find with this day full of excursionists.
Thanks to your comments, we will be more vigilant in describing the back-up boat in the event of overbooking. Nevertheless, we are pleased to hear that you have fond memories of Jimmy and our unique tour. Happy holydays.
Michael_U, Oct 2024
Aside from the beautiful weather we saw dolphins twice, snorkelled in a remote area and had an amazing Captain who is passionate about the island… this tour was amazing, I highly recommend it.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you very much for recommending us. happy holidays
AmandaV, May 2024
Terrific day on the water! Saw absolutely everything we wanted to see and Jimmy made us feel safe and comfortable throughout the day. We stopped to jump in and snorkel, sacred sites and a beautiful lunch with stunning views. Would not hesitate to book this tour again. Highly recommended.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
A day on Raiatea to remember, we are grateful for your recommendation.
David_R, Dec 2023
Enjoyable excursion with mixed weather. Tour guide was very good. Comfortable boat, but lots of water splashing.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you for your feedback. We have since fitted deflectors to limit splashing, even in strong winds.
hassan_a, Dec 2023
Fantastic trip and a great guide , we had a lot of fun
Water and dr8nks including beers are included
The lunch is in a nice place although it was a small lunch, but you can order more at your own cost
Response from Host, Dec 2024
One year already! Thank you for this souvenir.
Remi_A, Jul 2025
Excellent excursion, beautiful mix of leisure and culture. Both guides are excellent and answer our questions with calm and kindness
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Response from Host, Feb 2026
Merci beaucoup pour votre avis ! Nous sommes ravis que l’excursion et nos guides vous aient plu. Au plaisir de vous revoir !
From $154.22
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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