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A young man leading a horse through the surf on a beach on Hiva Oa

Sample journey · 10–12 days

The Marquesas: Polynesia without a lagoon

Tahiti, Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou & Hiva Oa

Photo: Nick Shepherd / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Most French Polynesia journeys revolve around lagoons: Bora Bora, Moorea or the Tuamotu atolls. The Marquesas, about three hours' flight north-east of Tahiti, are something else entirely: there are almost no sheltering reefs, the ocean breaks straight onto basalt cliffs, and the islands rise in steep green walls. Marquesans call their home Te Henua ʻEnana, 'the Land of Men'. It is here that ancient Polynesian culture left most of its traces in stone: me'ae sacred sites, tiki, petroglyphs and the terraces on which houses once stood.

This journey is for experienced travellers who care more about culture and landscape than a beach. Three islands, Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou and Hiva Oa, are explored without hurrying, with local guides who talk about ancestors, tattooing and carving. Mountain roads are often narrow and steep, so we travel by 4x4 with a driver, and in places by boat. Stays here are small, family guesthouses or a handful of bungalows above a bay; even the best are simple but warm, so we'd choose them for their setting and their hosts rather than their stars.

The route

The journey

  1. Tahiti (Papeete)
  2. Nuku Hiva: Taiohae & Hatiheu
  3. The Hakaui Valley
  4. Ua Pou
  5. Hiva Oa: Atuona
  6. Puamau
  7. Tahiti
  1. A broad-leaved plant in front of a cloud-wrapped green mountain in the heart of Tahiti

    01Days 1–2 · Tahiti

    Rest comes first

    The journey to French Polynesia is long, so the first night is on Tahiti, near the airport at Papeete. If your flight arrives early, the afternoon might go to the Museum of Tahiti and Her Islands, where Marquesan carvings, tattoo patterns and old paddles make a good introduction to what lies ahead, or to a short walk into a green valley at the island's heart. In the evening, the smells of the market and a dinner of local produce by the harbour, where people gather as the working day ends. The next morning, a flight of about three hours over open ocean to Nuku Hiva. It isn't a short island hop but a real journey to another archipelago, so we'd suggest resting beforehand and planning nothing before the departure. Look out of the window on the descent: the Marquesas rise abruptly from the sea, with no lagoon around them.

  2. A muddy trail across a green, fern-covered hillside on Nuku Hiva, with cloud-capped peaks beyond

    02Days 2–4 · Nuku Hiva: Taiohae & Hatiheu

    Stones beneath the banyan roots

    From Nuku Hiva's airstrip to Taiohae is about an hour and a half to two hours by 4x4 across the island's plateau and over mountain passes, so the first day ends quietly by a broad bay. The next day, with a local guide, the Hatiheu Valley on the north coast: the sacred sites of Kamuihei and Tahakia, where stone terraces, gathering grounds and petroglyphs survive among the roots of huge banyan trees. The guide explains what each place was for and why some should be walked around rather than crossed. On the way, the Taipivai Valley, described by Herman Melville in the 19th century, and tiki that have stood in the forest for centuries. Back in Taiohae, it's worth calling on the carvers, whose wood and stone pieces follow the old patterns. At sacred sites we behave as guests: we don't climb the terraces or touch the tiki, and we listen to the guide.

  3. 03Days 4–6 · The Hakaui Valley

    A waterfall between canyon walls

    In the morning a boat leaves Taiohae and heads west along the rocky coast, sometimes with dolphins alongside, to the small bay of Hakatea. From here an old paved path leads into the Hakaui Valley: past the foundations of abandoned houses, across a stream and up an ever-narrowing canyon whose walls rise hundreds of metres. At the end of the trail is the Vaipo waterfall, one of the highest in French Polynesia; depending on the rain, it falls in force or as a thin thread. The walk there and back usually takes four to five hours, the path is slippery in places and the stream has to be waded. Lunch is in the bay with a family who often serve fruit and fish. The next day is free: a ride across the plateau (horses are still an everyday way to get around in the Marquesas), the lookout above Taiohae or simply a long morning with a book. In the evening, a last dinner on Nuku Hiva.

  4. 04Days 6–8 · Ua Pou

    An island of basalt spires

    A short flight south and you reach Ua Pou, a silhouette hard to mistake: a dozen or so basalt spires rise above the island, often lost in cloud. Two nights in or near the small town of Hakahau. With a local guide, a walk into the hills above the harbour for a view of the spires and the bay, and a 4x4 drive to more remote villages along the coast. Ua Pou is known for its dance and song traditions, and if you're lucky enough to arrive during rehearsals before a festival, the evenings ring with drums. Local craftspeople carve small pieces from 'flower stone', a rock patterned with pale crystals. The days here are slower than on Nuku Hiva: more time to talk with your hosts, a beach of rounded stones and an evening when the spires take on the colours of sunset. Weather permitting, Ua Pou can also be reached by boat.

  5. A pickup truck on a narrow, winding mountain road on Hiva Oa, beside a weathered tree

    05Days 8–11 · Hiva Oa: Atuona & Puamau

    A painter, a singer and the tallest tiki

    A flight to Hiva Oa, then three nights near Atuona, beneath steep mountain walls. Paul Gauguin spent the last years of his life here and died in 1903, and Jacques Brel, who arrived by yacht in the 1970s, stayed and was buried on the same Calvary cemetery hill above the bay. In town, the Gauguin cultural centre with copies of his work, and the plane Brel used to fly islanders between the islands. The next day, a full day with a guide to Puamau in the north-east: about two hours by 4x4 on a narrow, partly unpaved road above the cliffs. There, at the Iipona sacred site, stands the tallest known tiki in French Polynesia, about two and a half metres high, with several smaller figures, one mysteriously lying down. The third day is free: petroglyphs in the Taaoa Valley, a ride on horseback, or a quiet morning above an ocean that is never as calm as a lagoon.

  6. A black-sand beach and green hills on the coast of Tahiti near Papeete

    06Days 11–12 · Back to Tahiti

    Back to the lagoons

    From Hiva Oa you fly back to Tahiti, sometimes direct and sometimes via Nuku Hiva, so this day is usually given over to travel. The last night is on Tahiti, by a lagoon that seems almost unbelievably calm after the Marquesan surf. If your flight home leaves late the next day, the morning could go to a final swim or a walk through Papeete market, which also sells Marquesan carvings and monoi oil. We always leave at least one night between the domestic and international flights: island planes depend on the weather and are sometimes delayed. Many travellers realise here, for the first time, how far they've come: the Marquesas lie roughly as far from Tahiti as Brussels does from Vilnius. With more time, it's natural to continue to Moorea or the other Society Islands.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The sacred sites of Hatiheu

    Stone terraces, petroglyphs and tiki beneath banyan roots, with a local guide and on their terms.

  2. 02

    The Vaipo waterfall

    By boat to Hakatea Bay, then on foot along the old path into a canyon whose walls rise hundreds of metres.

  3. 03

    The spires of Ua Pou

    Basalt peaks in the clouds, dance traditions and carvings in 'flower stone'.

  4. 04

    Atuona & Puamau

    The graves of Gauguin and Brel above the bay, and the tallest known tiki in French Polynesia.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • By cargo-passenger ship

    Instead of flying, you can sail the Marquesas aboard a ship that has long supplied the islands and carries travellers in cabins: roughly two weeks from Papeete and back, calling at all six inhabited islands and at Tuamotu atolls on the way. The journey grows longer, but takes on an entirely different rhythm.

  • At a slower pace

    Extra nights on Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa would allow trips to smaller islands: Tahuata with its carvers, or remote Fatu Hiva, where the rocks of Hanavave Bay are especially striking from the sea.

  • Around a festival

    Every few years the Marquesas arts festival takes place, rotating between the islands. If the dates fit, the journey can be built around it, though stays are then very scarce, so we plan well ahead.

  • With the lagoons

    The Marquesas pair well with a week in the Tuamotu atolls or the Society Islands; after the mountains and sacred sites, a lagoon becomes a real rest. Easter Island is another onward possibility.

Practical considerations

  • The Marquesas are warm all year; the drier spell is usually roughly September to December, though weather varies between islands and from year to year. The sea here is often rough, so boat trips depend on conditions.
  • Domestic flights from Tahiti are long (about three hours) and infrequent, and schedules change; we always leave a margin between domestic and international flights. Mountain roads are narrow and steep, so we travel with a local driver.
  • Stays are small, simple and few, so it pays to plan early. Some beaches have many tiny biting insects in the evening, so long sleeves are useful.
  • Me'ae and other sacred sites are still respected: we visit them with a local guide, don't climb the terraces and don't touch the tiki. We check ship and cruise schedules and conditions before you travel.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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