Thinking of Biking Bora Bora? Below are my suggestions for planning a Bike Adventure.
Dave and I were lucky enough to spend an incredible 4 nights in Bora Bora this past August. After quite a bit of research, we decided to spend 2 nights on the main island with the remaining nights at the Le Meridien Resort in an over water bungalow.
Renting Bikes in Bora Bora
On the main island, you can rent a bike for around $20 per day. If this is your first time visiting Bora Bora, it’s a great way to see the island! The main road around the main island is 18 miles and mostly flat. It took us about 6 hours to bike which included stopping for lunch, spending some time at Matira Beach, hiking to see WWII cannons, and some snorkeling time.
Biking to Matira Beach
The first stop on our bike tour was Matira Beach, which is absolutely serene. Other than a few friendly dogs, we had the entire beach to ourselves. We visited in August and the weather was pretty close to perfect for our entire 10 day French Polynesia adventure. Because they are islands, you do get some rain most days, but it’s normally just a light sprinkle and doesn’t typically last for more than hour. However, it’s best to pack a light rain jacket.
Lunch at Bloody Mary’s Bora Bora
Next stop on our biking adventure…the famous Blood Mary’s! I absolutely love seafood, so I was really excited to try the Polynesian Trio which included fresh sashimi tuna, poisson cru, and the fish of the day. I definitely wasn’t disappointed!
Read recommendations for where to eat in Bora Bora
Breathtaking Scenery
We made quite a few stops on our bike tour to take photos of all the beautiful scenery…and give our behinds a break. It had been quite a few years since either of us had ridden a bike and I somehow remember the seats having a little more padding:)
Hiking to the World War II Cannons
About halfway through our bike ride, on the Northern part of the island, we stumbled upon a woman who was charging 500 cfp ($4.60) to access her property to see American cannons from World War II. Dave and I looked at each other, and were like, “Do we really want to see American cannons in French Polynesia?” It was then that the woman mentioned that included in the price, was access to her private beach where we could snorkel. We were sold!
Helpful Tip: There are a lot of posts about people having a hard time finding the entrance to the cannons. And I can see why, as it isn’t well marked. Above is picture of the entrance which will hopefully come in handy for others.
Our Hiking Tour Guide
On our tour, we were lucky enough to have our own canine guide! He stayed with us the entire time and actually was a huge help guiding us along the way. He led us up some relatively steep hills and rocks to see the cannons. If you plan to do this hike, you should be in relatively good shape and I would highly recommend wearing tennis shoes or boots versus sandals or flip flops.
Private Beach & Snorkel Stop
About 5 minutes past the cannons, we came to a steep downhill path that lead to the private beach and snorkel spot. We brought snorkel masks with us on the bike ride, so we were able to snorkel right from the tiny private beach and saw some amazing coral and colorful fish!
If you visit French Polynesia, I highly suggest that you bring a snorkel mask with you. See my blog post on what to pack for a trip to French Polynesia. After spending about 30 minutes snorkeling, we set off for our hotel to take a nap! It was a fun day, but we definitely got our exercise!
Next, off to our over water bungalow at the Le Meridien Resort and Green Turtle Sanctuary!
Related Posts:
French Polynesia: 11 Adventures That You Shouldn’t Miss When Planning Your Trip
What to Pack for a Trip to French Polynesia
Huahine- The Best Kept Secret of French Polynesia
How to Score a Great Deal on an Over Water Bungalow in French Polynesia
How Not to Explore Tahiti on Your First Trip to French Polynesia
