Fakarava Atoll: Bicycling & Snorkeling on This Tiny Strip of French Polynesia

February 19, 2019

FAKARAVA ATOLL, French Polynesia – After exploring five volcanic islands with rugged terrain and high mountains, Mom and I got a change of scene today as we visited a flat-as-a-pancake coral atoll. I had a lovely 20-mile bike ride and went snorkeling at two locations. This evening we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Oceania Marina’s Asian specialty restaurant.

Got up at 11:54 a.m. We had anchored about 8 a.m. off Fakarava Atoll, our fifth port of call during our 12-night “Pure Polynesia” cruise around French Polynesia. I had horrible sleep-maintenance insomnia and felt awful. Not a pleasant way to start the day. Went to the lunch buffet, then gathered my things to go ashore via tender boat to the main town of Rotoava.

This is the first port of call on any of my 20 cruises where the cruiseline did not offer any shore excursions! I rented a bicycle for PF2,000 ($19.09).

Set off about 1:35 p.m. and cycled south.

Cycling on the South Side of Fakarava Atoll Searching for a Snorkel Spot

Rotoava soon faded away and I continued along the flat paved road amidst palm trees and a few spread-out homesteads, searching for a beach to snorkel at.

Made it 7 miles from the pier but side streets heading to the lagoon had vanished, so I turned back and cycled an additional 2.6 miles to a small, scruffy beach.

This proved to be a bad snorkeling spot, so I picked up and biked 7.4 miles back toward town, setting up at 3:38 on a beach outside a small hotel. Fish viewing was a little better here, but just okay – nothing to rejoice about.

Fakarava, population 855, is in the west of the Tuamotu Archipelago, which forms the largest group of atolls in the world. There are 78 total, 48 of which are inhabited, according to the CIA World Fact Book. Fakarava is 37 miles long but only a couple hundred yards wide, if that. The land area is only 6.2 square miles (16 square km), but even that tiny size makes it the second largest of the Tuamotu atolls!

2 Snorkel Spots (1 Bad, 1 Good) at Fakarava Atoll

Time ticking until last tender, I had to leave the beach and returned a few miles to the pier. (Forgot to start my Runkeeper app for the last stretch; I estimate I biked about 20 miles today.) Took the last ride back to Oceania Marina at 4:30 (only two other passengers aboard).

Met Mom on the balcony for sail-away at 5:00 while sorting and posting today’s photos. We enjoyed nice views of the atoll including Topaka Lighthouse (a 45-foot tall stone pyramid) and the airport, whose runway takes up just about the entire width of the northern atoll!

We endured a rough sail-out through Garuae Pass.

Oceania Marina Encounters Rough Surf Sailing Through Garuae Pass

Mom and I headed down at 8 p.m. to Red Ginger, Marina’s Asian specialty restaurant. The food was outstanding – and I stuffed myself with several courses.

Uploaded blog photos, then downstairs to our cabin at 11:41 to get ready for bed. Read tomorrow’s Currents newsletter, checked Facebook, and watched TiVo on my phone before bed at 1:50 a.m.

Tomorrow we’ll be at our sixth port of call, Rangiroa Atoll, after a voyage of 159 miles.