South of the atoll, an hour by boat from Avatoru, Île aux Récifs is an area dotted with raised feo (coral outcrops), weathered shapes chiselled by erosion into petrified silhouettes on the exterior reef. They stretch for several hundred metres, with basins and channels that make superb natural swimming pools. There’s a good hoa (shallow channel) for swimming and a picturesque coconut grove by the beach. You'll need to take a boat tour from Avatoru to get to Île aux Récifs.
Getty Images/DeAgostini
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Nearby attractions
17.39 MILES
Very few visitors venture to this charmingly quiet village edging the eastern side of Tiputa Pass. Although it doesn't have tourist facilities (all…
19.07 MILES
There are free tours (in English) of the pearl farm next to the boutique. They include a pearl-grafting demonstration. Call for free pick-up.
19.86 MILES
Avatoru won’t leap to the top of your list of preferred villages in French Polynesia, but its location, right by Avatoru Pass and the lagoon, is stunning…
20.32 MILES
This is what many people visualise when imagining a Polynesian paradise: a string of motu and coral reefs has formed a natural pool on the edge of the…
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Vin de Tahiti has a 6-hectare vineyard planted on a palm-fringed motu about 10 minutes by boat from Avatoru village. This is the only atoll vineyard in…