French Polynesia Yacht Charter
About French Polynesia
Overwater bungalows were invented in French Polynesia in 1967 by three Californians, Hugh Kelley, Jay Carlisle and Don 'Muk' McCallum, who ran a small hotel on Raiatea and needed extra rooms for a property without a beach. They copied the local fishermen's huts, built them on stilts over the lagoon, and accidentally created the most-copied luxury hotel format of the next half-century. There are now over 900 overwater bungalows across the 118 islands of French Polynesia, and thousands more around the rest of the world.
The country itself is five archipelagos spread across an area of the Pacific the size of Western Europe, with the Society Islands (Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Raiatea) in the middle, the Tuamotus to the east, and the wilder Marquesas further north. A yacht charter usually concentrates on the Society Islands, where the lagoons are sheltered and the inter-island sails are short. Bora Bora's lagoon is the headline view, with the dormant volcanic peak of Mount Otemanu rising 727 metres out of a turquoise ring of reef. Tahaa, just north of Raiatea, is the vanilla island, where most of French Polynesia's vanilla still grows; the inter-island lagoon between Raiatea and Tahaa is the protected sailing water that drew the Bali Hai Boys here in the first place.
The season is the southern winter, May to October, when the rain backs off and the temperature stays comfortable for long days on deck. Most charters pick up at Pape'ete on Tahiti, with internal flights connecting the wider archipelagos for longer trips. A two-week charter is the realistic minimum: the country is genuinely far away and the islands are spread far apart, and a one-week trip ends up feeling like a single resort visit by sea.
Highlights
Destination Info
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Where to sail
Bora Bora
The headline island, a turquoise lagoon ringed by reef with the dormant volcanic peak of Mount Otemanu rising 727 metres out of the middle. A yacht anchors inside the ring, away from the overwater resorts, with the peak overhead and the reef and its motus to explore. The most photographed lagoon in the Pacific, and the one most charters build a week around.
Raiatea and Tahaa
The twin islands share one lagoon, the sheltered water that first drew the charter fleet here. Raiatea is the nautical centre and the site of Taputapuatea, the UNESCO-listed marae that was the religious heart of eastern Polynesia. Tahaa is the vanilla island, where most of the territory's vanilla still grows, with a coral-garden drift snorkel between two of its motus.
Moorea
A short sail from Tahiti, Moorea is two deep bays, Cook's and Opunohu, cut into a wall of jagged green peaks. It is one of the most striking anchorages in the Society Islands, close enough to Tahiti to open or close a charter, with snorkelling on the reef and walks ashore up into the interior.
Huahine
Quieter and greener than its neighbours, Huahine is two islands joined by a bridge, with a large sheltered lagoon, archaeological marae sites, and villages that see far fewer visitors. It is the island for charters that want the Society Islands without the Bora Bora crowds, an easy sail from Raiatea.
The Tuamotu atolls
East of the Society Islands, the Tuamotus are low coral atolls, Rangiroa and Fakarava among them, where the diving through the reef passes is among the best in the Pacific. They are a long-range extension for longer charters, reached by an internal flight or a passage, and a different world again from the high volcanic islands.
What it costs
- From
- From about EUR 45,000 / week for a crewed yacht
- Included
- The weekly fee covers the yacht and all its equipment, including the tenders and water toys, the full crew, and the yacht's insurance.
- Extras
- Your running costs are paid separately, through an advance provisioning allowance (APA): in French Polynesia this runs around 30 percent of the fee, reflecting the remote Pacific logistics. The captain uses it to pay for fuel, berthing, provisioning, the food and drink for your party, and clearances, then gives you a full account at the end and refunds whatever is left. French Polynesia is outside the EU VAT area, so EU charter VAT does not apply; any local taxes are on top of the fee, along with a customary crew gratuity.
Prices rise with the size of the yacht and the time of year.
We explain the money side properly: What is included under MYBA, How the APA works, VAT and charter tax, and What to tip the crew.
Before you go
When to go
The season is the southern winter, May to October, the dry months with steady south-east trade winds and comfortable temperatures for long days on deck. This is the settled sailing window across the Society Islands. The wetter, warmer season runs November to April. We match the route to the season and to the yacht available.
Getting there
Flights arrive at Pape'ete on Tahiti, and most crewed charters start from Raiatea, the nautical centre of the islands, reached by a short internal flight. Tahiti and Moorea also serve as pickup points, and a one-way route from Tahiti through to Raiatea is possible. It is a genuinely far-off destination, so two weeks is the realistic minimum; a week ends up feeling like a single island by sea. We set the route and the logistics before you book.
Diving and snorkelling
The Society Islands lagoons are made for snorkelling straight off the boat: the reef edges, the coral garden between the motus of Tahaa, and the rays and reef life of the Bora Bora lagoon. For divers, the real draw is east in the Tuamotu atolls, where the tidal passes at Rangiroa and Fakarava carry some of the best drift diving in the Pacific. The crew carry the gear and plan the water around the reef and the light.
Choosing the yacht
Most French Polynesia charters are aboard a crewed sailing catamaran, well suited to the sheltered lagoons and the short trade-wind sails between islands, with the space and the shallow draft to anchor close in. The good boats are few and book up far ahead for the May to October window, so plan a long way in advance. If you are weighing crewed against bareboat, our guide on bareboat versus crewed sets out the difference. Browse the current fleet on our yachts page.
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