Location: Uturoa
Top Things to do in Uturoa
Countries
The 9 Best Things to Do in Uturoa, French Polynesia
Uturoa is a commune (municipality) of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Uturoa is located on the island of Raiatea in the administrative subdivision of the Leeward Islands, of which Uturoa is the administrative capital. The Leeward Islands are part of the Society Islands, and Uturoa is the main port of Raiatea Island. At the time of the August 2007 census, the urban area of Uturoa had 8,735 inhabitants, 3,778 of whom lived in Uturoa proper. Uturoa is about 120 mi (200 km) northwest of Papeete, the Tahitian capital.
Restaurants in Uturoa
1. Te Mara Nui Plongee
Overall Ratings
5 based on 84 reviews
Reviewed By OleB61 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Floriane was a great guide and very pleasant company. I did the Danish 3-mast sailing ship from 1900 (which I had to do since I am originally from Denmark). The wreck is 60 meters long and lies on her side at -30 meters. Highly recommended operator for divers with any amount of experience. Thanks.
2. Raiatea Activities
Overall Ratings
5 based on 61 reviews
Reviewed By Geoff F - Liverpool, United Kingdom
Very good island after the disappointment of Bora Bora. Good cruise ship destination with good tours available on the quayside. We took a trip in what was laughingly called a coach, it was actually a truck with seats inside a multi coloured add-on. You will know them when you see them. The trip had a great guide who was very knowledgable about the Polynesian people's and their heritage, and a justifiably proud man who wanted freedom from the French. We saw all the holy sites of interest rather than the usual stops at the local junk shops. The guide also brought a type of ukulele and entertained us all with some local songs.
3. Mount Tapioi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 86 reviews
Reviewed By Odd_Meter - New York
We got up 45 minutes before dawn when it was light enough to do normal outdoor activities and hiked up to the top of Mt Tapioi. I had printed a map from the app GaiaGPS, so had no problem finding the trail. Coming from the cruise dock, you go to the right. At the roundabout go right (north) a short distance. Just past the bibliotheque and just before the gendarme station a small road goes off on the left. Follow it straight past a cattle grate where it bends right and then left, and then reaches a gate to block car traffic. Past that point just follow the main path. It took us a bit longer than we thought from the ship, maybe 50 minutes, so we missed the sun rising, but the views around to Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora and Huahine were excellent. There was a strong wind at the top and the day was beautiful. If you want you can walk all the way around the top and connect back to the main trail to go down. Next time we would get up 15 minutes sooner to get up there for dawn. It was coolish when we started but got warm quickly. We saw a number of other people, almost all alone, getting their morning exercise climbing the hill.
4. Raiatea Jet
Overall Ratings
5 based on 34 reviews
Exclusive jetski Safaris through the unspoiled beauty of raiatea's huge lagoon.
Reviewed By L1864YJcynthiac - Dallas, Texas
My husband and I booked Raiatea Jet for a 5 hour tour and we had the greatest time! In order to book the trip, we just emailed them since the website is in French and Jeremy got back to us right away with options, availability and cost. Jeremy met us right at the pier where our cruise ship docked and we had a short 10 min or so ride to pick up the jet skis, sign a release and get some instruction. We went everywhere, saw dolphins, went snorkeling in the coral garden, stopped at a number of motus, saw dolphins, had a picnic lunch, went to a vanilla farm, the works! It was the highlight of our trip and Jeremy was very personable and gave us great insights about the island and culture. They have three jet skis so it will be a very private, personalized experience and completely worth the time and money. Other tips: They take cash only (there is an ATM right in the visitors center) and wear a shirt with sleeves as no matter how often you apply sunscreen, you will likely burn a little.
5. The Anapa Pearl Farm
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 51 reviews
Visit Anapa Perles, an authentic pearl farm on Raiatea’s pristine west coast. Join our pearl divers and explore the rare aquatic reserve and coral garden where the pearl oyster lives in perfect harmony. Discover the myths and legends of Tahiti’s most mysterious jewel and participate in an exciting pearl harvest. Visit the pearl farm boutique. Great underwater photo opportunities. Look for tropical reef fish, manta rays and endangered green sea turtles at this magical spot. As seen in National Geographic and Geo Magazine. Yacht moorings available: 2 reef side in the sandy green water (3-4 m), 1 deep water.Secure Anchorage Shuttle boat service to and from your yacht. Snorkeling gear provided. Guests should bring: Sunscreen, sunglasses. Wear swimsuit under clothes.
Reviewed By Dan W - Portland, Oregon
Like most of the pearl farms in Tahiti Anapa Pearl Farm is mostly for selling visitors pearl jewelry. There is not much on oyster farming but what there is, is interesting to learn about. The designs on display are really the main attraction and worth a quick visit.
6. Mercato Coperto di Uturoa
Overall Ratings
4 based on 16 reviews
Reviewed By Richard F - Louisville, Kentucky
Our cruise ship pulled into port early so we had more than sufficient time to explore Ulturoa. We always enjoy walking around a city and we found this one to be friendly, clean and safe. There are such nice shops to visit as you still around town. There are supermarkets called Supermarche that are filled with a variety of products, fresh bread, wines, cheeses and staples. There is a central market place where there are booths set up with locally made products. This is definitely a very nice city to visit.
7. Vairua Perles
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
8. Tahiti Air Lagon
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
Take off your dreams with Tahiti Air Lagoon and discover French Polynesia from the sky ! Tahiti Air Lagoon offers special tours around Society Islands as well as specific flights for professional photographers aboard ULM (Ultra Light Aircraft) equipped with the latest standards of security. Departure from Raiatea, Bora Bora, Maupiti or Huahine airport.
9. Sunsail
Overall Ratings
4 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By krl388 - Menlo Park, California
A group of five of us rented a Sunsail 444 catamaran from Sunsail Raiatea in August 2016. I have done previous bareboat rentals with several other companies throughout the Caribbean, but I had not been to French Polynesia previously, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I am happy to report that Sunsail exceeded my expectations on all parts of this rental. I was pleasantly surprised to have a Sunsail rep (actually, their taxi driver!) meet us at the Raiatea airport, even though I arrived on a flight earlier than planned... Laurent at the Marina front desk explained that based on our (incorrectly) report departure time, and his knowledge of local flight schedules, it was pretty clear to him when we'd be landing. That was a great relief to us! Two of my crew came in the original planned flight, and Laurent had folks there waiting for them as well! They got us all together really easily in the sunsail office, no problems! The Marina that Sunsail is located at (Apooiti) is a VERY short (maybe 5 minutes) cab ride from the airport; once we arrived, Laurent did initial paperwork, and had already arranged a taxi to stand by, to take us into town to provision at the local supermarkets. While we shopped, he and the folks at the base took care of boat preparations, so that when we returned, the boat was fully ready for us to load up. Laurent led the detailed nav and boat briefings, and also did the boat checkout with us. I really felt taken care of here - they really knew what our needs would be. (is wifi working in office? what are passwords? where are the nearest landbased bathrooms? where can i get a quick bite before departing? where is the best place to stay the first night?) Overall, the boat rental process on Raiatea was even easier than I have experienced with Sunsail in Tortola, and that's a pretty high standard to beat. I want to reiterate though that much of that clearly was due to Laurent's knowledge, professionalism, and wit...he went above and beyond to make sure we had a great trip!
During our 9 day sailing trip on the cat, we called the folks at the Sunsail Raiatea office for weather updates, and they provided very useful information and advice, which was really appreciated, since we unfortunately were there in the midst of a rather nasty stretch of Mara'amu winds. Everyone at the office spoke (and even joked in) English, as well as French; I never felt like I might be missing some nuance due to language barrier.
The boat was well maintained; unusual equipment for me were the 220V European electrical plugs, and a charcoal (not propane) grill (Useful to know this before you go shopping!). After the trip, I provided Laurent with a short list of minor suggested "fixes", and the folks clearly cared about what we noticed. As in before the trip, they had transportation back to the airport all arranged for us - it was a really easy transaction to turn the boat in.
Down sides that i could list for this trip do not really reflect on Sunsail Raiatea, more on my inexperience with the local sailing conditions: 1) shallow areas in French polynesia are typically REALLY shallow - often even too shallow for catamarn or sometimes even dinghy passages 2) mara'amu winds can really constrain where/when you might want to sail 3) lagoon sailing is far different than open ocean sailing...land on one side, and very shallow reef on the other, often separated by less than 200 yards...keep your eyes open! Again, these are attributes of sailing in French Polynesia, not to any particular company...
Anyway, overall, I can't say enough good things about my experience with Sunsail Raiatea...I would recommend them again in a snap, and hope to sail with them again sometime.
