Austral Islands French Polynesia
French Polynesia

5 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Ponant (5 Cruises)


Frequently Asked Questions

About 600 kilometres south of Tahiti. They form the southernmost archipelago of French Polynesia, well off the standard circuits: only a handful of ships, including mixed cargo vessels, make the trip.
Often by barge or whaleboat, since not every island has a suitable quay. Landing depends on the swell and can be cancelled. Meanwhile crews unload flour, cement and mail: the call doubles as a resupply run, and that ballet is part of the show.
Yes, between August and October. Humpback whales come to calve in the calm waters off Rurutu, and you sometimes hear them blow before the anchor is even down. The passes at Tubuai receive them in season too. These are wild animals: no sighting is guaranteed.
It is a raised atoll. Limestone cliffs riddled with caves ring a volcanic interior covered in jungle, a landform found nowhere else in Polynesia. Islanders readily guide visitors into caverns with spectacular formations that once served as shelters and burial places.
Weaving. The island is known throughout Polynesia for its pandanus craft: hats, baskets and mats. The weavers often work in groups, amid laughter and singing, and are happy to be watched at work.
An island many sailors rate among the most beautiful in the Pacific: a turquoise lagoon scattered with 28 motu rings a green mountain, in a geometry that recalls Bora Bora without the hotels. It holds a stone tiki with an enigmatic smile, coral marae and canoes sewn in the traditional way.
The Bounty mutineers tried to settle here in 1789 and built Fort George, whose site still faces the lagoon. Tubuai is the administrative centre of the archipelago, flat and fertile, and is best explored by bicycle between market gardens, singing churches and empty beaches.
Powerful polyphonic singing in the whitewashed churches, especially on Sundays. The archipelago takes great pride in it, and it is often the strongest memory passengers carry away. Attending a service is possible, with the dress and discretion the setting calls for.
No, it is distinctly cooler. That gives the archipelago the feel of a great garden: taro, coffee, lychees and flowers grow shoulder-high, in air that smells of wet earth rather than sunscreen. Pack a light sweater for evenings, even in Polynesia.
The CFP franc, in cash. There is virtually no tourist commerce: nobody is in a hurry to sell you anything, ATMs are scarce and cards are accepted almost nowhere. This is Polynesia before tourism, and that is precisely the point of coming.