Full-Day Lagoon Safari with Snorkeling and Motu Lunch

About This Experience

Rohivai Tours picks you up by boat at your resort or one of 18 listed points, a ride of about 20 minutes each way. The day runs about six hours. The first stop is a sanctuary where stingrays and blacktip reef sharks gather, then the boat moves to the Coral Garden for snorkeling among fish and coral, then to a third site where manta rays are sometimes found. After the snorkel stops you land on a motu for a Polynesian picnic lunch, free time and a short walk before the ride back.

The stop for sharks and rays is chosen because they gather there, and you swim with them under the guide's watch. Feeding animals is on the listing's not-allowed list. At the Coral Garden expect coral heads and reef fish. The manta stop is a wait-and-see: the listing says plainly that mantas are not guaranteed, though many recent guests report mantas and large schools of eagle rays. On the motu, guests describe music at lunch and short demonstrations such as how sea salt is made.

At $171 per person with lunch, drinks and a full day of stops, the trip is rated 4.9 from 774 reviews. It is a shared boat, so you move at the group's pace, and six hours is long for small children. The listing marks it unsuitable for wheelchair users and pregnant women, and baby strollers are not allowed. Guides speak French, English and Japanese, and one guest who was nervous in deep water was pulled along on a float.

The price covers boat pickup and drop-off, a guide for the whole day, snorkel gear including fins (give your fin size when booking), the motu lunch, water, juice, soda and a towel. Alcohol is not allowed on board. The tour needs good weather and a minimum number of guests; if it cannot run, you are offered another date or a full refund. Cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund. The same trip is also listed on Viator from $195 per person, rated 4.9 from 113 reviews.

Highlights

• Swimming with stingrays and blacktip reef sharks at the first stop
• Snorkeling the Coral Garden among reef fish
• A stop at a site where manta rays are sometimes seen
• Free time and a short walk on a palm-shaded motu
• Guide commentary on island history, culture and marine life
• A full day touring the lagoon by boat

What's Included

• ✓ Boat pickup and drop-off, about 20 minutes each way
• ✓ Guide who stays with the group all day
• ✓ Snorkel gear with fins in your size
• ✓ Polynesian picnic lunch on a motu
• ✓ Water, fruit juice and soda
• ✓ A towel

Not Included

• Alcoholic drinks (alcohol is not allowed on the tour)
• Pickup at your own jetty or beach if it lacks safe sea access (you are met nearby)

What to Bring

• Swimwear, worn under your clothes
• Reef-safe sunscreen
• Water shoes for the motu and shallow stops
• A hat for the midday break on the motu
• A camera that can go in the water

Good to Know & Caveats

• Manta rays are not guaranteed at the manta stop, and all wildlife is wild.
• The tour runs only in good weather; if it is cancelled you get another date or a full refund.
• A minimum number of guests is needed (the Viator version sets it at four); if it is not met you get another date or a full refund.
• Feeding animals is not allowed on this tour.
• If you choose to leave once the tour has started, there is no refund.

Meeting Point

The boat collects you at your resort or one of 18 listed points, including Vaitape quay, Matira and the main resorts. If your accommodation has no safe sea access, you are met at a nearby point instead.