Full-Day Snorkel Tour with Lunch on Motu Fanfan

About This Experience

Bora Bora Manu Lagoon Excursion runs this 7-hour day in four parts. You start with about an hour at the Coral Garden, then spend about an hour in the Anau area of the lagoon, where manta rays are sometimes seen. Lunch on Motu Fanfan is the longest block, listed at 240 minutes, with time to eat, swim and rest on the beach. The day ends with about an hour at a shark and ray stop with blacktip reef sharks and stingrays.

At the Coral Garden you swim over coral with schools of tropical fish, and stingrays sometimes pass through. The Anau stop is where mantas feed, and guests often report seeing one, but sightings are never certain. At the shark and ray stop, blacktip reef sharks and stingrays come close to snorkelers, and the stop is chosen because they gather there. Reviewers also mention eagle rays and, on some days, dolphins. The listing gives no depths; one guest describes a drift snorkel with a life ring for those without fins.

This suits travelers who want coral, mantas and sharks in one outing plus a proper lunch, and families with children aged 5 and up. The trade-off is length: seven hours is a full day, and the motu block is long if you would rather be in the water. Fins, towels and sunscreen are not included, and drinks beyond water and juice cost extra. The listing does not recommend it for pregnant travelers or anyone with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health, and it asks for a moderate level of fitness.

The price is $145 per person. Lunch on the motu covers grilled chicken and fish, raw fish in coconut milk, rice, taro, manioc, banana po'e, coconut bread, fruit, water and juice. Soda, Hinano beer and coffee are sold separately. You meet the boat at the Manu Taxi Boat point near the Tiare Market supermarket, and you can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.

Highlights

• About an hour snorkeling the Coral Garden among reef fish
• About an hour in the Anau area, where manta rays are sometimes seen
• A long stop on Motu Fanfan with time to swim and rest on the beach
• A final hour-long snorkel with blacktip reef sharks and stingrays
• Boat crossings with views of Mount Otemanu between stops

What's Included

• ✓ Lunch on Motu Fanfan: grilled chicken and fish, raw fish in coconut milk, rice, taro and manioc
• ✓ Banana po'e, coconut bread and fresh fruit
• ✓ Water and juice with lunch
• ✓ Bottled water on the boat
• ✓ Mask and snorkel
• ✓ Professional guide (English or French)

Not Included

• Towel
• Fins
• Sunscreen
• Alcohol and drinks sold on the motu (soda, Hinano beer, coffee)

What to Bring

• Towel
• Fins if you want them
• Sunscreen
• Hat
• Money for drinks sold on the motu

Good to Know & Caveats

• Mantas at Anau are sometimes seen but never guaranteed; sharks and rays gather at the final stop.
• This is a meet-at-the-water trip: the boat collects you at the Manu Taxi Boat point.
• Infants sit on a parent's lap, and the listing's age bands run from 1 to 70.
• The listing asks for at least a moderate level of physical fitness.
• Public transportation is available near the meeting point.

Meeting Point

Meet at the Manu Taxi Boat path on the lagoon side, near the Tiare Market supermarket, marked by a white MANU TAXI BOAT sign. The boat picks you up at the water's edge.