The sky cleared up as the plane moved away from the Society Archipelago to land, 450 kilometers further north, at Fakarava.
The second largest atoll in the Tuamotu after its illustrious neighbor, Rangiroa, "
Faka
" as the initiates call it, is three times less populated.
Barely more than 800 souls share this necklace of sand and coral in the paradisiacal lagoon.
Classified as a biosphere reserve by Unesco for the richness of its ecosystem which includes many protected endemic species, it is a world apart and preserved.
To discover
Polynesia stay |
12 days |
The major sites of Polynesia
While the first fringes of palm trees pass through the windows of the local minibus, it is difficult to remain insensitive to the vibratory energy which emerges from it… "
I immediately felt it when I arrived, and it has never left me
" , confides Enoha, a Polynesian who came to settle here with Cécile, his partner, twenty years ago.
This energy, this "
mana
", would it be linked to the history of the Fakarava atoll whose old name, Havaiki, evokes the original land of the peoples of Polynesia, this mythical place that their spirit will join at the end of their life ?
Read alsoFrench Polynesia, between dream islands and lagoons, the Figaro travel guide
Snorkeling enthusiasts
The island of French Polynesia is one of the most famous in the world for its corals, the richness of its fauna and its prodigious concentration of sharks. Greg Lecoeur
Whatever the legend, the authenticity and hospitality of Fakarava are very real and characterize this atoll open to the curious, but fiercely opposed to “
commercial
”
abuses
. Here, no luxury hotel or oversized tourist complex, but a dozen guesthouses in the north (one of which has become a small charming hotel "
feet in the sand
", with a pearl farm, the Havaiki Lodge) , grouped around the village of Rotoava, and two or three small paradises to the south for snorkeling and diving enthusiasts attracted by its pass. The island is one of the most famous in the world for its corals, the richness of its fauna and its prodigious concentration of sharks.
More to the west, we go as some locals do to isolate themselves, to plant their hammocks on one of the 72 pink sand motus.
We improvise barbecues after participating in a lagoon fishing with a rifle, and we swim alone in the world in the middle of peaceful sleeper sharks.
Back on the island, we find Enoha for a naturalist walk to discover four species of coconut palms with medicinal properties, the oil of which, cold extracted, gives a 100% artisanal and restorative monoi.
Read alsoIn Polynesia in the wake of the whales
Les Ateliers du Voyage
(Tel.: 01 40 62 16 70).
6 nights with half board at Havaiki Lodge, from € 2,972 per person.
Price from Paris on Air Tahiti Nui, night at the Fare Suisse hotel in Papeete with breakfast, Papeete / Fakarava domestic flight and transfers included.
Discover the atoll with Enoha (Tel: 00 689 87 31 98 22).