Pearl Museum

Address	Vaima Center, Rue Jeanne d'Arc, Papeete
Hours	Open Monday to Saturday 8.00am-7.00pm, Sunday and public holidays 9.00am-7.00pm
Phone	(689) 45-21-22

Tahiti is known for it’s beautiful beaches, but the island is home to a number of free museums. The pearl museum is the only place in the world where you can learn about this gorgeous gem through different aspects. Learn about the Peal through art, history, mythology, philosophy, and how it has affected religion in Tahiti. At the Museum you will find a collection of pearl producing oysters and shells. Educate yourself on the variety of colors, and the criteria that determines the quality of a pearl. In addition, admire the private and unique collection by Robert Wan, the King of the Black Pearl. By coming to the museum you will learn about the important industry of pearls in French Polynesia, and take a different approach to exploring the island. Save a few francs, the best things in life are free!

Beaches

The island's best white sand beaches are between Punaauia and Papara, but most visitors get more of a thrill out of visiting the black sand beaches on the east coast, particularly renowned Pointe Venus. Enjoy a relaxing and serene experience by walking along the shore, as you realize that you are truly on the island of Tahiti. Have a picnic on the beach under a palm tree to shade you from the sunny rays. Read a book until the sunsets, and then watch the stars come out in the clear pollution free sky. Take a deep breath, and smell the flowers, and Mother Nature surrounding you. Whether you are in the mood of the white sand beaches or the exotic beauty of the black sand beaches, Tahiti’s coastline, will constantly keep you breathless.

Tiki Theatre Village

Location	Haapiti - 2km (1 1/4 miles) west of the Club Med
Phone	55.02.50

The Tiki Theatre Village is the Tahiti’s most authentic dance show. Held every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, the show is held and starts on a sunset beach that provides you with drinks of, fruit punch, rum, and coconut juice. After the staff uncovers the earth oven, a buffet of both Tahitian and the most popular Western foods are open to dig into. While enjoying the delicious feast, enjoy a one and a half hour dance show with some of the most elaborate yet traditional costumes that you have ever seen. Get to know people around you in a comfortable environment where music, food, and fun is combined into one setting. Transportation can be arranged in your hotel. Tiki Theatre Village is a must see, must experience event, without sharing the culture of music and dance, you have not acknowledged the true island of Tahiti.

The dinner and show cost 7,500CFP ($75) per person, or you can come for the 9pm show for 3,500CFP ($35). Add 1,150CFP ($12) in either case for round-trip transportation.

Jeep Safari Adventure

Location	Bora Bora
Admission	Starting from USD $88 per person
Hours	Morning Departure: 8:30am Afternoon Departure: 1:30pm Duration: 3 1/2 hours

Want a true adventure on the Tahitian Island? Pack a pair of comfortable shoes, and a lunch to take along on a 4-wheel drive to places only accessible to special vehicles. Reach the best viewed points of the island and drive up a steep terrain where you will be able to see and smell plants, trees, and flowers of Tahiti. During your trip, you will make your way to the even-inch cannons still in their original World War II locations and travel to the northern shore and rich lush valley of Faanui. The jeep ride is a leisurely way of getting to know the island, the plantations, mountains, and shorelines. The Jeep Safari Adventure is open daily except Sunday’s and on New Year’s Day. Bring a camera because there will be sights on this trip that will make you want to capture the moment.

Hiking

Tahiti has a great number of hiking trails such as the cross-island Papenoo Valley-Lake Vaihiria route. Pack a lunch to go, wear comfortable shoes, and bring lots of bottled water as you make your way up to the top of Mount Aorai. Hiking up this mountain should not be undertaken without the proper equipment and a guide. Occasional downpours can occur in the higher altitudes so bring a rain jacket just in case it pours. If you are planning to spend your nights camping out, it can become bitterly cold and damp. In addition, the quick-growing tropical foliage can quickly obscure a path that was easily followed a few days before. Permits are required to use some trails that cross government land. Gather the essential tools for a hike, and the Tahitian trails won’t let you down. Watching the ocean, waterfalls, and having the feeling of being so high up that you can touch the sky, is earth shattering. If the hike doesn’t leave you breathless, the views will!

Tahiti Evasion (tel. 56.48.77; www.tahitievasion.com).
This Moorea-based company has all-day treks into the Fautaua valley, home of Loti's Pool; the Orofero Valley on Tahiti's south coast; and to the top of Mt. Aorai, the island's third highest peak. These treks cost about 9000CFP ($90) per person. Hikes along the wild, uninhabited east coast of Tahiti Iti take 3 days and 2 nights of camping (call for prices). All except the Mt. Aorai climb are rated as easy walks. Tahiti Evasion will also organize hiking-and-water sports trips of up to 3 weeks throughout the islands.

Tahiti Nui Travel (tel. 42.68.03; www.tahiti-nui.com)
Tahiti Nui Travel offers 3- to 7-day hiking trips on Tahiti, starting at 60,000CFP ($600) per person.

You can also check with the Tahiti Manava visitors bureau in Papeete (tel. 50.57.12; www.tahiti-manava.pf) for the names of guides and hiking clubs.

Tahiti Travel Guides
 Frommer's Tahiti
 Lonely Planet Tahiti
 Let's Go Tahiti
 Fodors Tahiti