“This is paradise on earth!” exclaimed Louis-Antoine de Bougainville when he landed on Tahiti in the spring of 1768. 250 years later, I can confidently say that it still holds true.
I have just completed a four-month contract on a cruise ship, sailing from Norway through seas and oceans to finally set foot on the southern Pacific with its turquoise waters, lush nature, and welcoming inhabitants who greeted me with flower garlands. Instead of immediately returning to Luxembourg, I decided to extend my stay by a month to explore Tahiti and the islands.
French Polynesia, five archipelagos as diverse as can be
French Polynesia consists of five archipelagos with 118 islands, of which 76 are inhabited. The islands span over a water area of about 5 million km², equivalent to the size of Europe. While it is possible to explore all of French Polynesia in one trip, it requires ample time due to the considerable distances between the islands and atolls.
