Moorea – one of the leeward islands of the Society Islands in French Polynesia – is just 22km (13.6mi) northwest of Tahiti.
Moorea is best explored by hire car or through excursions. Motorboat and outrigger canoe rentals are also enjoyable ways to explore the lagoon and surrounding motu.
The roads on Moorea are generally good, although some sections are severely potholed, and marked 'deformee'. One main road circles the island taking about one hour to complete by car (or two hours by bus).
Traffic on Moorea drives on the right-hand side of the road.
Car hire: Hire cars are available from international and local agencies at the airport and from hotels. Scooters are also available to hire. Rentals may be available hourly from your resort or hotel.
A national driving licence is required to drive a hire car.
Taxi: Taxis are available on Moorea, but can be expensive.
Bike: Some resorts offer bicycles for free or to rent.
Bus: There is limited bus service around the island: two buses meet arriving Aremiti ferries and then go to Le Petit Village in the north west corner of the island, one via the south coast and the other one via the north coast.
Both routes are about 30km (18.6mi) and take about 50 minutes. Some buses depart from Le Petit Village (near Total gas station) roughly two hours before the scheduled ferry departure time.
The bus fare is FCFP300 per adult and FCFP150 per child. Departures begin at 5:00am everyday with the last at 4:45pm.
If catching the bus along the road, just wave it down – there are almost no designated bus stops around the island.
Water: Boats, kayaks and jet-skis are available from hotels for hire to explore the lagoon.
Air: Air Tahiti (www.airtahiti.com) operates several flights daily between Moorea and Tahiti. Journey time is 15 minutes. Air Tahiti also operates regular flights between Moorea and Huahine, Raiatea, and Bora Bora.
The more remote islands, including Manihi, Rangiroa, Takapoto and Tikehau; the Austral Islands of Rurutu and Tubuai; and the Marquesas Islands of Hiva Oa and Nuku Hiva can all be reached with connecting flights from Papeete.
Sea: Aremiti (www.aremiti.pf) operates a frequent ferry shuttle service daily between Tahiti and Moorea using two high-speed vessels: the Aremiti 5 and Aremiti 2 ferries. One-way fares are FCFP1500 for adults and FCFP950 for children.
The 56-metre Aremiti 5 is the smaller and faster of the two ferries, cruising at more than 30 knots, taking 30 minutes (wharf to wharf) for the short 22km (13.6mi) voyage.
On-board facilities include air-conditioned rooms, a snack-bar and a large flat screen TV. The top deck features a seventy seater sun deck, perfect for sightseeing.
The larger, 80-metre Aremiti 2 can carry up to 967 passengers and 146 vehicles. Aremiti 2 takes around 45 minutes (wharf to wharf). On-board facilities include two air-conditioned decks and a large restaurant area. Like its sister ship, there is also a sun deck.
Papeete Ferry Terminal is a 10-minute taxi or bus ride from Fa'a'ā International Airport (PPT).
There are frequent inter-island connections by ferries, catamarans, copra boats and schooners that make regular trips throughout the islands. Daily ferry connections exist between Bora Bora, Huahine, Moorea, Papeete and Raiatea.
Latest update: How to get around Moorea: 11 May, 2022
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