Bora Bora island will make you feel love at first sight. With ocean views of turquoise waters resembling an artist’s palette of bright blues and greens, romantics from around the world appreciate Bora Bora’s, lush, tropical vegetation circling the perimeter of the island and the valleys of Mount Otemanu blossom with hibiscus.
The island’s name—the Tahitian spelling of which is Porapora—means “First Born”; according to tradition, it was the first island created after Raiatea. Bora-Bora was sighted by Dutch admiral Jacob Roggeveen in 1722, visited by Capt. James Cook in 1769 and 1777, and annexed by France in the late 19th century. During World War II the island had an Allied naval base, and the islet of Mute, on the northwest side of Bora-Bora’s reef, was an Allied air base; the airport is still in use. Tourism is Bora-Bora’s primary economic activity. Chief products include copra, vanilla, and mother-of-pearl. Area 14.7 square miles.
The “Pearl of the Pacific” as it’s also referred to is located about 160 miles northwest of Tahiti and approximately 2,600 miles south of Hawaii. There are no direct international flights to Bora Bora Airport unless you own an expensive private jet, although even then I believe you still need to stop in Tahiti first to go through customs. For us regular people, daily flights around the world fly into the big island of Tahiti and land at Fa’a’ā International Airport in the capital city of Papeete. From Papeete, you will need to transfer into a small propeller plane and take a 50-minute flight to Bora Bora via Air Tahiti Airlines, the only domestic carrier that serves French Polynesia. It’s a quick trip, and on a clear day, you can see the islands of Moorea, Raiatea, and Tahaa along the way.
