Tikehau Arpt

Tikehau Atoll is not one of the better known destinations within French Polynesia. It is located approximately 340km north of the famous island of Tahiti. Many people that are taking a trip to Tikehau Atoll will opt to spend a little time in Tahiti too as quite often it will be a once in a lifetime trip and they will want to make most of being in this exotic location. This beautiful atoll is made up of a vast oval shaped lagoon that is around 27km long and 19km wide, giving it a total area of approximately 461km2. Tikehau Atoll consists of two large islands and a plethora of smaller islets. The north-eastern section of the atoll is barely inhabited at all; this entire area is surrounded by an impressive and uninterrupted coral reef, which is the main attraction for most travellers visiting this destination. As you would expect from any location in the South Pacific, all of the islands and islets are covered with lush greenery, mainly palm trees. The largest village on Tikehau is Tuherahera, and this is where the majority of the locals reside.

The only documented history of this delightful atoll dates back as far as 1839 when a Russian mariner named Otto von Kotzebue landed there. Since then many mariners and marine biologists have visited this interesting location to carry out research and studies on the marine life. The most notable visit was that of Jacques Cousteau in 1987, when he and his team deduced that Tikehau Atoll had a larger number of fish species than any other location in the entirety of French Polynesia; quite an achievement considering the vast amount of sea life in the warm seas that surround the various islands in this region. The fact that the Tikehau Atoll is so small means that you can be certain of escaping the crowds, leaving you to explore and enjoy this amazing place in peace. Most visitors to this location will book one of the many Tikehau Atoll tours that are on offer. These tours will usually include not only the flights, hotel and transfers to your chosen property but quite often they will include a number of different day trips and activities of your choosing within the package. There are a number of reasons that people come to visit Tikehau Atoll, with the most popular being snorkelling and scuba diving. The continuous reef around the atoll obviously attracts a huge amount of different fish species and other marine life. Obviously, this makes it the perfect destination for anyone looking to scuba dive and snorkel every day of their trip. Many of the tour operators that provide holidays to this part of the world will prearrange scuba and snorkelling trips for you, but you can also arrange them upon arrival if you are not sure when you would like to venture out. If you are not a big fan of snorkelling or scuba diving you can still have a great time here, the scenery and the beaches alone are enough to make the long journey to this stunning location. You simply could not be further away from the stresses and strains of daily life here, so by the time you leave you will be guaranteed to feel relaxed and rejuvenated. As Tikehau Atoll is relatively close to Tahiti the climate is roughly the same. So, if you are looking for the best time to visit you should be aiming to arrive sometime between May and October, as these are the driest months of the year. This is especially important if you are looking to dive or snorkel as this is when the waters will be at their clearest. If you travel between November and April you will still enjoy warm climates but there is a much higher chance of rain.