Mastering the Motu: A Guide to Bora Bora’s Tiny Islands

The mega-yacht A, moored off Motu Mute, is a floating landmark you will see from the airport runway. At 117 metres long with 44mm-thick bomb-proof windows, it costs more than $300 million to build and operates as a private cipher of extreme wealth. The motus around it are less secretive and more instructive: they are the physical foundation of Bora Bora’s resort economy, a string of low-lying coral islands that determine where you sleep, eat, and swim.

This guide breaks down the individual motus by character, access, and limitation. You will learn which one holds the airport, which one grows the pandanus for your overwater bungalow roof, and why the sacred island has the best coral-cooked parrot fish you will never eat unless you pay for the tour.

Bora Bora covers 29.3 km² and holds about 10,600 residents, but the island’s identity is staked on its ring of small motus. Understanding them is understanding the place itself.

The Motu System: Orientation and Access

Bora Bora sits inside a barrier reef that encloses a lagoon roughly 40 km in circumference. The motus are the low coral islands perched on that reef, forming a broken ring around the main island. The main village, Vaitape, sits on the west coast of the main island, while the airport occupies the northern motu. Boats are the only way between them — car rentals are limited, and public buses are few.

The practical tradeoff is constant: resorts on the motus offer seclusion and direct lagoon access, but you pay for every transfer. A stay on Motu Tevairoa means a boat ride to Vaitape for supplies or a meal off the resort grounds. The isolation is the point, but it is also the friction.

Motu Mute holds the airport and a string of conjoined islets with the world’s most expensive overwater bungalows — some topping $10,000 per night. The mega-yacht A moors here, and its presence tells you what kind of traveller this motu serves. The opposite side of the island feels different entirely.

Key Motus and What Happens There

Motu Tapu: The Sacred Island You Can Visit but Not Sleep On

Motu Tapu sits to the right as you enter Teavanui Pass. It is a private islet, not a resort, and access is limited to organised lagoon tours. The draw is the lunch stop: parrot fish caught minutes earlier in the lagoon are cooked directly on coral, which holds a steady heat, and leaves of the tau bush — a medicinal plant for Tahitians — are placed over the food to prevent burning. The smoke smells different from a grill, and the coral surface blackens in patterns you do not see on a conventional barbecue. The limitation is that you cannot stay, and the tour operators control the schedule. If you want a quiet hour alone here, you will not get it.

Motu Tevairoa: Resorts, Watermelons, and a Captain Cook Anchor

Motu Tevairoa lies on the opposite side of the pass from Motu Ahuna and hosts the Pearl Beach Resort. Its interior is planted with vegetables and watermelons, a reminder that these islands were agricultural before they were hospitality assets. Captain Cook came here in search of an anchor abandoned by Admiral Bougainville and recovered it in exchange for nails and other trinkets. A golf course project has been proposed but not completed, so the motu remains largely resort-focused. The limitation is that the resort dominates the shoreline; there is no public beach access unless you are a guest or book a specific excursion.

Motu Mute: The Airport Strip and the $10,000 Night

Bora Bora Airport (BOB) occupies Motu Mute, and from the runway you see the mega-yacht A and the overwater bungalows of the St. Regis and the InterContinental. The Lagoonarium sits on a private motu alongside the Meridien Hotel, offering a contained snorkelling experience. A building constructed in 2009 on a sanded headland near the St. Regis was built for the film Couple’s Retreat. The limitation is that this motu feels like a resort corridor — polished, expensive, and curated. If you are looking for local life, you will not find it here.

Practical Planning: Timing, Costs, and Getting Around

The dry season from May to October brings lower humidity and cooler temperatures. The wet season from November to April brings higher humidity and occasional tropical storms. Either way, the lagoon water stays warm enough to swim year-round.

Getting to the motus requires a domestic flight from Tahiti’s Faa’a International Airport — roughly 50 minutes — then a boat transfer to your resort or to Vaitape. Most EU, US, UK, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand travellers enter visa-free for up to 90 days, but a passport valid for at least six months beyond your stay is required. Reef-safe sunscreen is required by law, and fines for damaging coral are enforced.

Getting Between Motus

Resorts provide shuttle services to Vaitape. Scooters and bicycles are available for rent in Vaitape, but they only get you around the main island, not across the water. For independent motu exploration, a 6hp run-about rented next to the Sofitel Marara Hotel requires no license and is the most practical option. The limitation is that the lagoon has strong currents near the passes — Teavanui Pass and the outer reef edge demand respect even on a calm day.

On the Ground: What to Know Before You Go

Local Customs and Practical Etiquette

Tipping is not customary. A daily hotel tax is applied by resorts. Credit cards are widely accepted at resorts, but small shops in Vaitape prefer cash in CFP Francs. The legal drinking age is 18, and smoking is prohibited in enclosed public spaces. The emergency number is 112. These are straightforward rules, but the cultural rhythm is slower than what most visitors expect — meal service at a family-run pension on Motu Pitiauu can take two hours, and that is the point.

Packing and Gear

The lagoon is the main attraction, so a good underwater camera solves a problem most visitors underestimate: you will want to capture the parrot fish cooking on coral, the reef sharks at Apoo Mao, and the stingrays that congregate near the motu edges. The Insta360 X5 handles 8K 360° video with replaceable lenses and a three-hour battery, which is enough for a full morning of snorkelling without recharging. The invisible selfie-stick effect is useful for shooting solo without a second person holding the camera.

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For divers, the Garmin Descent Mk3i functions as both a dive computer and a smartwatch with air integration and diver-to-diver messaging. The built-in flashlight is useful for night dives along the reef-edge tunnels, and the bathymetric maps cover over 4,000 dive sites, including the passes around Bora Bora.

What to Eat and Where

Maa Tahiti is the feast cooked in a himaa, a ground oven. On Motu Tevairoa, the Pearl Beach Resort serves a version, but the more authentic preparation happens on Motu Pitiauu during Sunday gatherings — not a commercial offering, but occasionally available through local guides. The parrot fish cooked on coral at Motu Tapu is the other signature dish, but it is only available through the lagoon tours that stop there. The tau bush leaves used to wrap the fish add a bitterness that cuts through the fat of the reef fish. It is not a subtle flavour.

Bora Bora Visitor Questions

Can you visit Motu Tapu without a tour?

No. Motu Tapu is privately managed and only accessible through organised lagoon excursions. The tours include the coral cooking demonstration and a set amount of time on the beach. If you want to linger longer, you cannot.

Which motu has the best snorkelling?

The Lagoonarium on the private motu beside the Meridien Hotel offers contained snorkelling with a high density of fish and rays. The reef-edge at Apoo Mao near the St. Regis has stronger currents but larger marine life, including sharks that still enter through the partially covered tunnel.

Is it worth staying on a motu instead of the main island?

It depends on your tolerance for boat transfers. Resorts on Motu Mute and Motu Tevairoa offer direct lagoon access and seclusion, but every trip to Vaitape costs time and money. Staying on the main island near Point Matira gives you walkable access to restaurants and rentals, but you trade the overwater bungalow experience.

What is the biggest downside of visiting the motus?

The cost of transfers adds up quickly. A day trip that includes three motus can cost more than a night in a mid-range pension, and the schedules are fixed. If you miss the return boat, you are stuck until the next one or paying for a private water taxi.

Can you surf the motus?

Yes, at exactly two spots: the right-hander at Motu Pitiauu on the seaside, and the wave at Teavanui Pass. Both require a boat to reach and local knowledge of the reef breaks. The surf is not consistent year-round — the dry season from May to October produces the most reliable swell.

Sources and further reading

Motus of Bora Bora guide. Bora Bora Insider, 2025.

Bora Bora travel guide. Skaiya, 2025.