Best Excursions?

by Larisa
(Toronto)

Hello,
Can you please recommend the best:
1) Circle Island Tour and
2) Shark Feeding/Ray Tour?

I have seen so many and am getting confused. I want to swim with the rays/sharks and see their feeding. Are you able to provide the contact info and approx pricing for a group tour? Are group tours recommended? The private ones are too costly.

Should I pre-book?

Thanks!
Larisa

Bora Bora Island Guide's response:

Hi Larisa,

Most of the tours combine a circle island tour, snorkeling in the coral gardens, and shark and ray feeding all together.

The excursion providers that we recommend for quality and fun factor are:

Lagoon Service Bora Bora
www.lagoonservice.com
They take you on a beautiful outrigger canoe to snorkel in the coral gardens, feed the stingrays and visit the sharks out-side of the reef. Not all tour providers take you outside the reef, but this will be the highlight of your day! The water out there is clear, royal blue and it is the best place to see the graceful sharks swimming by. If you do their full day tour, you also have a picnic on their private motu.

Christophe's Reef Discovery
www.reefdiscovery.pf/us/index.html
Christophe is a fabulous guide and will give you a different experience again to Lagoon Service. Group sizes are small, with only 6 pax. He gives you a tour around the lagoon with snorkeling stops while sharing knowledge of this beautiful lagoon. He will take you to places the other tours don't go. A very unique thing about his tour is he will take you to see the manta rays.

They are both "not to miss" excursions in Bora Bora. I do recommend that you book ahead. You can email each tour provider directly from their site. Please let them know we recommended them so they get the feedback of what a good job they are doing!

The cost will depend on the length and type of tour you choose. Have a look at their websites as they have all the information there to help you choose which tour you want to take. Price-wise they are well worth it and good value for the quality of the excursions.

If by chance the weather turns out bad on the day you have booked for, the good tour providers try to reschedule for another day for you.

Shark and ray tours

by Felicity
(Australia )

Hello, we are staying at the four seasons in may for 8 nights. We really want to do the shark and ray tour but are not sure who to go through. Do you have any recommendations and have you yourself done the tour.

it will be our first time to bora bora and I am beyond excited!


Hi Felicity,

I would go with Christophes Reef Discovery Tour or Marona of Temanava Tours. Both tours are excellent. My personal favourite is definitely Marona's tour, especially if you can get on the excursion with him! His excursion will also take you outside of the reef to the deep blue Pacific ocean to see the sharks, which is unforgettable. You can read about our experiences on his tour here.

Since you have 8 days, I would recommend taking both tours! They are both unique, and Bora Bora's lagoon is so beautiful you will want to explore it as much as you can. Christophes tour will take you to see the Manta Rays. So you will very much have different experiences on each tour.

The Four Seasons is amazing. You will have an incredible time there. They will offer excursion providers that they have partnerships with, and you can go with them if you like, but you can also easily organise to go with any tour provider you like, and they will pick you up at your resorts dock.

Enjoy your time in Paradise!

Snorkeling with Manta Rays

by Debby
(Los Angeles, CA)

I am trying to find out if it is possible to snorkel with the manta rays or is it just a diving experience. I had heard there was place where you could do it but I am having a really hard time finding any information on it on the web. Can you possibly help me?
My new husband and I will be traveling out to Bora Bora for our honeymoon mid-November and would love to be able to have this experience if it is possible!

Bora Bora Island Guide's Response:

Hi Debby,
Yes you can snorkel with the Manta Rays. They are not found in the shallow coral gardens, they frequent a deeper area of the Bora Bora lagoon. So to find them it's necessary to go on an excursion that will take you to that area of the lagoon.

Work is being done to help preserve their environment and keep the Manta Ray population thriving in Bora Bora. The area is a kind of a 'reserve' and out of respect people are only ever taken to this part of the lagoon in the mornings. It is supposedly off limits in the afternoon.

The best Bora Bora excursion for snorkeling with the Manta Rays is Christophe's Reef discovery. He will pick you up from your resort in his sleek boat. Just let him know that you want to see the Manta Rays when you book. You will have an amazing time on the lagoon with him. It is one of the best excursions in Bora Bora. Here are his contact details:

Christophe Poch
Cell phone : (+689) 76 43 43
E mail : reefdiscovery@mail.pf

If you look at the slide show under "Pictures" on his web site you can see what you have to look forward to! There are even some great Manta Ray photos.

As with all wild animals there is no guarantee they will be around when you take your trip. There is a good chance you will see them because they go to that area of the lagoon to feed. Mid November should be a good time. When we have been there in November and December, everyone we knew of who came back from Christophe's reef discovery had the experience of seeing them.

We hope you have a fabulous honeymoon in Paradise! Share with us your experience with the Manta Rays when you come back!

Bora Bora Lagoon Service or Reef Discovery Tour?

by Logan
(New York)

I am going to Bora Bora next week and I can't decide between the Reef Discovery snorkeling tour and the Lagoon Sevice tour. They both look great but similar. I want to see it all - Manta Rays, Sharks, Coral Gardens, The Aquarium, the Pacific Ocean. Which one should I choose? Are they both very similar? Thanks!

Bora Bora Island Guide's Response:

Hi Logan,

You will have a lovely time on either of those tours. You are choosing between two of the best things to do in Bora bora! Here is some more information to help you choose between them.

Lagoon Service will take you outside the reef to the Pacific ocean (weather permitting) to see the sharks in the Pacific Ocean. This is my personal favorite Bora Bora experience. They will also take you to the coral gardens and usually the Aquarium. They have a slightly larger group size than Reef Discovery, but they have wonderful traditional style outrigger boats that scoot you around the lagoon. It is possible to do a private tour with them as well. You will have a happy, hospitable islander taking you around with Lagoon Service. This tour will not take you to see the manta rays, but you will get to feed the sting rays. If you do an all day tour with them you will also have a picnic on a beautiful Motu. Half day tours also stop on the motu for a tropical fruit snack.

With Reef Discovery you will get a Frenchman who is passionate about Bora Bora showing you around. Christophe will give you more information about the marine life, as he does an 'eco tour'. Christophe has a smaller, sexy boat for scooting across the lagoon and has very small groups (maximum 6). If you take a morning tour he can take you to the area in the lagoon where the manta rays are often seen. On this tour you will not go outside the reef to the Pacific Ocean to see the sharks. You will visit a couple of snorkeling spots including the aquarium.

Both tours are exceptionally good. Honestly, if I was going to Bora Bora for the week I would do both tours. If you are like me and love being in the warm, crystal clear water, the Bora Bora lagoon will be the highlight of your vacation. If you are wanting to experience it all, I would suggest doing a half day excursion with both tours. Or one half day, one full day. But if you only choose one tour, you will have a fantastic day on either of them.

I hope that helps!

Bora Bora Discovery Tour

by Larisa
(Toronto)

Hi,
Have you heard of the tour operator Bora Bora Discovery (Fukiko)?

I like the sound of their shark feeding/ray tours, however I haven’t been able to find anything about them on tripadviser and cant find reviews on them so I was a bit weary. Let me know if you have heard of them and if they are good. I’m looking for a good tour where we can go on a shark feeding and get in the water with them as well as snorkel with manta rays.

Thanks
Larisa

Bora Bora Island Guide's Response

Hi Larisa,

I have not heard of that company. It appears they are tailoring to the Japanese market. I would recommend you go with one of the companies that have a good reputation - especially one we have recommended. Anyone can take you out on the lagoon, but it is the quality of the guide, and how well they know the lagoon, that will be what makes your experience special.

Kind regards,

Melinda

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