What to do in the Marquesas

[Lollypupon]

My husband and I sailed Dec.1-14 to Tuamotus, Marquesas & Society Islands. This was our first cruise on the PG and we loved it! We particularly enjoyed the Marquesas. The topography is different from the other islands and there is interesting history and archaeological sites. The people were so welcoming. At each tender landing we were met by people playing ukelele and singing and women giving fragrant and colorful leis. This is the only place in FP where tapa bark cloth) is still made. We felt so fortunate to be able to visit such a remote place.

 

Here is what we did on shore:

 

FATU HIVA: The PG excursion led by Mark Eddows was described as moderate to difficult uphill walking in heat and humidily so we decided that it might be more rigorous than we wanted to do so we just walked around on our own and went to the craft market. There were good quality tapas (but not top quality) wood carvings and jewelry made from local seeds,shells and carved bone. Prices were good.

 

ATUONA HIVA OA: We took Mark Eddows excursion to an archaeological site in 4X4 vehicles on unpaved roads. It was a great way to see the interior of the island and Mark explains what you are seeing at the site and the customs of the ancient people who lived there. It was very interesting and recommended. There is also a shuttle to town that stops at the Paul Gauguin gravesite. In town there is a small museum and recreation of his house. There are some crafts to buy there too. It is worth doing.

 

HAPATONI, TAHUATA: Another PG excursion with Mark Eddows. The highlight of this tour was a program of drumming and dancing by the village children wearing traditional costume. There were about 40 children between the ages of 4 or 5 to about 12 years old They were amazing! This was one of the best things we did on the whole cruise. There were also some crafts here for sale. Then Mark led a walking tour around the village for about 45 minutes.

 

TAIPIVAI VALLEY, NUKU HIVA: Another Mark Eddows excursion. Herman Melville spent a short time on this island as a young man and later wrote TYPEE base on his experiences. Mark will tell you about this. We went to a restored archaeological site. Then to a small village that was again the highlight of this tour. The villagers had a spread of sliced fruits, shredded coconut and breadfruit chips for us--Yum! Some crafts for sale also. There is also a shuttle into town from the tender landing that is free and you can do on your own. It is worth the visit to Rose Corser's museum and shop. Her stuff is expensive but very high quality.

 

***A note: The PG has a gem in Mark Eddows. He knows a wealth of information on history, customs and archeaology of Fr. Polynesia and he has a huge enthusiasm for his work and the area. His lectures are great and I recommendat least one of his excursions.

 

***Another note: Carolyn Boyle-Turner gave several lectures on Paul Gauguin. If you (like I did) don't have any particular interest in or appreciation of Gauguin, you may find (like I did) that after hearing her speak you have a new appreciation of his work.

 

I hope this is helpful.

[Benita]

Thanks for your input. We are on the May 18th departure and advise like yours is just what I am looking for. I have found private excursions on Bora Bora and Huahine, with some emails out for other islands. We usually go on private tours, but I guess some of these islands are so remote that nothing much is available.

Did you book your excursions before the cruise? If not, did you have any trouble with tours being filled when trying to book onboard?

[Icecat]

Thanks for the tips. We're so looking forward to April.

[Lollypupon]

Benita,

 

Only two of the excursions were available online before our cruise. I think they were Hiva Oa and Nuku Hiva. I did reserve these before we sailed. The other two had been added in the info given once we boarded the ship and I booked Tahuata the next morning.

 

Unlike some ships you don't pay for any excursion until you settle up at the end of the cruise. Since you don't have to pay to reserve an excursion in advance and you can cancel up to ( I think )24 hrs. before the excursion I would recommend that you reserve any exc. you are interested in. You can always cancel it if you decide you don't want to go.

 

Mark Eddows excursions are given twice, once in French and once in English at different times of the day. About 1/2 of the passengers on our cruise were French so there were not that many people to sign up. I don't think the excursions would fill up unless you waited until the last minute to sign up. We did however find that excursions filled up on some of the other islands. I didn't book anything ahead for Huahine in the Society Islands and they were all booked when I tried several days in advance so we rented a car which turned out to be great.

[Benita]

The Mark Eddows tours look great. I hope he will be on our cruise. I have found and booked private excursions in Naku Hive, Fatu Hiva, BoraBora, and Huahine. I will probably do PG tours in the other ports, although I still have emails out for Fakarava.

[kathy16]

What private excursions did you book in the Marquesas?

Kathy

[Benita]

The Mark Eddows tours look great. I hope he will be on our cruise. I have found and booked private excursions in Naku Hive, Fatu Hiva, BoraBora, and Huahine. I will probably do PG tours in the other ports, although I still have emails out for Fakarava.

 

In Nuku Hiva, we booked the excursion with Claude. Loads of people recommended it on cruise critic. I have the itinerary posted on our roll call. It is similar to the one offered by PG, but is longer and includes lunch at a restaurant called Yvonne, which people on Trip Advisor really seemed to like.

In Fatu Hiva, I booked an excursion with Lionel, who has a guesthouse on the island and also gives tours. He has a 4x4 that holds 4 people plus the driver and another that holds 7. I like the smaller group, so I emailed him to reserve the smaller jeep. The pricing is reasonable to just my husband and me, but it would be great if another couple joined us as the pricing is by the car, not per person. PG offers a tour but it is more of a hike and the disclaimer says it is hot and humid, so I thought I would rather see the sites by jeep. If you are interested in joining us, email me at benitamichael@bellsouth.net

I emailed Ato in Farakava twice - once in English and once using Google translate in French - no replies. There is another company there that advertises tours but I can't find any reviews of them, so we may just walk around if we can't find anything - PG has a beach excursion, so that is another possibility.

[kathy16]

Benita- also interested in sharing excursion in Fatu Hiva

Thanks,

kathy

[Benita]

Kathy-I will email you with the details.