Located in French Polynesia, Bora Bora is a legendary destination. The high-end resorts and gorgeous scenery make it a popular place for the rich and famous, as well as an aspirational destination for many others. Regardless of where you fall along that scale, before you can enjoy Bora Bora you have to get there! As it happens, that isn't always the easiest thing to do.
Getting to Tahiti
To get to Bora Bora, odds are that you'll need to fly into Tahiti first. From the United States, the best way to do that will likely be on a Hawaiian Airlines flight out of Honolulu or via a Qantas flight out of L.A. Air Caledonie, Air France, Air New Zealand, and LAN also offer flights from around the world to Pape'ete International Airport. When you're looking for flights, note that you'll be looking for "Papeete, French Polynesia" as the area is an overseas collective of France and not an independent nation. Searching for "Tahiti" on the Qantas website isn't going to get you very far. Getting to Tahiti from Honolulu takes about 4 hours in the air, which means you're looking at 8 hours of flight time from Los Angeles or 12 from New York.
Air Tahiti
Once you're in Tahiti, you'll have several options for getting to Bora Bora. Air Tahiti offers four flights every day from Pape'ete, Tahiti, to Bora Bora. The flight takes less than an hour. If you're visiting another island, odds are you can still catch a plane from here. Flights go out from Moorea and Raiatea daily, from Huahine nearly every day, and weekly from Maupiti. There are a few other options, as well. Air Archipels and Air Moorea also service the island, and you can always charter a chopper from Tahiti Helicopter. If you've had enough of flying, you can travel by sea via Vaeanu.
Bora Bora Proper
When your plane lands, you'll be on a little islet—called a motu—just north of Bora Bora proper. Air Tahiti operates a free shuttle that'll take you from the airport islet to Vaitape, the main village, where most of the best restaurants and shops are found. Many of the resorts are located on other motu or dotted along the main island itself. While most of Bora Bora is difficult to cross—it's mountainous with no roads to speak of—there are plenty of airlines, resorts, and ferry companies ready to make sure you can get where you need to be. Most resorts—and even some of the restaurants—offer boats that crisscross the islands or that take you back and forth from the main airport shuttle quay.
Don't Worry
Bora Bora can be an incredibly rewarding island paradise for those eager to enjoy the lap of luxury. While the logistics of getting from island to island can look daunting at first, all of the details have been ironed out by people who do this for a living. You should have a plan in place before you go, but the good news is that getting one together won't be hard at all. Your resort should take care of nearly everything, and if they don't, they'll put you in touch with someone who can.
