French Polynesia · PF

Le lagon bleu

Le Lagon Bleu, the "Blue Lagoon," is a small inner lagoon set within the vast coral ring of Rangiroa atoll in the Tuamotus, roughly 350 km northeast of Tahiti. Tucked between the motu (islets) of Tereia and Taeoo on the atoll's western side, it is a shallow pool of impossibly clear turquoise water fringed by fine white and pink sand, ringed by low palm-topped islets in what is often called a "lagoon within a lagoon." The lagoon is reachable only by boat, and there is no road or footpath to it: most visitors arrive on a guided full-day excursion from the villages of Avatoru or Tiputa, after about an hour on the water. In return you get an open-air swimming pool, a protected nursery for young blacktip reef sharks, and a glimpse of Tuamotu (Paumotu) island life—part of a classified nature reserve that is open year-round.