Treasures of French Polynesia & the Marquesas Islands

The city of Papeete (Tahitian Pape'ete; pop. 27,000) is the capital of Tahiti, the largest of the French Polynesian Islands. With its pleasant warm tropical climate, city-lovers will enjoy Papeete's chic shops, specialist stores and boutiques, together with the lively mix of French, Polynesian, and Chinese cultures. Read more about Papeete, French Polynesia

Opunohu Bay on the north coast of Mo'orea is entered through the fringing reef, and provides anchorage for visiting cruise ships. Mo'orea is Polynesia's second-most popular tourist attraction after Tahiti. Located a mere seven kilometres west of the island of Tahiti, Mo'orea, with its jagged peaks cloaked with lush greenery, its white and black sand beaches that are among the finest in the world, encircled by a lagoon of translucent green, fringed by the deep blue of the ocean and sky is delightful. Read more about Opunohu, French Polynesia

Rangiroa, also known as The Endless Lagoon, is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. It lies 325 km to the NE of Tahiti. The lagoon is 80 km long and rather narrower, with two main sea passages to the ocean at the northern end. Read more about Rangiroa, French Polynesia

Nuku Hiva is the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France. The Marquises lie 1400 km NE of Tahiti. The island is about 25 km across, with a high inland plateau and the highest peak Tekao at 1224 m. Read more about Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia

Hiva Oa is the largest island of the southern Marquesas group, 1400 km NE of Tahiti. Its population is around 2200. Hiva Oa means “long ridgepole,” likely so named because of its long central ridge. Read more about Hiva Oa, French Polynesia

Cocos Island (Isla del Coco) is located 500 km SW of Costa Rica, in the Pacific Ocean. The Galapagos Islands lie a further 700 km to the SW of Cocos Island. It is an oceanic island of both volcanic and tectonic origin, one of the National Parks of Costa Rica, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read more about Cocos Island, Costa Rica

Named one of the seven modern wonders of the world by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Panama Canal is a 77 km ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1903 to 1914, nearly 850,000 vessels have passed through the canal. Interestingly, the 8-10 hour journey from the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east is one from SE to NW. Read more about Panama Canal, Panama

Named one of the seven modern wonders of the world by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Panama Canal is a 77 km ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1903 to 1914, nearly 850,000 vessels have passed through the canal. Interestingly, the 8-10 hour journey from the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east is one from SE to NW. Read more about Panama Canal, Panama