Cruises from Mangareva

Over a thousand kilometres SE of Tahiti are the Gambier Islands, also a part of French Polynesia. Mangareva, the largest island of the archipelago, is home to most of the population and the centre of the region's pearl industry. Mangareva and a few small islands are contained within a lagoon 24 km across, bounded by a reef. Fish and shellfish within the lagoon sustain the population. The lagoons of Mangareva are known for their pearl oysters, as large and famous pearl farms are located here.