Bora Bora’s impossibly blue lagoon is set to become a regular highlight for Tahiti’s freighter cruise line Aranui, which has added the famed Society Islands to its 2015 program.
For the first time, every 14-day Aranui roundtrip cruise from Papeete will call at Bora Bora as well as French Polynesia’s mysterious Marquesas Islands and the pristine Tuamotu atolls.
The announcement follows the cruise line’s first scheduled call to Bora Bora on Good Friday this month, with this year’s program also including one more visit to the island in December.
Aranui’s Regional Representative Australia New Zealand Laurent Wong said there had been such an overwhelming response to this year’s Bora Bora visits that it made sense to add the island to all of the cruise line’s 17 departures in 2015.
“The new program will take guests to three very different yet equally stunning French Polynesian archipelagoes – the Marquesas, Tuamotus and Society Islands – and show off some of the most naturally beautiful and untouched islands in the world,” Mr Wong said.
Next year also marks the last chance for Australians to cruise on the popular Aranui 3 which is due to retire after 12 years cruising the region. The 256-passenger Aranui 5 is scheduled to commence service in late 2015.
A highlight of the 2015 program is the chance to experience the four-yearly Marquesas Art and Culture Festival with a special 15-day itinerary in December including a visit to Hiva Oa during the event.
To include the new Bora Bora calls, the 2015 itineraries have been slightly modified but still feature the same Marquesas ports with guests able to walk in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson, Herman Melville, Jacques Brel and Paul Gauguin on Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Ua Huka, Tahuata, Fatu Hiva and Hiva Oa. The Aranui will still call at Rangiroa in the Tuamotus but Takapoto has replaced Fakarava.
Priced from $6071* per person twin share in a standard cabin, the fare includes guided shore excursions, all main meals and a complimentary glass of wine with onboard lunches and dinners.
Aranui 3 accommodates around 200 passengers in air-conditioned cabins including suites with private balconies and deluxe and standard twin rooms.
The freighter line dispenses a lifeline of food, fuel and other staples to remote island ports while passengers disembark and explore lush Garden of Eden landscapes on a range of complimentary excursions including hikes and 4WD tours. The new Bora Bora visits will include a picnic lunch on a secluded beach with optional activities such as a lagoon excursion, manta ray experience and a helicopter ride. Throughout the journey, guests enjoy the comforts of a cruise ship from a spacious sundeck to a freshwater swimming pool, a gym and a library.
For more information on Aranui see a travel agent, visit www.aranuicruises.com.au or phone 03 9449 3778.