Raiatea-La beauté de la Perle Noire de Tahiti-La Vanille de Tahaa

I had accidently booked the wrong day. I reached out directly to the company and they told me it was not a problem at all and they would just add me and my family to the correct date. I showed up and we were not on the books at all. I have the text messages showing it all. The man in charge said he would have money refunded and I still have not seen the refund. We were really looking forward to this tour. They were unable to but us on another tour, so it looks like they managed to get my $500 dollars for lying to me. I dont recommend at this time.

fabulous trip over to the islands saw lots learnt lots

Each stop seemed to be in the middle of the jungle. We didn’t receive much commentary in what we were doing at each stop. All of the stops seemed like they wanted to sell you stuff. The bathroom stop at the distillery was at a very run down gas station. The toilet wouldn’t flush. Not a pleasant experience. The explanation as to how the run wan made was in a very hot, and not well lit barn. No air circulation.

Very interesting boat tour. It was informative about vanilla, rum, and pearls. Our guides were excellent. Boat driver got us everywhere safely and on time.

Confirmed departure time was 13:00 (1 pm). Arrived at appointed meeting location at 12:55 only to be told excursion had already left. The guy at desk claims to have sent an email via Viator but was never received.

Captain Ben was great. He shared extra info and pointed out Bora Bora as we went past in the beautiful blues of the ocean. He took extra care of my disabled husband. Black pearl location provided interesting info and helpful service as we selected some pearls to take home. Vanilla local was very small but interesting. The excursion was well worth it.

Thank you for your welcome and this extraordinary visit 🤩

We specifically picked this tour as we wanted to: a) Visit a vanilla plantation b) Visit a pearl farm c) See sharks and manta rays. The tour left on time and we boarded a small boat next to the cruise pier. Two young men came with us to help passengers and drive the boat. The first thing they mentioned is that we would visit a vanilla plantation, a pearl farm and a rhum distillery? The first stop was the vanilla plantation where we received a short, but interesting presentation, on the processes used to grow/process vanilla. We were then invited to buy local vanilla products. I had hoped to walk around the plantation but there was not much else to discover. The next stop was the rhum distillery (not advertised for this tour). We tasted different rhums made from sugar cane juice and were invited to buy these local products. The last stop was the pearl farm where a young woman gave us a presentation about how black pearls are cultivated and harvested. We were disappointed to learn that the day’s pearl farm activities had concluded at 2h30 pm and that everything was closed down. We were invited to buy pearls from their shop. We than returned to the ship on a long, bumpy ride (45 min.). My recommendations for the tour operator: visit the pearl farm first, don’t substitute advertised activities (we did not see sharks/manta rays) without advising guests. Guests should be warned the boat ride can be bumpy for those who may have back/leg issues. Taha’a is a beautiful island that is worth visiting.

Please understand that you should have some knowledge of pearls, rum and vanilla prior to trip if it’s not your bag- book something else- the boat ride can be rough so if sea sickness or back problems are an issue be forewarned. Crew took excellent care of guest in wheelchair- very accommodating!

Ask for an outline of the events & the sequence so that you get the best experience for each activity.