- EDITORIAL - GREEN TOURISM - TREND - FRENCH POLYNESIA NEWS UPDATE - TREKKING FAIR - TOURISM PROFESSIONALS WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE ENVIRONMENT -'INTERVIEW -
Discovering Another French Polynesia
As a rule, “green” excursions into the heart of the islands begin very early in the morning to avoid the hottest hours of the day. They’ll take you along little-used paths that only a few guides really know well.
You’ll pass a restored “marae”, a former outdoor worshipping ground used by Tahitians in ancient times. You’ll often discover waterfalls, natural basins, water slides carved by nature into the rocks, making them smooth and slippery. You’ll find it difficult to resist taking a fresh, invigorating dip that will remain unforgettable.
Then, as you clear yourself a path into the middle of the lush nature that smothers the sides of ancient volcanoes, you’ll finally arrive at the summit for a real final shock—a rare and privileged view, a complete panorama of beauty that often provides in one glance the opportunity to see almost an entire island, something that others far below can only imagine happening.
Where the coastal road on both sides of the peninsula ends is where a lush nature takes over, creating the real impression of visiting a completely different world. This unique feeling is best exemplified by the few family pensions nestled near black sand beaches. Since there’s no road, the only means of transportation is by boat, which can drop you off on the practically deserted beaches.
Tahiti’s peninsula, known as Tahiti-Iti (Small Tahiti in Tahitian), is an ideal place to fully appreciate the calm and serene surroundings, or go discover its amazing secrets--“marae”, petroglyphs, cliffs and valleys.
This specific training was reviewed in 1999 so that it could be better adapted to local realities and new ways of discovering. The goal was to make the training correspond to the profession’s needs by integrating two new elements—learning English and planning excursion itineraries, the guide’s real working tool.
The implementation of local diplomas for local guides had a dual logic. First, it opened up employment opportunities for young persons. And it supported the development, both in terms of number and quality, of leisure tourist activities of an athletic nature in French Polynesia.
There are now five training courses, including one on Ua Pou in the Marquesas Islands, that have qualified more than 60 professional guides who are ready to welcome visitors and share their knowledge with them.
An Association of Excursion Guides in French Polynesia also insures a follow-up for the guides by proposing a training course each year toenable them to keep up to date with the latest excursion safety techniques and specially adapted uses of first aid. With a trained and ready structure, incomparable landscapes and treasures waiting to be discovered, French Polynesia today has all the necessary tools to become a privileged destination for amateur hikers and Green Tourism.
When one thinks of French Polynesia and its archipelagoes, it’s always the same images that keep coming to mind: lagoons, white sand beaches and palm trees.But the high islands offer quite a different attraction for those who can take the time to discover them.
A pair of walking shoes, an anti-mosquito lotion, a little willingness, a guide and presto, you’re now ready to discover the heart of the islands of French Polynesia, the secret beauties that are only revealed as the reward for some effort and a little bit of time.
But you also have the option of more athletic walks. You can visit Tahiti’s lava tubes, or cross Tahiti’s peninsula in two days. Both will provide you with unexpected, but more exclusive, sensations.
The lava tubes are natural conduits left behind by cooled lava flows. Many of them are found in one place on the island of Tahiti. There are several guides who can take you on visits to the lava tubes. During your cave explorations you will experience a strong flow of pure adrenalin among your new strong sensations.
Wearing a short neoprene wet suit, you will walk up a river until you arrive inside the mountain. Lighting the way with your headlamp, you will enjoy canyoning, sliding along the natural tubes, traveling from basin to basin as you cross through the mountain. At each basin, or nature’s swimming pool, you can pause to take a jump into the pure, clear and very chilly water.
There you are in the deep interior of the mountain, ready to jump from a height of several meters. You’re surrounded by almost total darkness as you aim for the dark, slightly threatening water below. Your only illumination is provided by your guide’s flashlight. As you leap, you’ll let out a scream of delight, which will echo repeatedly as one after another in your group lets loose with the same cry of joy and surprise.
The lava tubes are one of the “must” discoveries in the heart of the island of Tahiti. Others include crossing Tahiti’s peninsula and walking in the Maroto Valley. There are many walks throughout the island, ranging from the extreme to the tranquil. Each is different and is tailored to specific qualifications. So regardless of your level or your physical condition, don’t miss out on one of these different ways of discovering an island in this part of the world.
Hiking Excursion Guides Now Serve Green Tourism
The specific training of hiking excursion guides since 1996 has opened the door to the development of new activities in the area of “Green Tourism”. They include discovering the heart of islands, archeological treasures, the richness of the flora and the characteristics of the fauna. Such discoveries can only be made when accompanied by a good guide who can explain, show and tell visitors what they need to know, learn and experience.
- EDITORIAL - GREEN TOURISM - TREND - FRENCH POLYNESIA NEWS UPDATE - TREKKING FAIR - TOURISM PROFESSIONALS WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE ENVIRONMENT -'INTERVIEW -
