Moorea & the Leeward Isles

A Few Things to Do Now

You have booked your tour — now there are a few things that will help us get everything ready for you.

Complete your Guest Questionnaire. We use this information to arrange your bicycle, dietary needs, arrival arrangements and other tour details.

Guest Questionnaire: secure.pedalers.travel/guestQuestions.php

You will need your Booking ID from your confirmation email and the passphrase you selected when booking.

Check your passport and entry requirements. All guests need a valid passport for French Polynesia. Pedalers recommends that your passport remain valid for at least six months beyond the end of your trip.

Entry requirements depend on nationality and on any countries you transit along the way. Each traveler is responsible for confirming the passport, visa, transit and other requirements that apply to their journey.

Get Some Riding In

You do not need to train like a serious cyclist for this tour, but spending some time on a bike before you arrive will make the riding considerably more enjoyable.

The most useful preparation is simply regular riding. Try to get out two or three times during the week, even if those rides are fairly short, and gradually add a longer ride on the weekend. The goal is not speed — it is becoming comfortable pedaling for a few hours and getting your legs, shoulders and backside accustomed to time on a bicycle.

If there is a recreational cycling group or local bike club near home, joining one of their easier rides can be a fun way to build confidence and spend a little longer on the bike without having to plan the route yourself.

The goal is to arrive with enough bicycle time that the riding feels familiar, leaving you free to enjoy where you are rather than thinking about the saddle.

Your Guide Team & Island Support

Your Pedalers guides travel with the group throughout the journey.

This tour works differently from most Pedalers trips because there is no support van following the riders through the islands. The inter-island ferries carry bicycles and motorcycles, but not the kind of support vehicle we would normally use.

The guides carry bike tools, essential spare parts, first-aid supplies and other day-to-day support gear on their bicycles. Hotels handle the group's main luggage between ferry piers and accommodations.

The guide stays with the group and near the slower riders. If a bike or rider needs help during the day, local transport can be arranged when necessary.

We will send guide names and contact information shortly before departure.

Arriving in Papeete

The tour begins in Papeete, Tahiti.

Our team meets arriving guests at Faa'a International Airport (PPT) and transfers everyone to the downtown hotel. International flights commonly arrive either early in the morning or late at night, so an extra night in Papeete can sometimes make the travel plan easier.

Your final pre-tour message will include guide contact information and any departure-specific meeting details.

Local time: GMT-10

Leaving from Bora Bora

The tour finishes on Bora Bora on Day 12.

After a final free morning, we transfer by boat to Bora Bora Airport for your flight back to Papeete.

The Bora Bora–Papeete flight is not included in the tour price. This lets you choose a flight that suits your onward international connection or extend your stay in the islands.

If your international flight leaves Papeete in the morning, plan a post-tour night in Papeete rather than trying to connect from Bora Bora the same day.

Money, Cards & ATMs

French Polynesia uses the Pacific franc (XPF or CFP franc).

The Pacific franc has a fixed exchange relationship with the euro. Credit cards are widely useful at hotels, restaurants and larger businesses, but some smaller shops, food stands and local businesses are easier with cash.

ATMs are available on the main islands. It is sensible to carry some local currency rather than assuming every small stop will accept a card.

If an ATM or card terminal offers to convert the transaction into your home currency, choose Pacific francs and let your home bank handle the currency conversion.

Phones, Data & Wi-Fi

Mobile service is available on the main Society Islands. Check your carrier's international roaming options before traveling, or consider a local SIM or travel eSIM.

Wi-Fi is available at our accommodations, although speed and reliability can vary from island to island.

Electricity & Power Outlets

French Polynesia uses European-style recessed outlets. The hotels we use accept Type C and Type E plugs; a Type F adapter also fits these sockets.

Some higher-end hotels may have a 110-volt Type A shaver outlet in the bathroom, but do not plan on using North American flat-blade plugs elsewhere.

A dedicated Type C/E/F travel adapter is preferable to many bulky universal adapters because it seats more securely in the recessed sockets.

Most modern phones, cameras and laptop chargers marked 100-240V do not need a voltage converter.

Weather & Island Riding

The listed season for this tour is March through November.

Days are warm and tropical, with strong sun moderated by sea breezes. Brief rain showers are always possible, and conditions can vary from one island to another.

Most rides are relatively flat or gently rolling. The larger challenge is spending several hours on the bicycle in tropical sun rather than dealing with major climbs.

Good sun protection, regular hydration and lightweight, quick-drying clothing are more useful than complicated technical gear.

A note about sun and staying cool: long tropical riding days are not the best time to work on a tan. Heavy waterproof or sweatproof sunscreen over large areas can make evaporative cooling less effective and leave you feeling hotter. Lightweight sun-protective clothing often works better on the bicycle; save the tanning for the pool or beach.

Your Bicycle

Pedalers provides your bicycle for the tour.

Your Guest Questionnaire asks for your height and inseam so we can select the correct frame size. Please provide an actual inseam measurement rather than the inseam printed on a pair of pants.

To measure it, stand barefoot against a wall with your feet about 15 cm / 6 inches apart. Place a book firmly between your legs as though it were a bicycle saddle and measure from the top of the book straight down to the floor. Measuring two or three times helps ensure an accurate result.

If you regularly ride with clip-in pedals or have a favorite saddle, feel free to bring them and ask us in advance about fitting them to your Pedalers bicycle.

An eBike upgrade may be available at extra cost. If you have reserved one, the guides will fit it for you and go over the controls and levels of pedal assistance.

Your Helmet & Water Bottle

Please bring your own bicycle helmet and water bottle.

We ask guests to bring their own helmets because helmet padding absorbs sweat and skin oils, and we do not feel shared helmets can be cleaned thoroughly enough between users.

We also skip the souvenir water bottles many tour companies hand out. Most are used briefly and then become unnecessary plastic, so we would rather you bring a bottle you already use and like.

Drinking water is provided during the riding days for refills.

Food & Dietary Needs

French Polynesian food blends island ingredients with strong French influence. Fresh tuna and lagoon fish appear often, along with pork, tropical fruit, island vegetables, breads and pastries.

Not every dinner is included. On several evenings we deliberately leave the meal open so you can choose a local restaurant, waterfront café or one of Papeete's Roulettes rather than building every dinner into the tour price.

If you have allergies or dietary requirements, give us complete details in your Guest Questionnaire so the guides can plan ahead and advise restaurants.

Drinking Water

Tap water is safe to drink on the Society Islands we visit. Many hotels also provide bottled or filtered drinking water.

During riding days, the guides pick up bottled water from shops along the route and use it to refill guest bottles as needed.

Ferries & Moving Between Islands

Island hopping is part of the journey rather than simply a transfer between riding days.

Any luggage you do not want with you while riding — including a daypack — can travel by vehicle between the hotel and ferry pier. Depending on the island, that transfer is handled by the hotel or by a locally contracted vehicle. Once luggage leaves one endpoint, however, it is not accessible between the hotel and pier, so keep your passport, medication, phone and anything else you may need during the ride with you.

At the ferry pier, baggage is placed into containers labeled for the destination; on some routes individual bags are tagged as well. Ferry crews handle loading and unloading the baggage containers.

On the Mo'orea ferries, guests ride their bicycles on and off the vessel and the guides carry rope to lash the bikes securely to the side rails.

On the Leeward Islands sailings to Huahine, Ra'iatea and Bora Bora, the ferry crew loads and unloads bicycles by crane. They take care with the bikes, but general onboard storage and crane handling can result in scratches. Guests considering bringing a personal bicycle should keep that reality in mind.

Marae & Local Etiquette

The marae we visit are culturally important sacred sites, not simply scenic ruins.

The most important rule is simple: do not walk or sit on any part of a marae, and do not lean bicycles against any part of it.

Your guides will provide local context and explain any other appropriate behavior during visits. Guests are expected to follow those guidelines and treat the sites with the same respect they would give an active religious or ceremonial place.

Lagoon Time, Swimming & Snorkeling

There is plenty of time built into the trip for swimming, snorkeling and simply being around the lagoon.

Bring a swimsuit, reef- or water-friendly footwear if you like using it, and a small waterproof pouch or dry bag for your phone and valuables.

If you have a favorite mask and snorkel, you are welcome to bring them, but specialized water gear is not required for the cycling portion of the trip.

What to Bring

Pack light, quick-drying clothing suited to warm island weather.

For riding

• Bicycle helmet
• Large water bottle
• Cycling shorts or comfortable riding bottoms
• Lightweight jerseys or breathable shirts
• Cycling gloves, if you normally use them
• Comfortable cycling shoes or athletic shoes
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Lightweight rain jacket
• Lightweight long-sleeve layer for sun protection
• Your own pedals or saddle, if desired

For island time

• Lightweight casual clothing
• Comfortable walking shoes or sandals
• Swimsuit
• Water-friendly footwear, if desired
• Light cover-up or beach clothing

Useful extras

• Prescription medications
• Personal toiletries
• Mosquito repellent
• Phone and charging cables
• Type C/E/F travel adapter
• Small power bank
• Small daypack
• Small waterproof pouch or dry bag
• Favorite riding snack, if desired

There is no need for formal clothing on the tour.

Tipping Your Guide Team

Tipping traditions differ around the world, and many of our guests come from places where gratuities are not an everyday custom. A multi-day guided journey is a little different. Your guides and drivers spend the trip looking after the group, sharing their country, solving the small problems that inevitably arise and helping make the journey run smoothly.

For that reason, Pedalers encourages guests to consider a gratuity as a personal thank-you to the people who have looked after them throughout the tour.

As a guideline, we suggest 200 Euro per guest for each guide. Gratuities are best given directly to each person at the end of the tour, preferably in local currency.

Questions Before You Leave?

If you are uncertain about flights, ferries, bicycles, food or what to pack, ask us before you travel.

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