Experiencing Tahiti Beyond the Beaches
On my last visit to Tahiti I had to experience the interior of the island. I have driven around the island many times but always wanted to take a 4 x 4 adventure so I could experience Tahiti's rugged beauty. I had heard about Tahiti Safari Expedition being the top tour company to take on a 4 x 4 adventure and booked my trip before leaving the states (they are typically sold out weeks in advance).
I opted for the full day excursion which traverses into the heart of the island, dissecting the mountains by a tunnel so you actually pop out on the opposite side of the island.
Our guide was very informative as he spoke about the different foliage we saw along the way. The indigenous plants were the most interesting as we were told how the ancient Tahitians would use the different petals of flowers or leaves for medicinal purposes. Our guide pointed out the main volcano and explained how the other peaks were formed and that at points in time we were driving on the rim of the volcano quite near the crater. Of course, we spotted numerous waterfalls all along the way as we bopped in our new and well equipped open air Land Rover.
One of my favorite stops was at a natural swimming pool complete with the quintessential tropical waterfall. While I floated in the cool waters I watched all the young studs climb the face of the rocks and jump into the refreshing pool below. This was the perfect way to start the adventure.
You see, the road was only paved up to the Moroto Hotel, and from then on it was a true 4 x 4 journey. Tahiti Safari Expeditions had two vehicles with tourists, ours was the English speaking group, and the other group was the French speaking group. Both drivers watched the weather with a keen eye `cause if it looked like heavy rain then our course over the mountains would become unnavigable.
Now it goes without saying that I am extremely afraid of heights! And there were quite a few places were there was not much between us and the 3000 foot plus drop off - this was just a one way road!!! But no worries, I knew we were in capable hands and this was supposed to be an adventure, right? In our group were three Russian men who had on GPS monitors so we could determine our elevation at different points along the way. For awhile, and towards the end of the climb, we were all hoping the next turn would bring us to the top of the mountain. Finally upon reaching the highest peak of 4800 feet - and after I breathed a sigh of relief - I was able to snap lots of photos; the views were incredible!
It really was something of an engineering feat to cut a road into the rainforest and then blast a passageway through the mountain. On our descent, which was equally as thrilling as our climb, the vistas were just stunning. Along the way we came across a large lake (no swimming allowed) and a car going up the way we just came.
All I could think was, "What if we encountered this car going up the mountainside!" YIKES!!!
I highly recommend spending an extra day or so exploring the youngest of the Society Islands - Tahiti, and experience Tahiti beyond the beaches!
