The Marquesas lie some 1,500 km northeast of Tahiti: twelve high volcanic islands of mountains, valleys and sea cliffs, six of them inhabited, that their people call Henua Enana, the Land of Men. They hold the stone tikis and temple platforms of an old warrior society, villages that can be reached only by sea, and a culture of carving, dance and tattoo that is very much alive. Since July 2024 they have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Aranui 5 is how much of what the islands need gets there. In service since 2015, she is a freighter and a passenger ship in one: food, building materials and vehicles in her holds and on her decks forward, and up to about 230 passengers in 103 cabins aft. At each island the crew unload by crane and barge while the passengers go ashore with the ship's guides, and on the way home she carries the islands' copra and fruit.
The voyage runs from Papeete and back in twelve or thirteen days: the atoll of Fakarava, a day at sea, the six inhabited Marquesas islands, a second day at sea, then Rangiroa and the lagoon of Bora Bora. The guided excursions, Marquesan lunches ashore, dance shows, lectures and three meals a day are included. We book your cabin and can add the flights to Tahiti and a hotel in Papeete at either end.
"Cargo forward, cabins aft, and the six inhabited islands of the Marquesas."
Stone tikis on a temple platform on Nuku Hiva
Why the Marquesas
Islands Few Ships Reach
A Working Freighter
Aranui 5 is the islands' supply ship as well as a passenger ship: cranes, containers and a landing barge forward; cabins, a pool, bars and a restaurant aft. Watching the cargo come off at each island is part of the voyage.
All Six Inhabited Marquesas
Nuku Hiva, Ua Pou, Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Fatu Hiva and Ua Huka, each with a day or half a day ashore: spires and sea cliffs, valleys of breadfruit and coconut palms, and two islands with no airport at all.
Tikis and Temple Platforms
Stone tikis and the paved platforms of old Marquesan villages and temples: the banyans and petroglyphs of Kamuihei on Nuku Hiva, and on Hiva Oa the great tikis of Puamau or the site of Tohua Ta'oa, depending on the voyage.
Dance, Carving and Tattoo
A dance show with the bird dance on Ua Pou, carvers of wood, bone and shell in the villages, tapa beaten from bark on Fatu Hiva, and a Marquesan tattoo artist aboard, by appointment.
Excursions and Lunches Included
Guided excursions across the Marquesas, several by four-wheel drive, with Marquesan lunches ashore of breadfruit, goat curry, raw fish in coconut milk and red bananas, and a barbecue on a beach in Bora Bora.
Fakarava, Rangiroa and Bora Bora
The voyage begins and ends among the atolls and lagoons: the UNESCO biosphere reserve of Fakarava, Rangiroa, entered by the Tiputa Pass, and a day on a beach in the lagoon of Bora Bora.
Day by Day
Three Voyages from Papeete
Thirteen days in 2027, twelve in 2028, and fourteen for the Marquesas Arts Festival in December 2027, all from Papeete and back. Cargo, weather and the sea set the timetable, so the order of the islands and the time ashore can change.
13 days, 12 nights, from Papeete and back. Fakarava, a day at sea, the six inhabited Marquesas islands, with a day at Atuona and a morning at Puamau on Hiva Oa, a second day at sea, then Rangiroa and Bora Bora.
The Route
Papeete to the Marquesas and back, 2027
North-east from Tahiti through the Tuamotus by Fakarava, a day at sea to Nuku Hiva, then the six inhabited Marquesas islands, with Atuona and Puamau on Hiva Oa, and back by Rangiroa and Bora Bora. The ship's schedule and the sea decide each call.
Aranui 5 sails from Papeete at noon, with a welcome from the crew, and heads northeast overnight for the atolls of the Tuamotus.
Day 2
Fakarava
Fakarava, the second-largest atoll in French Polynesia, is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. After a buffet aboard, the ship docks at Rotoava: walk to the village and its church built of coral, see the local crafts and how the coconut is put to every use, or spend the afternoon on the beach, swimming and snorkelling among the reef fish. Diving and bicycles cost extra.
Day 3
At Sea
A day crossing the open Pacific to the Marquesas: lectures on the islands' history and culture, a lesson in Tahitian dance, and the crew's songs on ukulele, guitar and drums. That evening the clocks go forward half an hour to Marquesas time.
Day 4
Nuku Hiva: Taiohae and Hatiheu
While the cargo comes off at Taiohae, the small capital of the Marquesas, where Herman Melville jumped ship from a whaler in 1842, you set out by four-wheel drive for the day: the cathedral or the craft market, the giant banyans and petroglyphs of Kamuihei near Hatiheu, and a first Marquesan lunch, with music. Back in Taiohae, walk or ride to the ship for a Polynesian evening with a buffet by the pool.
Day 5
Ua Pou: Hakahau
From the decks, the spires of Ua Pou come into view. While cement, sugar and supplies come off and sacks of copra and fruit go aboard, walk through Hakahau to its church and carved wooden pulpit, meet the island's carvers, and climb to the cross above the village for the view. Lunch is Marquesan: breadfruit, goat curry, raw fish in lemon and coconut milk, taro and red bananas, with a dance show that includes the bird dance.
Day 6
Hiva Oa: Atuona
The ship docks early in Tahauku Bay, below Atuona, the second-largest village in the Marquesas, where Paul Gauguin lived and painted at the end of his life. See the colonial store where he bought his bread, a replica of his House of Pleasure and the museum, then walk up to the cemetery above the bay, where Gauguin lies under a frangipani tree near the grave of the Belgian singer Jacques Brel.
Day 7
Hiva Oa: Puamau, and Tahuata
In the morning, the Puamau valley in the northeast of Hiva Oa and the stone tikis of I'ipona: among them Takaii, at 2.57 metres the largest tiki in French Polynesia, and Makii Taua te Pepe, carved lying down. In the afternoon the ship anchors off Vaitahu on Tahuata, an island with no airport, whose church has fine Marquesan carving and stained glass, and whose carvers work in bone and shell.
Day 8
Fatu Hiva: Omoa and Hanavave
The most remote and the greenest of the Marquesas. At Omoa, women show how tapa cloth is beaten from bark and how they make umuhei, a fragrant bouquet of herbs for the hair. Then the keenest walkers set off on a 15 km hike over the mountains to Hanavave, with lunch at the top, while everyone else sails round on the ship to Hanavave and the Bay of Virgins, often called one of the most beautiful bays in the world, to meet them in the village.
Day 9
Ua Huka
At dawn the ship turns about in the narrow inlet of Vaipaee, the Invisible Bay, a turn worth being on deck for. Then by four-wheel drive across a dry island of wild horses and goats, past viewpoints and an arboretum, to the village of Hane, for lunch in a family restaurant and carvings in wood and engraved coconut shell. Ride back, or walk the 3 km from the arboretum; in the afternoon the ship sails along the coast.
Day 10
At Sea
A day at sea back to the Tuamotus, with lectures and activities aboard. That evening the clocks go back half an hour to Tahiti time.
Day 11
Rangiroa
Watch from the decks as the ship comes into Rangiroa, the largest atoll in French Polynesia, through the Tiputa Pass, where dolphins sometimes come to meet her. Swim from the white beach in the lagoon and look at the shell necklaces local women sell there, or take a glass-bottom boat or, for certified divers, a dive, at extra cost. The ship sails at lunchtime for Bora Bora.
Day 12
Bora Bora
Into the lagoon of Bora Bora, below Mount Otemanu, for a day on the beach of Motu Tapu, a private islet, with snorkelling and a barbecue lunch. Diving, lagoon tours by boat or outrigger canoe and swimming with sharks and rays cost extra, and island tours pass guns and bunkers left from the Second World War, when Bora Bora was an American base. The ship sails for Papeete in the evening.
Day 13
Papeete
Back in Papeete, the voyage ends. Stay on in Tahiti for a night or two, or fly home; we can book the hotel and the flights.
12 days, 11 nights, from Papeete and back. Fakarava, a day at sea, the six inhabited Marquesas islands, with Tahuata and Atuona on one day and a drive to Tohua Ta'oa, a second day at sea, then Rangiroa and Bora Bora.
The Route
Papeete to the Marquesas and back, 2028
North-east from Tahiti through the Tuamotus by Fakarava, a day at sea to Nuku Hiva, then the six inhabited Marquesas islands, with Tahuata and Atuona on one day, and back by Rangiroa and Bora Bora. The ship's schedule and the sea decide each call.
Aranui 5 sails from Papeete at noon, with a welcome from the crew, and heads northeast overnight for the atolls of the Tuamotus.
Day 2
Fakarava
Fakarava, the second-largest atoll in French Polynesia, is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. After a buffet aboard, the ship docks at Rotoava: walk to the village and its church built of coral, see the local crafts and how the coconut is put to every use, or spend the afternoon on the beach, swimming and snorkelling among the reef fish. Diving and bicycles cost extra.
Day 3
At Sea
A day crossing the open Pacific to the Marquesas: lectures on the islands' history and culture, a lesson in Tahitian dance, and the crew's songs on ukulele, guitar and drums. That evening the clocks go forward half an hour to Marquesas time.
Day 4
Nuku Hiva: Taiohae and Hatiheu
While the cargo comes off at Taiohae, the small capital of the Marquesas, where Herman Melville jumped ship from a whaler in 1842, you set out by four-wheel drive for the day: the cathedral or the craft market, the giant banyans and petroglyphs of Kamuihei near Hatiheu, and a first Marquesan lunch, with music. Back in Taiohae, walk or ride to the ship for a Polynesian evening with a buffet by the pool.
Day 5
Ua Pou: Hakahau
From the decks, the spires of Ua Pou come into view. While cement, sugar and supplies come off and sacks of copra and fruit go aboard, walk through Hakahau to its church and carved wooden pulpit, meet the island's carvers, and climb to the cross above the village for the view. Lunch is Marquesan: breadfruit, goat curry, raw fish in lemon and coconut milk, taro and red bananas, with a dance show that includes the bird dance.
Day 6
Tahuata and Hiva Oa
In the morning the ship anchors in the small bay of Vaitahu on Tahuata, an island with no airport, where Spanish explorers landed in 1595 and the French founded their first colony in the Marquesas in 1842; its church has fine Marquesan carving and stained glass. After lunch aboard she crosses to Atuona on Hiva Oa, Gauguin's last home: by four-wheel drive to Tohua Ta'oa, the largest archaeological site in the Marquesas, then his store, a replica of his House of Pleasure, the museum and the cemetery where he and Jacques Brel are buried.
Day 7
Fatu Hiva: Omoa and Hanavave
The most remote and the greenest of the Marquesas. At Omoa, women show how tapa cloth is beaten from bark and how they make umuhei, a fragrant bouquet of herbs for the hair. Then the keenest walkers set off on a 15 km hike over the mountains to Hanavave, with lunch at the top, while everyone else sails round on the ship to Hanavave and the Bay of Virgins, often called one of the most beautiful bays in the world, to meet them in the village.
Day 8
Ua Huka
At dawn the ship turns about in the narrow inlet of Vaipaee, the Invisible Bay, a turn worth being on deck for. Then by four-wheel drive across a dry island of wild horses and goats, past viewpoints and an arboretum, to the village of Hane, for lunch in a family restaurant and carvings in wood and engraved coconut shell. Ride back, or walk the 3 km from the arboretum; in the afternoon the ship sails along the coast.
Day 9
At Sea
A day at sea back to the Tuamotus, with lectures and activities aboard. That evening the clocks go back half an hour to Tahiti time.
Day 10
Rangiroa
Watch from the decks as the ship comes into Rangiroa, the largest atoll in French Polynesia, through the Tiputa Pass, where dolphins sometimes come to meet her. Swim from the white beach in the lagoon and look at the shell necklaces local women sell there, or take a glass-bottom boat or, for certified divers, a dive, at extra cost. The ship sails at lunchtime for Bora Bora.
Day 11
Bora Bora
Into the lagoon of Bora Bora, below Mount Otemanu, for a day on the beach of a private islet, with snorkelling and a barbecue lunch. Diving, lagoon tours by boat or outrigger canoe and swimming with sharks and rays cost extra, and island tours pass guns and bunkers left from the Second World War, when Bora Bora was an American base. The ship sails for Papeete in the evening.
Day 12
Papeete
Back in Papeete, the voyage ends. Stay on in Tahiti for a night or two, or fly home; we can book the hotel and the flights.
14 days, 13 nights, 13 to 26 December 2027. The Marquesas voyage around the Marquesas Arts Festival: a day at the festival in Atuona, a second day there for Gauguin's town and Tohua Ta'oa, then Puamau, Tahuata and the rest of the islands. Makatea may take Rangiroa's place.
The Route
The Marquesas Arts Festival voyage, December 2027
The Marquesas voyage around the festival at Atuona: two days on Hiva Oa, then Puamau, Tahuata and the rest of the islands, and back by Rangiroa, or Makatea in its place, and Bora Bora.
Aranui 5 sails from Papeete at noon, with a welcome from the crew, and heads northeast overnight for the atolls of the Tuamotus.
Day 2
Fakarava
Fakarava, the second-largest atoll in French Polynesia, is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. After a buffet aboard, the ship docks at Rotoava: walk to the village and its church built of coral, see the local crafts and how the coconut is put to every use, or spend the afternoon on the beach, swimming and snorkelling among the reef fish. Diving and bicycles cost extra.
Day 3
At Sea
A day crossing the open Pacific to the Marquesas: lectures on the islands' history and culture, a lesson in Tahitian dance, and the crew's songs on ukulele, guitar and drums. That evening the clocks go forward half an hour to Marquesas time.
Day 4
Nuku Hiva: Taiohae and Hatiheu
While the cargo comes off at Taiohae, the small capital of the Marquesas, where Herman Melville jumped ship from a whaler in 1842, you set out by four-wheel drive for the day: the cathedral or the craft market, the giant banyans and petroglyphs of Kamuihei near Hatiheu, and a first Marquesan lunch, with music. Back in Taiohae, walk or ride to the ship for a Polynesian evening with a buffet by the pool.
Day 5
Ua Pou: Hakahau
From the decks, the spires of Ua Pou come into view. While cement, sugar and supplies come off and sacks of copra and fruit go aboard, walk through Hakahau to its church and carved wooden pulpit, meet the island's carvers, and climb to the cross above the village for the view. Lunch is Marquesan: breadfruit, goat curry, raw fish in lemon and coconut milk, taro and red bananas, with a dance show that includes the bird dance.
Day 6
Hiva Oa: the Arts Festival
The festival day at Atuona. In the morning, traditional dances by the young people of the islands, new to the festival this time, craft stalls with demonstrations, and the island's museums. At midday the Kaikai Katahi, a great feast of dishes from every island, brings everyone together, and in the evening the adults dance.
Day 7
Hiva Oa: Atuona
A second day at Atuona, for Gauguin's town: by four-wheel drive to Tohua Ta'oa, the largest archaeological site in the Marquesas, then the store where he bought his bread, a replica of his House of Pleasure, the museum, and the walk up to the cemetery where he lies near Jacques Brel.
Day 8
Hiva Oa: Puamau, and Tahuata
In the morning, the Puamau valley in the northeast of Hiva Oa and the stone tikis of I'ipona: among them Takaii, at 2.57 metres the largest tiki in French Polynesia, and Makii Taua te Pepe, carved lying down. In the afternoon the ship anchors off Vaitahu on Tahuata, an island with no airport, whose church has fine Marquesan carving and stained glass, and whose carvers work in bone and shell.
Day 9
Fatu Hiva: Omoa and Hanavave
The most remote and the greenest of the Marquesas. At Omoa, women show how tapa cloth is beaten from bark and how they make umuhei, a fragrant bouquet of herbs for the hair. Then the keenest walkers set off on a 15 km hike over the mountains to Hanavave, with lunch at the top, while everyone else sails round on the ship to Hanavave and the Bay of Virgins, often called one of the most beautiful bays in the world, to meet them in the village.
Day 10
Ua Huka
At dawn the ship turns about in the narrow inlet of Vaipaee, the Invisible Bay, a turn worth being on deck for. Then by four-wheel drive across a dry island of wild horses and goats, past viewpoints and an arboretum, to the village of Hane, for lunch in a family restaurant and carvings in wood and engraved coconut shell. Ride back, or walk the 3 km from the arboretum; in the afternoon the ship sails along the coast.
Day 11
At Sea
A day at sea back to the Tuamotus, with lectures and activities aboard. That evening the clocks go back half an hour to Tahiti time.
Day 12
Rangiroa or Makatea
Either Rangiroa, the largest atoll in French Polynesia, entered by the Tiputa Pass, for its beach and lagoon, with diving or a glass-bottom boat at extra cost; or Makatea, a raised coral island of cliffs and caves where phosphate was mined from 1917, crossed on foot or by car, with a picnic ashore before the ship sails along its coast. Then on to Bora Bora.
Day 13
Bora Bora
Into the lagoon of Bora Bora, below Mount Otemanu, for a day on the beach of Motu Tapu, a private islet, with snorkelling and a barbecue lunch. Diving, lagoon tours by boat or outrigger canoe and swimming with sharks and rays cost extra, and island tours pass guns and bunkers left from the Second World War, when Bora Bora was an American base. The ship sails for Papeete in the evening.
Day 14
Papeete
Back in Papeete, the voyage ends. Stay on in Tahiti for a night or two, or fly home; we can book the hotel and the flights.
The last voyages of 2026, in November and December, are twelve days: Ua Huka comes before Tahuata and Atuona, which share a day, and on a few of them Makatea takes Rangiroa's place. On every voyage the ship's guides brief everyone the evening before on the next day's landing.
The Marquesas
Henua Enana, the Land of Men.
The Ship
Aranui 5
Aranui 5 was built for this route and has sailed it since 2015, the latest of the ships that have carried freight from Tahiti to the Marquesas since 1954 and passengers since 1984. She flies the French flag, is 126 metres long, and carries about 230 passengers in 103 cabins as well as the islands' cargo, with her cranes and holds forward and her passenger decks aft.
Her crew are Polynesian, from all five archipelagos, some of them with the company for more than thirty years, and they handle the landing barge, the music and the dancing as well as the ship. The guides and lecturers speak English, French and German. Aboard are a restaurant, a lounge and two conference rooms for the lectures, a library, a game room, a pool, three bars including the Sky Bar at the top of the ship, a gym, a spa, a tattoo studio, a shop and two lifts.
There is a doctor aboard, with an infirmary. Wi-Fi by satellite, sold at the boutique, works in the cabins and most public areas and is good enough for email. The ship has no stabilisers, so in a heavy swell she rolls; a cabin amidships moves least. Washing machines and dryers are aboard, and the cabins have European two-pin sockets at 220 volts.
Under way; off an atoll with her cargo; the lounge bar; the tattoo studio
103Cabins
230Passengers
126 mLength
8Guest decks
2015In service
Cabins
From Dormitory Berths to the Presidential Suite
Every private cabin has its own bathroom with a shower and a hair dryer, and a porthole, a window or a balcony. The sailings below give prices for the six categories most people choose; the others are priced on request.
Stateroom
11 m² · decks 2, 3 and 5
A double bed or two singles, a porthole and a shower room: the ship's standard cabin, and the lowest fare in a private cabin. Eight on deck 5 have a partly obstructed view, on request.
A double or two single beds
A porthole
A shower and a hair dryer
Deluxe
13 m² and a 4 m² balcony · decks 7, 8 and 9
A double bed or two singles, a fridge and a safe, and a small private balcony, on the upper decks toward the stern.
A private balcony
Double or twin beds
A fridge and a safe
Superior Deluxe
15 m² with a balcony · decks 3, 4, 8 and 9
A little larger than the Deluxe, with a king bed or two singles, a balcony, a fridge and a safe. Most are on the Sun and Sky decks, near the top of the ship.
A private balcony
King or twin beds
A fridge and a safe
Junior Suite
3 suites · 15 to 19 m² · decks 6 and 7
Two on deck 6 have large windows and no balcony, at 19 m²; one on deck 7 has a balcony, at 15 m². King or twin beds, a fridge and a safe; both kinds cost the same.
King or twin beds
Large windows or a balcony
A fridge and a safe
Premium Suite
20 suites · 19 m² · decks 6 and 7
A suite with a sitting area, a bedroom and a balcony, for up to three guests: ten on the Veranda deck and ten on the Pool deck.
A private balcony
A sitting area
Up to three guests
Royal Suite
6 suites · 22 m² · decks 6, 7 and 8
A living room, a separate bedroom and a balcony, two each on the Veranda, Pool and Sun decks, at the forward end. Two more on deck 5 have a partly obstructed view, on request.
A separate bedroom
A living room
A private balcony
Presidential Suite
1 suite · 41 m² and a 12 m² balcony · deck 9
The one suite on the Sky deck, at the top of the ship: a living room, a separate bedroom and a balcony of 12 m², for up to three guests. On request.
A 12 m² balcony
A living room and a bedroom
Up to three guests
Single and Quadruple Staterooms
9 to 17 m² · deck 2
Two single cabins of 9 m² for one traveler, and six of 17 m² for four, with a double bed and bunks, all with portholes on the lowest deck. On request.
One guest or four
A porthole
A shower room
Class C Dormitory
Shared · bunks · deck 4
Bunks in four shared cabins of four, and in 2026 and 2027 one of eight, with portholes and shared shower rooms, sold by the berth. The dormitories are mixed and take no one under 16. On request.
Sold by the berth
Portholes
Mixed, 16 and over
Traveling alone in a double cabin or suite costs about one and a half times the per-person rate. Children are welcome from age 1: under 3 they pay only the taxes, and from 3 to 15 half the adult fare before taxes.
Deck Plan
Eight decks for passengers, with cabins on all of them. Each drawing has the stern to the left and the bow to the right.
Sky Deck, 9
The top deck. Forward, the Sky Bar looks out over the bow; aft, an open deck looks down on the pool. Between them are the Presidential Suite, Deluxe cabins 9424 and 9426, and Superior Deluxe cabins 9415 to 9421 and 9428 to 9436.
The pool, its bar and an open deck aft. Forward of them, Deluxe cabins 7402, 7404 and 7406, the Junior Suite with a balcony (7313), Premium Suites 7314 to 7323, and Royal Suites 7205 and 7206.
An open deck and the Veranda Bar aft, with the library and the game room. Forward, the two Junior Suites without a balcony (6301 and 6302), Premium Suites 6303 to 6312, and Royal Suites 6203 and 6204.
The lounge aft, and the two conference rooms where the lectures are held. Staterooms 5629 to 5640, eight of them with a partly obstructed view, and two Royal Suites with obstructed views, 5201 and 5202, forward beside the lifeboats.
Most days the ship is at an island from morning to afternoon while the cargo is worked, and the excursions fit around it: by four-wheel drive, on foot or by barge, always with the ship's guides.
The Cargo
Containers, cement, vehicles and food come off by crane onto quays and barges, and sacks of copra go back aboard. Worth watching from the rail at every island.
Landing by Barge
Where there is no quay, passengers go ashore in the ship's landing barge, with the crew helping everyone on and off.
Tikis and Temple Platforms
The guides lead the way through the old Marquesan sites: the banyans and petroglyphs of Kamuihei, the stone tikis of Puamau and, on some voyages, Tohua Ta'oa above Atuona.
Dance and Music
A dance show on Ua Pou, music with the lunches ashore, the crew's own songs on ukulele and drums, and a Polynesian evening by the pool.
The Walk over Fatu Hiva
On Fatu Hiva the keenest walkers hike 15 km over the mountains from Omoa to Hanavave, with lunch at the top, while the ship sails round to meet them.
Lagoons and Reefs
Snorkel from the beaches of Fakarava and Bora Bora, or dive at Fakarava, Rangiroa, Hiva Oa, Tahuata or Bora Bora at extra cost, some sites for certified divers only.
At the Table
Meals Aboard and Ashore
Meals aboard are served family style in the restaurant on deck 4: breakfast, lunch and a three-course dinner of French cooking with Polynesian flavours. Wine comes with lunch and dinner aboard, a bottle for every four guests, and water, tea and coffee are free; other drinks are paid at the bar.
Ashore, lunch is Marquesan: breadfruit, goat curry, raw fish in coconut milk, taro and red bananas, often with music, in a village or a family restaurant. There is a Polynesian evening with a buffet by the pool, and a barbecue on the beach in Bora Bora. Medically prescribed diets can be catered for if you ask when you book.
Dinner aboardStarters, plated for dinnerAn evening buffet by the poolThe restaurant
Photographs
The Islands and the Ship
The Marquesas and their people, the atolls and lagoons, the cargo and the landings, life aboard and the cabins.
The Marquesas
The Tuamotus, Tahiti and Bora Bora
Cargo and Landings
Aboard
The Cabins
Sailings
Dates and Prices
Every sailing on the ship's calendar from two weeks out, with our price per person for two sharing a cabin. We read the ship's schedule every Monday, so the cabins left here are a week old at most; a cabin is yours once we confirm it.
Tahiti and the Marquesas · 12 or 13 Days
Papeete and back: Fakarava, the six inhabited Marquesas islands, Rangiroa and Bora Bora. Twelve days in 2026 and 2028, thirteen in 2027
Tahiti and the Marquesas · 12 or 13 Days: each sailing, with the price per person, two sharing
Sailing
Stateroom
Deluxe
Superior Deluxe
Junior Suite
Premium Suite
Royal Suite
7 to 18 Nov 2026
$6,752Last cabins
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
21 Nov to 2 Dec 2026
Sold out
Sold out
$9,215Last cabins
Sold out
$9,709Last cabins
Sold out
5 to 16 Dec 2026
$6,752Last cabins
Sold out
$9,215Last cabins
$9,498Last cabins
$9,709
$10,588Last cabins
19 to 30 Dec 2026
$6,752
Sold out
$9,215
$9,498Last cabins
$9,709
Sold out
23 Jan to 4 Feb 2027
$7,281
Sold out
$9,949Last cabins
$10,256Last cabins
$10,484
Sold out
11 to 23 Feb 2027
$7,281Last cabins
Sold out
$9,949
$10,256Last cabins
$10,484
Sold out
27 Feb to 11 March 2027
$7,281
Sold out
$9,949
$10,256Last cabins
$10,484Last cabins
$11,436Last cabins
16 to 28 March 2027
$7,281Last cabins
Sold out
$9,949Last cabins
Sold out
$10,484
Sold out
3 to 15 April 2027
$7,281
$9,257Last cabins
$9,949
$10,256Last cabins
$10,484
$11,436Last cabins
20 April to 2 May 2027
$7,281Last cabins
Sold out
Sold out
$10,256Last cabins
Sold out
Sold out
6 to 18 May 2027
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
22 May to 3 June 2027
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
$10,256Last cabins
Sold out
Sold out
8 to 20 June 2027
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
$10,256Last cabins
Sold out
Sold out
24 June to 6 July 2027
$7,281Last cabins
Sold out
Sold out
$10,256Last cabins
$10,484Last cabins
$11,436Last cabins
10 to 22 July 2027
$7,281Last cabins
Sold out
Sold out
$10,256Last cabins
Sold out
$11,436Last cabins
27 July to 8 Aug 2027
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Sold out
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$10,256Last cabins
Sold out
$11,436Last cabins
12 to 24 Aug 2027
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$9,949Last cabins
$10,256Last cabins
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Sold out
28 Aug to 9 Sept 2027
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18 to 30 Sept 2027
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5 to 17 Oct 2027
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21 Oct to 2 Nov 2027
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Sold out
6 to 18 Nov 2027
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$10,256Last cabins
Sold out
$11,436Last cabins
23 Nov to 5 Dec 2027
$7,281Last cabins
Sold out
$9,949Last cabins
$10,256Last cabins
$10,484
$11,436Last cabins
22 Jan to 2 Feb 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
5 to 16 Feb 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
19 Feb to 1 March 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
4 to 15 March 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
18 to 29 March 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481Last cabins
$11,434Last cabins
1 to 12 April 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
15 to 26 April 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
29 April to 10 May 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434
13 to 24 May 2028
$7,278
Sold out
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
27 May to 7 June 2028
$7,278
$9,254
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
10 to 21 June 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481Last cabins
$11,434Last cabins
8 to 19 July 2028
$7,278
$9,254
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481Last cabins
$11,434Last cabins
22 July to 2 Aug 2028
$7,278
$9,254
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
5 to 16 Aug 2028
$7,278
$9,254
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
19 to 30 Aug 2028
$7,278
$9,254
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
2 to 13 Sept 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
16 to 27 Sept 2028
$7,278
Sold out
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481Last cabins
$11,434Last cabins
30 Sept to 11 Oct 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
14 to 25 Oct 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
28 Oct to 8 Nov 2028
$7,278
$9,254Last cabins
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
11 to 22 Nov 2028
$7,278
Sold out
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
25 Nov to 6 Dec 2028
$7,278
$9,254
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
16 to 27 Dec 2028
$7,278
$9,254
$9,947
$10,253Last cabins
$10,481
$11,434Last cabins
The Marquesas Arts Festival · 14 Days
December 2027: the Marquesas voyage around the festival, with its days ashore for the dancing
The Marquesas Arts Festival · 14 Days: each sailing, with the price per person, two sharing
Sailing
Stateroom
Deluxe
Superior Deluxe
Junior Suite
Premium Suite
Royal Suite
13 to 26 Dec 2027
$7,809Last cabins
Sold out
$10,683
$11,014Last cabins
$11,260Last cabins
$12,285Last cabins
Prices are in US dollars per person, two sharing. Traveling alone in a double cabin costs about one and a half times the per-person rate. The Presidential Suite, the cabins with an obstructed view, the single and quadruple cabins and the dormitory berths are priced on request. Sailings less than two weeks away aren't listed; ask us about them.
Expedition Details
What's Included
Duration12 days (11 nights) from Papeete and back on the voyages of 2026 and 2028, 13 days (12 nights) in 2027, and 14 days (13 nights) for the Marquesas Arts Festival voyage in December 2027
The ShipAranui 5, a passenger freighter with 103 cabins, from dormitory berths to the Presidential Suite, for about 230 passengers. You share the ship with the other passengers aboard
ExcursionsGuided excursions to the villages and archaeological sites of the Marquesas, several by four-wheel drive, the dance shows, and the lectures aboard and ashore
Meals & DrinksThree meals a day, Marquesan lunches ashore, the barbecue in Bora Bora, wine with lunch and dinner aboard (a bottle for every four guests), and water, tea and coffee
TaxesThe tourist tax, port taxes and the fuel charge
OptionalDiving, a glass-bottom boat at Rangiroa, lagoon tours in Bora Bora, a half-day drive on Ua Pou, private tours on Fatu Hiva, bicycles on Fakarava, fishing, the spa and the tattoo studio, booked and paid aboard
Getting ThereFly to Papeete, on Tahiti, often through Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu or Sydney. The ship sails around midday, so arrive the day before; we can book your flights and a hotel in Papeete at both ends
Not IncludedFlights, hotels before and after, bar drinks, Wi-Fi, the optional excursions, gratuities and travel insurance
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common Questions About This Expedition
Citizens of the United States, Canada and the European Union can visit for up to a month without one; for a longer stay, or another passport, check the current rules for your nationality before you book. Everyone needs a valid passport and a return or onward air ticket.
All of them sail from Papeete to the same islands. The 2027 voyages give a whole day to Atuona and a morning to Puamau, the valley of the great tikis, so they are a day longer. The voyages of late 2026 and of 2028 combine Tahuata and Atuona in one day and add a drive to Tohua Ta'oa. The Arts Festival voyage of December 2027 adds a day at the festival in Atuona, with its dances and its feast.
Much like a small cruise ship with a working harbour at one end. The passenger decks have a restaurant, bars, a lounge, a pool and cabins with their own bathrooms; forward, the crew load and unload cargo at every island, and the timetable bends to it. Time ashore is usually three to five hours, sometimes a whole day, and the order of the islands can change with the cargo and the sea.
The ship sails all year, and it is warm all year, around 27°C. May to October is the cooler, drier season; November to April is hotter and more humid, with more rain, most of all in March and April. In July and August the Maraamu wind can make the sea livelier, and as the ship has no stabilisers, anyone prone to seasickness may prefer a cabin amidships.
Fly to Papeete, on Tahiti, often through Los Angeles, San Francisco or Honolulu from North America, or through Sydney. The ship sails around midday, so fly in the day before; we can book your flights and a hotel at both ends.
Yes. Traveling alone in a double cabin costs about one and a half times the per-person rate; the two Single Staterooms and the dormitory berths have one price, on request. Children are welcome from age 1: under 3 they pay only the taxes, and from 3 to 15 half the adult fare before taxes. Every child needs their own passport, and no one under 16 can take a dormitory berth.
Fit enough to step on and off a barge with the crew's help, and to walk on uneven paths and up hills, such as the climb to the cemetery at Atuona. The 15 km walk on Fatu Hiva is optional. The ship has two lifts, but landings can be by barge onto a beach or a rough quay, so tell us before you book if walking or steps are hard for you.
Yes, by satellite, in the cabins and most public areas, with a log-in code bought at the boutique. It is fine for email but slower than at home, and weaker out at sea. Some of the islands have mobile coverage.
A gathering at which the elders of the Marquesas pass on their dances, songs, food, carving, tattoo and sports to the young. The December 2027 voyage spends its sixth day at the festival in Atuona: dances by young people in the morning, craft stalls, the Kaikai Katahi feast at midday and the adults' dances in the evening.
Expedition Investment
$7,278USD
per person, two sharing · a Stateroom on a 12-day voyage in 2028 · suites and the 13 and 14-day voyages cost more
Includes your cabin, three meals a day, Marquesan lunches ashore, wine with meals aboard, the guided excursions, dance shows and lectures, and the port and tourist taxes.
Excludes flights, hotels before and after, bar drinks, Wi-Fi, optional excursions, gratuities and travel insurance. Prices per person in US dollars; traveling alone in a double costs about one and a half times the rate.
The Marquesas are remote, days by sea from Tahiti, and a serious illness or injury can mean evacuation by air to Papeete, so medical evacuation cover matters here. There is a doctor and an infirmary aboard. Landings by barge, uneven paths and a ship without stabilisers ask for some care; tell us about any medical condition before you book, as the ship can refuse passage to anyone not fit to travel. Field rescue and medical evacuation cover is available through our Global Rescue partner page.
