Land Rover Safari
Savor the serenity of Moorea's majestic mountains.
Visit vanilla, grapefruit and pineapple plantations, and ancient
sacrificial sites accessible only to 4-wheel drive vehicles.
Your half-day safari will take you past a 200-ft. waterfall, where
you will stop to refresh yourself with wild-growing fruit. A great
photo opportunity presents itself at the Toatea lookout point, just
above the Hotel Sofitel: a panoramic view of Temae beach and the
outlines of Tahiti across the Sea of the Moon. As you ascend Mt.
Mouapouta to visit the maraes and the Belvedere lookout point, your
guide (depending on the wishes of the group) may take a slight detour
into the Opunohu valley, a microcosm of Society Islands history.
 Moorea
is heaven on earth for plant lovers, and a 4-wheel drive safari
enables you to look at the plants that only grow in the mountains,
such as tree ferns, mimosas, puarata (Metrosideros collina - New
Zealand Chrismtas tree), guavas, acacia and lantana. Along the coast
and in the lower valleys you see the more common and very beautiful
coconut palms, purau (the bark of which is used to make ceremonial
grass skirts and to lash canoes), aito (Iron-tree, used to make
clubs), uru (breadfruit), mape (Tahitian chestnut), fara (also known
as pandanus), tou (Cordia subcordata, prized for its wood) dozens
of species of hibiscus, gardenias, fragrant plumerias, heliconias
and much, much more. |
