Private Full-day Tahiti — Grotto, Gardens & Panoramas

We booked this private tour for our arrival day, and it was the perfect way to beat the jet lag and stay awake! Natalia was charming, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable. We loved learning about the island's plants and flowers, seeing the waterfalls, and chatting with her about everyday life in Tahiti. She was also very flexible. When my husband asked to swap lunch for a local spot he'd been wanting to try, she arranged it without hesitation. That made the day feel personal. Well worth it. We'd highly recommend Natalia to anyone visiting Tahiti, especially on your first day!

Our guide Rony was really great! We got to see alot of amazing places and he gave us important background and historical information as well. He was very accommodating specifically because a couple of people in our group wasn't feeling well and he let them stay in the van and rest. Overall, an amazing time was had and would recommend this excursion without a doubt.

Our guide was great. She was slightly elderly, born & raised on the island, and had lots and lots of real personal stories about it. She also did us a solid by returning some hotel umbrellas that we mistakenly left in the van. Everything about her and the tour company were great. I can't give this tour five stars though, and I considered 3 stars, because, at least for us, the trip around the island just isn't THAT different or interesting. You might feel differently about that if you've never before toured a tropical island but, honestly, the grotto is nothing, the famous wave on the day we went was nearly nonexistent (although that's obviously not always going to be the case), the beaches were routine, and so on. I suspect I sound quite jaded and/or entitled, and I feel really bad about this, but I should be honest in my review and honestly it's perhaps the least interesting tropical island we've ever toured. My recommendation for most people is to skip this and spend an extra day in Bora Bora instead.

There is so much to see and do on Tahiti! Angèle was a wonderful guide. Cheerful, full of stories and information about the culture and history of the place we were visiting. Worth noting: not many tours visit both Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti (the smaller part of the island). This tour took us right to the end of the road for a fun lunch at a roulotte by the beach at Tautira. The little bay of Tautira is worth the trip alone. Quiet, beautiful mountain view.

We learned so much about Tahiti—the history, the fauna and flora, the culture and the food. We saw Tahiti from one end to the other. Eric was fun and very knowledgeable and obviously loves his island

Excellent private tour. They worked very well with us to provide a wonderful tour experience. We definitely recommend them.

We learnt a lot about Polynesian culture. We totally enjoyed the 8-hour tour. Thanks Natalie and Angela!

My wife and I had a wonderful private full-day tour around Tahiti with Natalia as our guide. From start to finish, it was a perfect day — relaxed, scenic, and full of authentic local experiences. Natalia was absolutely fantastic — kind, knowledgeable, and incredibly accommodating. She made us feel like friends rather than just guests. We circled the entire island, stopping at beautiful waterfalls, lush tropical viewpoints, and colorful roadside fruit stands. Everywhere we went, the scenery was breathtaking — flowers, greenery, and ocean views at every turn. We also enjoyed a delicious lunch where we had the pleasure of meeting Natalia’s husband, who was just as kind and welcoming. She even adjusted the itinerary for us, skipping a few stops we weren’t interested in and adding others we loved — like a pearl shop visit and a few extra photo stops. By the end of the day, we had taken tons of photos and felt we’d truly experienced the heart of Tahiti. Highly recommend this tour — and especially Natalia — for anyone wanting a personal, memorable, and flexible island experience!

It was fantastic. Eric our guide was the best. He was very knowledgeable on all subjects. His love of nature, Tahiti, history and people was evident. He went out of his way to make our trip unforgettable.

Great overview of the Island of Tahiti, seeing locally made crafts, and how pearls are made, as well as sampling local food at our stop for lunch. A nice surprise was getting to see the 2024 Olympic Surfing site. Raiarii, our driver/guide, was extremely knowledgeable about the area and culture, and gave us lots of interesting information. He was unfailingly courteous and patient, without rushing our group of six whenever we made a stop. The tour was a good mix of culture, history, local agriculture, beautiful beaches, seeing beautiful sights, and shopping.

This was a fabulous tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and a wealth of local information. He kept your interest as we traveled around the entire island.

Angel was an excellent guide with good knowledge of the island. She catered to the needs and interests of the group.

We arrived at the cruise terminal and were picked up by our guide Eric. Dropped off luggage at the hotel and then had full day of very interesting tour. Visited beautiful waterfalls, photo stops, had lunch and learned a lot about Tahitian culture. Would strongly recommend booking Eric. Great English and a lot of knowledge about nature, local customs, pearls, shopping and much more. Thanks for the great day!

I do not recommend this tour at all. We paid for the full day private tour for 7 people. We were jammed into a van with 2 bench seats that were really only big enough for 2 people each and another person could sit in the passenger seat. So with us having 7 people we were very cramped and the people stuck in the middle couldn’t see anything out the windows. We had to try to snap photos of scenery through the windows of the van as we were speeding by things that interested us. I was very disappointed about this tour. I found myself feeling like I didn’t see the parts of the island that I would have liked to see. Our guide was nice but spent way too much time talking about the plants and trees around the marae that we had to cut short our other stops at the caves, beach, and gardens and he spent no time talking about land formations and the history of the island. Lots of discussion about himself and his family. We were taken to a restaurant and told to enjoy the buffet, we were never asked if we wanted lunch, nor were we told that there was $38 charge for the buffet until after we had eaten. When we protested this trickery the tour guide pretended that he had no idea what was happening and that he was following his boss’s instructions to bring us there. He kept talking about wanting to show us the spring that women go to for fertility and healing so we said ok and all we saw was the block wall around an area that he said contained the spring, it was very confusing. He never stopped the van to take us to the spring. Then at the end of the day his boss wasn’t around to give him the key card to get back into the drop off area for our ship so we had to walk up a hill and thru the drop off lot to get back to the cruise ship area.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the island of Tahiti. However, the description of the tour showed no lunch included. The tour stopped at a restaurant and had a buffet lunch. It was very confusing as to if the lunch was included or not. After lunch, the guide told us that the buffet was normally $45 but we would get for $38. This is in US$ not Polynesian Francs. This should have been brought to our attention before being dropped at the restaurant. The food was good but not worth $38. The tour guide focused on plants and trees. He should have been more knowledgeable about the history of the island.

We did the full day tour around Tahiti with Eric on the first day of our trip! This tour was perfect. We weren’t in the van for more than 30 minutes at a time. Eric was incredibly knowledgeable, kept us on schedule, and provided some humor along the way. Lunch was incredible fresh fish and rice. We learned all about the history, plants, birds, animals, and culture of Tahiti and French Polynesia which was such an amazing kick off to our trip.

What a beautiful experience with a super knowledgeable guide! We saw soooo much of this amazing island in a comfortable air conditioned van, with a compassionate, caring guide. He obviously loves this nation. Max, our guide, has such a depth of insight into the history, culture and uniqueness of this charming place that the hours spent with him were so full filling and magical. I’m very glad we chose his tour service. We have been around the world and used many guides. He was excellent.

Our trip was a fabulous day seeing the sights of Tahiti. Natalia was so fun and full of wonderful information. I highly recommend.

8 hour tour around the island. Stopped numerous times and saw lots of beautiful and interesting sites. Angel our tour guide was very friendly and informative plus stopped several times at a supermarket and pharmacy to attempt to find some distilled water for one of our party’s CPAT machine. Great Tour.

Four seniors from Colorado had a full day guided tour with Natalia. It was a delightful experience with such a knowledgable and personable guide. She showed great care for our limited mobility issues and recommended a charming restaurant for lunch. We learned so much about the history, flowers and trees. We strongly urge anyone needing tour assistance to contact Natalia. You will be very happy to make her acquaintance. Melanie Cranston

Vehicle was uncomfortable - too hot and plastic covers were uncomfortable. The tour was too long with too many minor sites waterfalls and views- do the 1/2 day tour instead.

Fantastic tour. Our giude, Eric, gave us a wonderful personalized experience. He was extremely knowledgeable in the history, geology, fauna, and flora of Tahiti. The weather was clear, which gave us spectacular views (waterfalls, beaches, mountain vistas, and more). Even found us a secluded restaurant on the beach for lunch. It's worth every penny!

Our guide, Max, was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. He showed us the best sites on the island. We could go as fast or slow as we wanted. We highly recommend this 8-hour private full island tour.

This tour was one of the highlights of our trip. Max was absolutely amazing. His knowledge of the island and story telling skills were fantastic. We learned so much and saw so many things that we would not have seen unless we had done this tour. Max knew where to find all the good spots were and took excellent photos of us. This tour was a “one stop shop” for being able to see the entire island of Tahiti and Tahiti Tini. We did this tour as a couple privately and I would highly recommend. We were able to ask questions and learn as much as we could! The van that we were taken around in was nice as well and the air conditioning was lovely. If you are visiting Tahiti, this is a must do activity!

Max was an amazing guide - he knew everything! He accommodated all our requests, from changing the pick up time to adding a special look at the event site for the Olympic surfing. We have a great photo record of our visit as Max used our phones to expertly document almost every stop. He was able to add a personal touch many places as he seemed to know all the locals. We could not have asked for a better day!

Our tour guide was Maxim and we had an amazing tour. He is a wealth of knowledge of both history and legends and absolutely exceeded all of our expectations. We learned and experienced so much on our tour. I would highly recommend. You will not be disappointed!

Angel was very knowledgeable and did a great tour for us thank you! We got to see all the highlights on the last day of our vacation

Max is an incredible tour guide. His knowledge of the island was outstanding. We had a great time and would definitely book with him again. Almost forgot, he took the time to take pictures at each location with our camera. Can't say enough about him.

Best shore excursion in 8 ports of call. Had many in New Zealand but WOW what a special treat for my group in Papeete. Our guide used a headset speaker so we never missed a word. She filled all 8 hours with history, floral, facts, legends and many breathtaking vistas. The van was easy to load and unload for the 7 of us and what was really great is we arrived at sites prior than the cruise ship and had places all to ourselves and learned more about each location because we quickly gathered to learn more. The lunch location was outstanding and surely beat the food court I was taken to in Tauranga the week prior.

We enjoyed a wonderful full day tour around Tahiti with Max! We learned so much about the island and saw the incredible beauty of Tahiti. Max is also an excellent photographer! Thank you for making our day so special.

Natalia was a wonderful, kind, honest, knowledgable, good-humored, and very professional guide for our day touring Tahiti. One of our group was a bit slow-moving and she gave us plenty of time to go at the speed we set, showing us a wide variety of lovely spots around Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti, telling us stories about Tahitian culture, modern island life, and anything else we asked about along the way. I would absolutely recommend her business for your visit to Tahiti in order to see essentially the entire (drivable) coast of the island and learn a ton along the way. We truly enjoyed her company, patience, and fantastic tour. Thank you, Natalia, for the great experience we had for our whole family!

We had a great day with Natalia. She took us to beautiful sights n Tahiti. I loved the park with the fern grotto and I also thought the waterfall was amazing as well as the horizontal blow hole. Natalia had many stories to telll and information to share about Tahiti.

This was an amazing tour, filled with beautiful sites, historic monuments and sacred places. It was a most comprehensive way to see all of Tahiti. We learned the culture, history, flora and fauna of this unique island. Natalie was so friendly and helpful. Her stories of the local legends made this tour truly special.

Whilst all ships tours were cancelled due to previous bad weather we were delighted to meet Natalia for our day tour. It was a thoroughly enjoyable tour despite the road conditions not being ideal. Visits to all available destinations mentioned in the schedule. Natalia even got us to places ‘closed to the public’. She gave an informative and full commentary on the journey and life in Tahiti. Her choice of restaurant for lunch at a beachside location was ideal and the food delicious. I would recommend Tahiti Welcome Tours should you be visiting the island

Natalia was a wonderful guide. She did an awesome job of coming up with plan B due to the weather. Our entire group loved the day and felt it was designed just for us.

Max was a fantastic guide…He gave us a wonderful complete overview of the island in just 6 hours!!! He was so knowledgeable and related to us all the history and legends of the island…I would have given him 10 stars!!!

An outstanding tour, with an outstanding tour guide! Our group guide was Max, and he has an incredible knowledge of Tahiti's history which fascinated us from the beginning of the tour until we were dropped off. The sites and stops along the way were breathtaking! This tour is a must, and Max is a new friend.

Great around the island private tour. Saw many wonderful sights with a great commentary along the way.

Wonderful full day! Beautiful scenery and an amazing, pleasant and informative guide. It was a pleasure to spend the day with Natalia! Highly recommend this tour.

Tour was amazing! Guide knows everything about Tahiti and other islands too! When we come back, for sure we will choose you again.

There were 9 in our group and we all enjoyed the tour! We would have never been able to see all the places that Max and Angela took us. They were so informative and spoke very good English. We learned so much about the island of Tahiti and the other islands in the country of French Polynesia. We tried local fruits and the locals were all friendly. We were also very lucky and saw whales while we were at the monuments for the people who lived through the mutiny on the bounty. Dont miss out on the fabulous tour!

The visits to the various sacred Polynesian sites was a great part of the trip, but only because of the expert commentary from Max, our guide, to help us understand the culture of Tahiti over the various epoch of time in its history.

We went around the whole Island. Max was our tour guide. Fluent in French and English and Russian. Very knowledgeable, friendly, excellent photographer for family shots. We really enjoyed the tour for all the natural beauty and the interesting history and stories conveyed to us by Max.

Excellent overview of entire island. Max, the tour guide was outstanding with his knowledge and the historical significance of the Tiki’s, Mutiny on the Bounty, Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”, and current day everything you would to know about life in Tahiti and all the French Polynesian Islands. Highly recommend Max and this Viator.

Great day in Tahiti our tour guide Max was very knowledgeable of history of the island and all the best places to see thank Max

Max was an awesome tour guide! Not only did he take us to see all of the amazing sights but he told us all about the history and interesting stories that coincide with the sight! It was a great way to spend the day seeing Tahiti!

We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Max. His knowledge of the island and engaging nature was incredible. He was constantly pointing out details as we drove and had a discussion at every stop. He was helpful to the one individual in our group who had minor mobility issues on hills/steps. We also had a tour with his wife Natalia on Moorea. Tahiti Welcome Tours is highly recommended!

Max did a great tour for us. His English was excellent and he gave us a lot of information and stories about Tahiti with humor and enthusiasm. His suggestion for a lunch stop was an amazingly scenic restaurant with delicious food and attentive service. Five stars just doesn’t seem like enough. Thanks Max! Mollie & TJ

We too had a full day available after departing our Windstar Cruise early in the morning until our evening flight to San Francisco. We too did not want to spend the day at a hotel with a day pass or day room. This tour was a complete full day tour and we were happy to spend our money with Natalia and her expert knowledge of Tahiti and finally see all the beautiful sights of Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti.