Fautaua Waterfall

The Fautaua falls drop around three hundred metres off a cliff in the valley directly above Papeete, which makes them among the highest in French Polynesia, and the walk to them takes a few hours up the valley from the road end. A permit is required and is bought at the Papeete town hall before setting out; the valley is a water catchment. A steep side path climbs to the top of the fall, and a nineteenth-century fort stands in the valley.

What you actually see

• The fall - a drop of around three hundred metres off the valley cliff.
• The valley walk - the route up from the road end through forest and river.
• The fort - the nineteenth-century fortification in the valley.
• The top path - the steep climb to the lip of the fall.

When to go

May to October is the dry season and safest. The permit must be obtained in Papeete before setting out. Rain raises the river and makes the crossings dangerous.

Honest expectations

A permit from the town hall is compulsory and cannot be bought at the valley. River crossings become dangerous after rain. The path to the top is steep, exposed and slippery.

Nearby

Papeete is below, and Mount Aorai is south.