Tikehau

Tikehau is an almost circular atoll in the western Tuamotu, about twenty-six kilometres across, with a single pass and a village on the southern rim. Its beaches have a pink cast from crushed coral and shell mixed into the sand. A Cousteau survey in the 1980s reported the lagoon as exceptionally rich in fish, and it still supports commercial fishing that supplies Tahiti. Bird Island in the lagoon holds nesting colonies. The village of Tuherahera occupies the southern rim with the airstrip beside it, and the rest of the ring is uninhabited motu with a handful of pensions scattered along it.

What you actually see

• The pink sand - beaches tinted by crushed coral and shell.
• The lagoon fishery - the fish that supply Tahiti from this atoll.
• Bird Island - the motu in the lagoon with nesting seabird colonies.
• The pass - the single opening where the lagoon meets the ocean.

When to go

May to October is the dry season. Cyclone season runs November to April. Flights are limited and should be booked ahead.

Honest expectations

Facilities are limited to a handful of pensions and one resort. Flights are infrequent and expensive. There is very little to do beyond the water.

Nearby

Rangiroa is east, and Mataiva is west.