Discover the Enchanting Islands of French Polynesia
LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS NAMED #1 SMALL SHIP CRUISE LINE IN CONDÉ NAST TRAVELERS 2021 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
Chose from two itineraries: Azure Seas from Tahiti to the Marquesas or Pearls of the Pacific: Exploring the Society and Tuamotu Islands
Discover untold stories and breathtaking wilderness in NEW adventures and Fall under the spell of these remote, intriguing, wild isles.
Remote and enigmatic, the Marquesas are islands that belong to the past. Some of them virtually untouched since the era of European exploration, their isolation has given way to a proud people whose unique Marquesan dialect is a direct link to the ancient Polynesian language of Maohi. Indeed, it is believed locally that the spirits of the ancient Maohi live among the islands’ saw-toothed peaks and lush, verdant valleys, and the limestone caves and grottos that we’ll explore. Herman Melville penned his indulgent novel Typee based on his time on Nuku Hiva and established himself as the “man who lived among the cannibals,” and Robert Louis Stevenson landed here aboard his yacht Casco in the late 19th century.
Experience the renowned biodiversity and untouched beauty of bucket-list island destinations
From snorkeling with sea turtles and sharks to swimming into a hidden grotto and dining on a private Motu, this South Pacific expedition is an adventure in paradise. Begin with bucket-list underwater explorations in the Tuamotu Archipelago and Fakarava, whose flora and fauna are so diverse that its breathtaking reefs and other habitats are protected by UNESCO. Makatea’s sheer volcanic cliffs, Bora Bora’s jagged Mount Otemanu, and the tall green peaks of Mo’orea create indelible memories and complement the underwater Gardens of Eden that surround these remarkable remote tropical islands. In clear, warm waters, experience an extraordinary undersea world of whales and dolphins, manta rays and sea turtles, sharks and vast schools of colorful fish
South Pacific Expeditions on the Lindblad Orion:
Built in Germany by the Cassens shipyard, the 102-guest National Geographic Orion was created with a high-ice class to be able to venture safely into polar regions. A ship of her size is seldom built with such ice-cutting ability, which makes her a rarity. She is yacht-scale, yet rugged enough to venture far afield, making her a perfect addition to the Lindblad fleet, which she joined in 2013. Her size and nimbleness offer the perfect combination of safety and liberty to voyage untrammeled locations. In fact, Orion currently holds the distinction of having sailed further south than any other Lindblad vessel.
Her menu, created by famed Australian chef, Serge Dansereau, owner of Sydney’s acclaimed Bather’s Pavilion restaurant, enormously popular with Orion’s guests, so impressed Sven Lindblad, that Serge, a chef-owner who shared the Lindblad commitment to serving local and sustainable food, was enlisted to design the dining program for the entire Lindblad-National Geographic fleet.
Orion is gracious and intimate, with a rewarding, almost clubby feeling. Of her many amenities and features, the most appealing is her outside deck space which beckons in the balmy reaches of the Pacific, and on those days in Antarctica when the midnight sun and the spectacle of the ice makes going indoors, let alone going to bed, impossible.
