13 Gorgeous South Pacific Island Destinations for Every Type of Traveler—and the Cruises That Sail There

Few places conjure up images of exotic, far-flung getaways quite like the South Pacific’s island destinations, such as Bora Bora and Pago Pago, and their sweeping volcanic mountains, white beaches, and clear turquoise waters.

But these traditionally difficult-to-reach Polynesian islands are becoming more accessible, thanks to an influx of cruise ships sailing the South Seas.

From Tahiti to Tonga, Fiji and the Cook Islands to the little-known Australs and Marquesas and beyond, a record number of ships are making their way across the vast, culturally rich, geographically diverse islands that stretch from Hawai’i to Australia and New Zealand.

Virtually all South Pacific sailings begin, end, or sail through Papeete in French Polynesia, which saw a record number of cruise passengers last year, according to Tahiti Tourisme, Tahiti’s visitor’s bureau. Bud Gilroy, board chair of Tahiti Tourisme and president of the Tahiti Cruise Club, says berthing slots for 2027 are expected to be completely booked.

Only three companies—Windstar Cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises, and Aranui Cruises—sail French Polynesia year-round. But more than 30 companies, including Ponant, Oceania Cruises, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn, Scenic, and SilverSea, are now sailing the region with 40 ships, “sometimes for two months, sometimes for one call, sometimes for 10 calls,” Gilroy said.

In other words, whether you’re looking for a traditional Tahitian experience, a remote adventure on a cargo or expedition ship, or an ultra-luxe small or medium ship cruise with relaxing sea days, there is a ship and an itinerary that can help just about every type of traveler slow down to discover the unmatched beauty and friendly people of the islands in the south seas.

French Polynesia

Courtesy of Windstar Cruises

Tahiti and the Society Islands

Best for: First-timers

If you’re taking your first trip to the South Pacific, it’s hard to beat the traditional seven-day small-ship cruises from Paul Gauguin and Windstar across the Society Islands, which include Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Moorea. Both companies have been sailing the islands for decades, and these year-round itineraries offer an easy way to experience the heart of Polynesia and its culture.

“I think what Tahiti and French Polynesia [are] today is what Hawai’i probably was 40 years ago,” said Janet Bava, chief commercial officer of Windstar, which has been cruising French Polynesia for 37 years. Hike the Pass of the Three Coconuts in Moorea; swim with rays in the Bora Bora waters; explore ancient temples on Huahine, once the home of Tahitian royalty; and enjoy a traditional Tahitian feast and dancing on a private atoll (ring-shaped coral reefs), or motu.

While Paul Gauguin and Windstar sail year-round, luxury lines such as Silversea and Seabourn offer similar itineraries in the spring and fall, and Ritz-Carlton’s Evrima yacht will begin sailing this popular route in December of 2026.

Courtesy of Aranui Cruises

Marquesas, Australs, and Tuamotus

Best for: Adventure seekers

For those seeking a more remote destination, cruise lines are increasingly adding slightly longer French Polynesia itineraries with stops in the Tuamotus, a chain of 76 islands and atolls, and the Marquesas, one of the most remote archipelagos in the world, situated about 900 miles from Papeete. For a truly authentic adventure, we recommend Aranui Cruises, which has been sailing hybrid cargo-passenger ships in the Marquesas for 40 years. Its current ship holds 200 passengers and is the only passenger vessel that stops at all six of the Marquesas Islands. While the ship is loading and unloading crucial supplies for these island communities—two of which are accessible only by sea—you’ll visit archaeological sites, hike through the rainforest, visit Paul Gauguin’s grave, see the bay of Nuku Hiva where author Herman Melville took refuge on his voyage that inspired the book Moby Dick, and get a taste of the still-thriving ancestral culture while learning about the ancient Polynesian arts of tapa (painting on cloth made of bark), tattoos, and wood carving. All of Araranui’s Marquesas sailings also include cruising among the Tuamotus atolls Fakarava and Rangiroa. Fakarava is home to approximately 800 inhabitants and a lagoon rich in plants and animals both above and beneath the water, including a unique kingfisher species, abundant coral, and sharks. Like Fakarava, Rangiora is also a snorkelers’ and divers’ dream due to its colorful reef, where you can spot manta rays, dolphins, and sharks among the marine life.

In addition to the Marquesas, Aranui makes occasional cargo-passenger runs to sparsely populated and lesser-known Australs, situated about 400 miles southwest of Tahiti. While Bava compares Tahiti to Hawai’i of decades past, Eric Wong, executive vice president of Aranui Cruises, likens these islands to the Marquesas 40 years ago. Next year, Ponant will begin sailing to the Gambiers (a volcanic island chain known for its Catholic monuments and turquoise waters) and the Australs, and beginning in 2027, Aranui Cruises will launch a brand-new hybrid cargo-passenger called the Aranoa, which will sail year-round to the five inhabited islands of the Australis, known for its white-sand beaches, rugged landscapes, and humpback whale watching.

Beyond French Polynesia

Photo by Max/Unsplash

Fiji, Cook Islands, Tonga, and Samoa

Best for: Return visitors

Explore beyond the more popular Tahitian islands with a variety of 10-day and two-week itineraries that sail west from Tahiti and into the eastern edge of Micronesia. Discover the pristine shores and shallow lagoons of Fiji, dubbed by Jacques Cousteau as “the Soft Coral Capital of the World.” Visit the tiny Kingdom of Tonga, snorkel and dive the famous reefs of the Cook Islands, and visit the home of Polynesia’s oldest culture, Samoa, the islands from which Polynesia’s famed navigators of the sea explored and settled across the vast Pacific. Paul Gauguin Cruises offers sailings that incorporate these island destinations in the South Pacific.

Photo by German Glez/Unsplash

Pitcairn and Easter Island

Best for: History and mystery lovers

For a more remote South Pacific experience, Silversea and Seabourn offer itineraries that sail the opposite direction, between Papeete and Chile. Visit Easter Island and its famed UNESCO World Heritage archaeological sites, including the nearly 1,000 mysterious statues, or moai, carved out of stone by inhabitants from the 6th to 13th centuries. The sailings also make calls in Pitcairn Island, whose inhabitants are mostly descendants of 12 Tahitian women and nine British mutineers.

Photo by Look Up Look Down/Unsplash

Hawai’i, New Zealand, and Australia

Best for: Lovers of slow travel

If you have the time and enjoy a cruise with plenty of sea days to relax between ports, look for sailings between Hawai’i and New Zealand or Australia. Different lines offer different stops along the way, and most of these are on ships larger than the 500-passenger vessels. Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ luxurious 750-passenger Seven Seas Splendor, for instance, has a 21-day sailing from Papeete to Sydney with stops in both Samoas, including Pago Pago on Tutuila Island in American Samoa, home to one of two national parks outside the 50 U.S. states. (The other is in the U.S. Virgin Islands.) The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, starting in late 2026, will offer a 13-day sailing on its 298-passenger Evrima yacht from Papeete to Hawai’i, with stops in Bora Bora, Moorea, Kiribati, and the Hawaiian islands of Hawai’i, Maui, and Oahu. Oceania Cruises, which used to sail only the 670-passenger Oceania Regatta in Polynesia, is adding a second ship to meet growing demand for the region: the 1,250-passenger Oceania Riviera. Among its itineraries is a 19-day sailing from Sydney to Papeete that visits Mystery Island in Vanuatu; Nouméa in New Caledonia; Fiji; both Samoas; Rarotonga in the Cook Islands; and four of the Society Islands: Bora Bora, Huahine, Moorea, and Papeete.

The luxury line Scenic offers one of the rare South Pacific cruises that skips French Polynesia entirely, a 13-day sailing between Fiji’s picturesque Yasawa Islands and New Zealand with calls in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Australia’s Norfolk Island.