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The Marquesas

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yachts anchoring in the Bay of virgins on Fatu Hiva Island, Marquesas Archipelago

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Overview

Grand, brooding and powerful, nature鈥檚 fingers have sculpted the Marquesas Islands into sharp silhouettes that jut up dramatically from the cobalt-blue ocean. Waterfalls taller than skyscrapers trickle down vertical canyons, the ocean thrashes towering cliffs, basalt pinnacles project from emerald forests, and scalloped bays are blanketed with desert arcs of white or black sand.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Kamuihei, Tahakia & Teiipoka

    Kamuihei, Tahakia & Teiipoka

    Nuku Hiva

    About 300m towards Taipivai from the Hikokua site, these three connecting sites make up the largest excavated archaeological area of Nuku Hiva. A team led鈥�

  • Tohua Koueva

    Tohua Koueva

    Nuku Hiva

    It鈥檚 believed that this extensive communal site, with its paved esplanade, belonged to the war chief Pakoko, who was killed by the French in 1845. Today鈥�

  • Hanahevane Bay

    Hanahevane Bay

    The Marquesas

    This glorious bay is caressed by jade-green waters and is studded with a broad strand of golden sand. It鈥檚 a good picnic spot (despite a number of pesky鈥�

  • Hikokua

    Hikokua

    Nuku Hiva

    One of the most powerful archaeological sites in the Marquesas, Hikokua was discovered by the archaeologist Robert Suggs in 1957 and has been restored and鈥�

  • Vaitahu

    Vaitahu

    The Marquesas

    This tiny village, built against the steep slopes of the central ridge, retains a few vestiges of its stormy past. On the seafront stands a modest鈥�

  • Hanavave

    Hanavave

    The Marquesas

    Hanavave boasts a splendid setting, at the mouth of a steep-sided valley, best enjoyed from the sea (lucky yachties!). When the setting sun bounces purple鈥�

  • Omoa

    Omoa

    The Marquesas

    Time moves at a crawl in Omoa. The most striking monument is the Catholic church, with its red roof, white facade and slender spire. It makes a colourful鈥�

  • Meiaute

    Meiaute

    The Marquesas

    High up in the valley of Hane, the site of Meiaute includes three 1m-high, red-tuff tiki that watch over a group of stone structures, pae pae and me鈥檃e,鈥�

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