bay of virgins (baie de vierges)

Fatu Hiva is supposedly the smallest of the Marquesas, but it certainly has some of the prettiest scenery. Lionel Cantois of Pension Chez Lionel is one of the only real guides on the island as well as being the head of the tourism committee and with his own B & B and we were lucky to have reserved him as part of our Paul Gauguin cruise stop at the island. The small village of Omoa is interesting especially with its tapa bark paintings center which comes alive when a ship is in port, but the challenging trip is from Omoa to Hanavave across the island (approx. 10.5 miles). To say that it is a 4 x 4 trip is an understatement. Beautiful panoramas along the way, but not much else (except for the waterfalls almost to Hanavave which you can visit). Lionel speaks a little English, but the views speak for themselves, especially the Bay of Virgins at the end of the trip. You will also see it from your cruise ship, but it is nice to see it also from the landward side. We were able to then take a small boat back to Omoa which was arranged by Lionel and which gave us a different perspective from up close to the shore and cliffs with small caves. All in all, a great day.

The Bay of Virgins is beautiful esp if viewed from the sea & the light is right. But the whole Island of Fatu Hiva is wonderful & is my favourite Marquesan Island. It took about 3hrs on a hired boat to get there, there is only one guest house - Chez Lionel and it's lovely, Lionel is an excellent host and travel organiser/advisor and Bernadette the best cook on the Marquesas (well she cooked the best food I ate) & I had a very happy time with them. I saw the Bay of Virgins twice, first time when I walked there; there is a dirt road between the two villages on the Island, the views along the way are spectacular; we then left through the Bay by little boat & I secondly saw it when I took a boat trip around the island of Fatu Hiva. The light was not brilliant both times but it was still lovely, but the rest of Fatu Hiva is not that far behind. If you can stomach the boat trip to the Island you will find it is a gem.

This most Eastern part of French Polynesia is rarely visited. We sailed in from the Galapagos on our private sail boat. The two best islands are Nuka Hiva and Fatu Hiva. The lushness, beauty, and friendliness is unparalleled. Not many visit as there really are very few beaches as this is volcanic but the beauty is beyond description

Stopped in Fatu Hiva on our 2 week cruise through Marquesa Islands, on Aranui 3. Bay of Virgins our second stop on this Island. Quiet place, fantastic scenery. Delioghtful local people.

Fatu Hiva is a beautiful island, lots of vegetation, flowers, plants, trees. There's a local market with crafts and Tahitian pearls for sale, as well as tiki carvings. A large center features a show including music, crafts, and dancing performances. We were greeted with fresh flower leis. It's a short walk to the small community.

I have travelled all over the world many times and in my (humble) opinion, The Bay of Virgins is one of the most beautiful places on earth. We were cruising on the Aranui3 Cargo Ship around the Marquesas Islands at the time and as the ship sailed into this stunning Bay, everyone who stood on that deck gasped at its beauty. The strange rock formations projected straight out of the water (over 1000 feet in height) like huge sentinels. The mountains behind the stunning Bay were a verdant green, it was like a Jurassic landscape with a dense, pristine and impenetrable rainforest canopy spreading way up into the mountains. It was late in the afternoon and the brilliant sunset lit up the peaks of those mountainous outcrops so that they glowed deep orange gold. The surrounding water was a transclucent aquamarine. It is one of those places and occasions that take your breath away; the colours of the sunset, the dramatic, huge and weird rock formations, the clarity of the sea and the unbelievable hospitality of the locals, was a sight and experience that will stay with me forever. It is the sort of place you can wax lyrical about and still not do it justice! This is one of the Top 10 places in the world to see before you die. If anyone ever doubted that God was an artist, please visit the Bay of Virgins ... it's so beautiful, it's spiritual.

fatu hiva est une île magnifique,pas très peuple,les habitants sont tous souriants a notre arrivée,.ils sont tous avec des brouettes pour transporter les courses qui arrivent par bateau,jusqu’à a leur domicile;il y a peu de voitures;des minis supérettes,leur artisanats est exceptionnel.c est au bout du monde;mais c est magique;,le soir les dauphins sont au rendez vous,dans la baie.pas d hôtels;mais des pensions de famille très typique ;un séjour de 3 jours est plus que suffisant

Visitei Fatu Hiva com o Aranui 2. Depois de fazermos o passeio a pé entre as duas aldeias, da ilha, que ficou abaixo das expectativas dado que as árvores que ladeavam a estrada tinham sido recentemente cortadas, recolhemos ao barco. A parte final da caminhada, já perto da Baie des Vierges, é a mais bonita pelas vistas e pela vegetação. Sentados no deck do Aranui, fundeado em frente da aldeia escondida entre a vegetação assistimos ao pôr do sol. È seguramente uma das mais belas baías do mundo!

Les marquises sont une sucession de paysages tous plus beau les uns que les autres. La baie des vierges est un endroit où le temps n'existe plus, on est dans un décor de cinéma.

L'arrivée dans cette baie, par l'Aranui, est un spectacle à ne manquer en aucune façon. Les pics montagneux, qui surplombent la vallée, semblent dans appeler . Nous sommes accueillis par le village entier . Le spectacle de danse par la population locale, dans leurs magnifiques costumes de fleurs et de plumes, sur la place , dos à la mer. Les hommes battent le toere, une sorte de tambour local . Les enfants, suivent le rythme en tapant sur des boîtes en carton. Nous sommes perdus dans une vallée encaissée, magnifique,magique, là ou le temps n'a pas de prise.