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The Isle of Pines is one of the best kept secrets in the South Pacific and that’s a good thing! This small French island is without a doubt the most beautiful island in New Caledonia. I’d describe it as a picture perfect postcard – with pristine beaches surrounded by beautiful pine trees, palm trees and warm turquoise waters, filled with lots of colourful coral and fish. My Instagram feed was looking very good for several days!
If you are planning to visit the capital city Noumea in New Caledonia, then a side trip for a few days to this island is a must do. I booked cheap flights to Noumea from Auckland during an Air New Zealand islands sale. You can also fly directly to the Noumea from Australia, Japan and other south pacific islands.
Here is our guide to getting to the Isle of Pines from Noumea, where to stay and things to do!
Table of Contents
Transportation to Isle of Pines from Noumea
Plane: The quickest and best way is to fly from Noumea’s Domestic airport (Magenta) with Air Caledonie. They fly around 9 times a day and the journey lasts about 30 minutes. Fares are not cheap, costing around £65 one way and can be booked directly on their own website. I’d recommend booking as far in advance as possible to take advantage of their promotional fares, and to also avoid the flight you want selling out (they are very popular with Japanese day trippers). The great thing about flying to the Isle of Pines is that you get to take in the amazing views of the lagoons and the small islands from up above (try and get a window seat and have your camera ready for some amazing photo opportunities).
There is no public transportation on the island, so any transfers to your hotel need to be booked directly with them in advance. Most hotels arrange shared minivans for a small fee to take you to the airport for your flight back to Noumea. It is a 15 minute drive from most of the resorts on Kuto and Kanumera Bay to the airport.
Ferry: A cheap (but slow) way to get there is to take the ferry over. Betico II is a 2.5 hour high-speed catamaran ride away from Noumea. The departure times are not as convenient as flying as they don’t sail everyday, so you may have to combine taking the ferry over and flying back (or vice versa) depending on how long you plan to stay there.
Tickets cost about £38 one way for economy seating and can be booked online. The ferry makes the return journey 3 times a week (Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday), leaving Noumea at 7am and leaving Isle of Pines at 5pm. With these timings, day trips to the island are possible, however I’d recommend an overnight stay on the island – it’s just too peaceful and pretty to leave so soon! Warning: the sea can be rough, so this ferry ride is not recommended if you are prone to be sea sickness.
Cruise: P&O Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Princess Cruises, The Royal Caribbean International and Holland America Line all stop here for the day as part of a South Pacific route. Check out this complete guide for Isle of Pine cruises.
Isle of Pines hotels
Accommodation is not cheap on the island and there aren’t many to choose from. There is one luxury resort and a handful of mid-range hotels. If you are on a budget, several camp sites are available.
I stayed at Hotel Kou Bugny, located in the beautiful Kuto Bay – I chose this hotel as the price was fairly cheap compared to the other resorts (still expensive compared to Noumea), it was walkable from the ferry port, located right on the beach and was actually available to book as I had left it fairly last minute! I booked a “tropical double room”, which included a daily breakfast buffet of continental and cooked breakfast items (which you can enjoy eating on the deck with beautiful sea views). The downside to staying here is there is no wifi – which is no biggie, but it means you need to do your online research for things to do on this island before you arrive.
Other similar resorts nearby include Oure Tera Beach Resort and Hotel Kodjeue, which both looked nice as well. The 5 star Le Meridien Ile des Pins resort is located on the other side of the island, has a swimming pool and a private beach along Oro Bay. It is also within walking distance to the UNESCO-protected lagoon. If you can afford it – stay there! I’ve walked through the grounds and it is stunning.
Eating and drinking on the Isle of Pines
There are very limited options for eating out on the island and they are all fairly expensive. I personally would recommend you stock up on cheap food and drink supplies from the French supermarkets in Noumea and bring them over with you on the ferry (the flight has a small baggage weight allowance). Stock up on gooey french cheeses, pates, olives, fresh crusty baguettes and bottles of french red wine, store them in your hotel room fridge and enjoy picnic lunches and dinners on the beach! There is only one cash machine on the island (in Vao) so take plenty of money with you to cover the cost of souvenirs, snacks, drinks, bike rental and taxi’s.
If you do want to eat out, your options are mainly limited to hotels and resorts that have dining establishments. You’ll definitely want to try the local delicacy of freshly caught escargots de l’Ile des Pins (snails) or lobster.
There is also a little cafe called Snack Kohu on the edge of the village of Vao for reasonably priced light lunches/snacks including toasted sandwiches, fries and milk shakes. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30am-3:30pm (I think!).
The beachside deck at Hotel Kou Bugny is great for a sunset beer – arrive early to get yourself a good spot and enjoy the gorgeous views.
Things to do on the Isle of Pines
The Isle of Pines is a place where you could easily spend a few days doing nothing but relaxing, swimming and just enjoying the beautiful surroundings by your resort. But if you do fancy exploring, you can easily do some short walks or hire a bike or car. Bikes can be hired from Gite Nataiwatch campsite in Kanumera Bay and are rented out by the half day (so arrive first thing in the morning, or first thing in the afternoon). Car hire can be arranged through Hotel Kou Bungy.
Vao
Vao is the main settlement and is a very small village located south east of the island. To get here it takes an hour and a half to walk from Kuto beach (so it would be better to cycle or drive to it). Visit the pretty Mission Church at its centre and climb up the hill behind it for some nice views. Grab lunch at Snack Kohu or bring a packed lunch, then head down to St Maurice Bay for a swim.
St Maurice Bay and Statue of Jesus
Not far from the village of Vao, is the picturesque bay of St Maurice. It is also the location of the statue of Saint-Maurice – a line of carved totems. The bay is dotted with tiny coral islands, so the snorkelling here is pretty good.
Kuto Bay
Kuto Bay is a mile long beach on the south west shore of the island with bright white soft sand. The crystal clear turquoise waters make for some very good snorkelling (look out for turtles!). It is also the perfect spot to watch sunset.
Kanumera Bay
Kanumera bay is a short walk and just one bay along from Kuto Bay (separated by a narrow peninsula), This beach also has bright white sand and good snorkelling. At it’s centre lies a ‘sacred rock’ called ‘La Rocher’ which you are not allowed to climb but you can canoe around. This bay is home to two resorts so is a very popular spot for tourists.
Pic N’ga
Climb the 262 metre trek to the top of the Isle of Pines’ tallest mountain for amazing panoramic views of the island and the ocean. It starts near Kuto Beach and takes less than an hour to walk to the summit. Sturdy footwear is recommended as it is quite steep and rocky. I didn’t get time to do this so no photographs sadly…
Oro Bay
Oro Bay is a UNESCO protected lagoon on the north east side of the island. The water is waist high and is full of colourful marine life and a snorkellers heaven. I never got time to discover this gem unfortunately, as by the time I cycled to the nearby hotel (Le Meridien), it was time to leave again (lesson learned to plan properly). But I will return here one day….
Le Meridien ile des Pins
This luxury five star resort is a 20 minute walk away through mangrove forests from Oro bay, so it’s worth a wander over to have a nosey and grab a drink from the bar and relax. They also have a restaurant if you wanted some fancy lunch or dinner (book in advance). It is on the north side of the island – a bit too far to cycle from the other resorts (trust me – don’t attempt it) – so take a taxi or hire a car.
Cruise ship warning
If you are not too fond of large crowds of cruise ship holidaymakers spoiling the tranquility, then you might want to check the itineraries of the large cruise ship companies before you book. The beaches at Kuto and Kanumera get incredibly busy with hundreds of (mostly) aussies descending and sadly they leave a lot of litter behind too. Cruise ship stop overs are seasonal though so no need to worry if visiting off peak.
Isle of Pines – add to Pinterest!
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