Loyalty Islands: Lifou, Ouvea & Mare

Today you explore the wild beauty and superb snorkelling of Lifou. At Jinek Bay, a protected marine reserve, you snorkel over pristine coral walls teeming with brilliant tropical fish, turtles and reef life just off the shore, one of the best and most accessible snorkelling experiences in the Pacific, in crystal-clear, sheltered water. You visit the dramatic cliffs of the Jokin area, where towering limestone plunges into brilliant blue water and a stairway leads down to a hidden snorkelling cove, and take in the island's spectacular coastal scenery. Along the way you meet the warm Kanak people and take in secluded white-sand beaches. Lifou's blend of dramatic cliffs, pristine reefs, hidden coves and genuine culture, far from the crowds, is unforgettable. As the sun sets over the sea, enjoy a relaxed dinner, perhaps of fresh lagoon seafood, and reflect on the wild, unspoiled beauty and warm hospitality of this remarkable island, the first of the three beautiful Loyalty Islands.

A day immersed in the culture and natural beauty of Lifou. You visit a Kanak tribe to share their genuine hospitality, observe 'la coutume', and learn about their traditional way of life, carving and customs, and perhaps visit a sacred vanilla plantation to see how the fragrant pods are grown and cured. You explore more of the island's dramatic cliffs, hidden coves and secluded beaches, and take in the timeless, unspoiled character of Lifou. The warmth, dignity and generosity of the Kanak people, who share their homes, food and traditions with open hearts, leave a deep impression, and a traditional bougna feast, cooked in an earth oven, offers a memorable and delicious insight into island life. This immersion in genuine Kanak culture, combined with the wild beauty of the island, reveals the authentic heart of the Loyalty Islands. As the sun sets over the sea, enjoy a relaxed evening and rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to Ouvea, home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

This morning you transfer for the scenic flight to Ouvea, a slender, atoll-like island home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. As you approach, the island's breathtaking twenty-five-kilometre ribbon of blinding white sand, curving along a lagoon of the most impossibly luminous turquoise, unfurls beneath you, a sight of almost overwhelming beauty. On arrival you are welcomed with genuine Kanak hospitality and transferred to your accommodation near the famous beach. The rest of the day is yours to settle into this incomparable island paradise, walking, swimming and relaxing along the dazzling white sand, snorkelling the coral, or simply gazing across the turquoise lagoon. Ouvea is one of the least-visited and most unspoiled islands in the Pacific, with a small, warm Kanak population living a traditional way of life, and its extraordinary natural beauty and tranquillity are profound. As the sun sets over the endless beach and turquoise lagoon, you settle in for a few blissful days on this genuine paradise.

A day to savour the incomparable beauty of Ouvea, above all its breathtaking twenty-five-kilometre beach, one of the most beautiful in the world. You can walk, swim and relax along the dazzling, near-deserted ribbon of blinding white sand, backed by coconut palms and lapped by warm, calm, crystal-clear turquoise water, an experience of almost overwhelming beauty and tranquillity. You might snorkel the coral, kayak the calm lagoon, or simply laze on the sand, taking in the endless expanse of white and turquoise curving into the distance. The pace is wonderfully slow, and the sense of being in an unspoiled paradise, far from the crowds, is profound. Ouvea's extraordinary beach, tranquillity and authenticity make it a genuine highlight of the Pacific. As the sun sets over the lagoon in a blaze of colour, enjoy a relaxed dinner, perhaps of fresh lagoon seafood or a traditional Kanak dish, and reflect on the incomparable beauty of this rare and beautiful island.

A day exploring more of Ouvea's natural and cultural wonders. You might visit the striking cliffs, blowholes and pierced rock of the Lekiny bay area, where dramatic limestone formations meet brilliant turquoise water, take a boat to the tiny Pleiades islets with their pristine reefs and abundant marine life for superb snorkelling, or visit sacred sites and Kanak communities to experience their warm hospitality and traditional way of life. Ouvea's blend of the incomparable beach, dramatic cliffs, pristine reefs and genuine culture, all far from the crowds, is unforgettable. There is always time, too, to return to the famous beach for another swim in the turquoise lagoon. As the sun sets over the endless white sand, enjoy a leisurely dinner and rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to Mare, the wild, unspoiled island of dramatic cliffs, caves, the stunning Yejele beach and the magical natural aquarium, the final beautiful island of your Loyalty Islands journey.

This morning you transfer for the scenic flight to Mare, the second-largest and highest of the Loyalty Islands, a wild, unspoiled place of dramatic limestone cliffs, caves, stunning beaches and warm Kanak communities. As you approach, the island's raised coral landscape, cliffs and turquoise water are strikingly beautiful. On arrival you are welcomed with genuine Kanak hospitality and transferred to your accommodation. The rest of the day is yours to settle into this beautiful, remote island, perhaps taking a first swim at the stunning Yejele beach, one of the most beautiful in New Caledonia, a stretch of blinding white sand lapped by turquoise water, or exploring the dramatic coast. Mare sees very few visitors, and the sense of remoteness, authenticity and unspoiled beauty is profound. As the sun sets over the sea, you settle in for the final leg of your journey through the wild, beautiful Loyalty Islands, with the magical natural aquarium and more of Mare's wonders to explore tomorrow.

A final full day to enjoy the wild beauty of Mare. The highlight is the magical natural aquarium, a tidal rock pool filled with crystal-clear water and teeming with colourful coral and shoals of brilliant tropical fish, where you can snorkel in a sheltered, natural pool of astonishing beauty, like swimming in a giant aquarium, an idyllic and unforgettable experience. You also relax on the stunning Yejele beach, with its blinding white sand and turquoise water, snorkel its reef, and explore the island's dramatic limestone cliffs and caves, or visit a Kanak community to share their warm hospitality and observe their traditional way of life. Mare's blend of the natural aquarium, stunning beaches, dramatic cliffs and genuine culture, far from the crowds, makes a wonderful finale to your Loyalty Islands journey. As the sun sets over the sea, a farewell dinner, perhaps a traditional bougna feast, celebrates the wild, unspoiled beauty and warm culture you have experienced across Lifou, Ouvea and Mare.

After a final morning on Mare, perhaps a last snorkel in the magical natural aquarium, you transfer for the flight back to Noumea and your onward international departure. You leave having experienced a rare and precious side of the Pacific, the wild, unspoiled Loyalty Islands, with their dramatic cliffs, endless white beaches, pristine reefs and genuine Kanak culture, far from the crowds and the tourist trail. The images stay vivid long after you land, the incomparable twenty-five-kilometre beach of Ouvea, the coral walls of Lifou's Jinek Bay, the magical natural aquarium of Mare, and the warm hospitality of the Kanak people. For adventurous, curious travellers, the Loyalty Islands offer one of the most rewarding and authentic experiences in the Pacific, and you depart already treasuring the memory of these extraordinary, beautiful and unspoiled islands, and the genuine island life you have glimpsed there.