New Caledonia Highlights: Noumea, Isle of Pines & Lifou

Today you explore Noumea, a sophisticated, uniquely French-Pacific city set on a peninsula surrounded by the turquoise lagoon. A guided tour takes in the vibrant morning market overflowing with produce, flowers and seafood, the bays and marinas, the city beaches, and the excellent aquarium showcasing the extraordinary marine life of the lagoon. The highlight is the striking Tjibaou Cultural Centre, an architectural masterpiece by Renzo Piano inspired by traditional Kanak huts, a wonderful window onto the rich indigenous Melanesian Kanak culture, its art, history and living traditions. Noumea's blend of French elegance and Pacific setting, of chic boutiques and coral reefs, is delightful and distinctive. You might dine in one of the city's excellent French or fusion restaurants, or relax on Anse Vata beach. As you soak up the cosmopolitan charm and the Kanak culture, you gain a real feel for the unique French-Melanesian character that makes New Caledonia so special.

A day exploring the world's largest lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary marine life. A boat trip carries you across the shimmering turquoise water to Amedee Islet, a tiny coral cay crowned by a historic white lighthouse, one of the tallest in the world, which you can climb for breathtaking views over the lagoon. On the island, you snorkel over vibrant coral gardens alive with tropical fish, turtles and rays, swim in the warm, clear water, relax on the white sand, and enjoy a barbecue lunch, often with a display of Kanak dance. The sheer beauty and marine richness of the lagoon are breathtaking, and the day offers a wonderful introduction to the underwater wonders of New Caledonia. As the boat returns across the turquoise water in the afternoon, you take in the beauty of the lagoon one last time. Back in Noumea, a relaxed dinner rounds off a delightful day, and you rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to the beautiful Isle of Pines.

This morning you transfer for the short, scenic flight to the Isle of Pines, the 'jewel of the Pacific', one of the most beautiful islands in the world. As you approach, the island's signature landscape unfurls beneath you, blinding white beaches, towering dark araucaria pines, and impossibly turquoise water, a scene unlike anywhere else in the Pacific. On arrival you are welcomed and transferred to your accommodation near the beautiful beaches of Kuto and Kanumera. The rest of the day is yours to settle into this island paradise, swimming in the warm, calm, crystal-clear lagoon, strolling the white sand beneath the pines, or simply relaxing and admiring the extraordinary beauty. The Isle of Pines is small, tranquil and utterly unspoiled, and the pace is wonderfully slow. As the sun sets over the turquoise water, silhouetting the tall pines, you settle in for three blissful days on this incomparable island.

Today you experience the crowning glory of the Isle of Pines, the magical Oro natural pool. Reached by a lovely walk through fragrant pine forest and along a shallow, crystal-clear river, the natural pool is a stunning tidal lagoon enclosed by rock and reef, filled with water of the most extraordinary, luminous turquoise imaginable. Here, in sheltered, calm, crystal-clear water, you can snorkel among coral and shoals of brilliant tropical fish, or simply float and swim in the warm, dazzling pool, surrounded by the towering pines and white sand of this incomparable island. The setting is idyllic and utterly tranquil, and the sense of having discovered a hidden natural paradise is profound. Snorkelling or floating in the Oro natural pool, in water of such astonishing beauty and clarity, is an experience that stays with you for a lifetime, and for many the single most beautiful moment of the journey. As the sun sets, enjoy a relaxed island dinner, perhaps of fresh lagoon seafood.

A day to enjoy the beauty and culture of the Isle of Pines. You might take a boat trip to Upi Bay, gliding among the extraordinary rock pinnacles and turquoise water in a traditional outrigger sailing canoe, visit the island's Kanak communities to experience their warm hospitality and traditional way of life, explore the historic remains of the island's convict past, or simply relax on the world-class beaches of Kuto and Kanumera, where the water is warm and calm and the sand blinding white beneath the pines. You might also snorkel the coral, kayak the lagoon, or enjoy a Kanak bougna feast cooked in an earth oven. The Isle of Pines combines extraordinary natural beauty with tranquillity and genuine culture, and there is always time to swim, relax and soak up the incomparable surroundings. As the sun sets over the turquoise water, silhouetting the tall pines, enjoy a leisurely dinner and rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to wild, beautiful Lifou.

This morning you transfer for the scenic flight to Lifou, the largest of the Loyalty Islands, a wilder, more unspoiled and authentic corner of New Caledonia. As you approach, the island's raised coral landscape, with its dramatic limestone cliffs plunging into brilliant blue water, secluded beaches and lush vegetation, is strikingly beautiful. On arrival you are welcomed with genuine Kanak hospitality and transferred to your accommodation, often set on a stunning bay or clifftop. The rest of the day is yours to settle into this beautiful, remote island, swimming in the turquoise water, exploring the dramatic coast, or simply relaxing and taking in the wild natural beauty. Less developed and less visited than the main island or the Isle of Pines, Lifou retains a timeless, unspoiled character, and the warmth of its Kanak people is deeply memorable. As the sun sets over the sea, you settle in for a genuine taste of the wild, cultural heart of the Loyalty Islands.

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, observe their customary traditions, and perhaps visit a sacred vanilla plantation. 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 or a traditional Kanak dish, and reflect on the wild, unspoiled beauty and warm hospitality of this remarkable island.

A final day to enjoy the wild beauty and warm culture of Lifou. You might snorkel Jinek Bay again, explore more of the island's dramatic cliffs, hidden coves and secluded beaches, visit a Kanak tribe to share their hospitality and learn about their traditional way of life, observe 'la coutume', and perhaps share a bougna feast cooked in an earth oven, or simply relax on a beautiful beach with nothing to do at all. Lifou's timeless, unspoiled character and the genuine warmth of its people make it a wonderful place to experience the authentic, cultural heart of New Caledonia. As your journey draws to a close, a farewell dinner celebrates the beauty and culture you have experienced, from cosmopolitan Noumea and the world's largest lagoon to the incomparable Isle of Pines and wild, beautiful Lifou, and you watch one last sunset over the sea, deeply content and reluctant to leave this remarkable island.

After a final morning on Lifou, perhaps a last snorkel over the pristine reef, you transfer for the flight back to Noumea and your onward international departure. You leave having experienced the very best of New Caledonia, the cosmopolitan French-Pacific charm of Noumea, the world's largest lagoon, the incomparable beauty of the Isle of Pines with its pines and natural pool, and the wild cliffs and warm culture of Lifou, some of the most beautiful and least-crowded island scenery in the Pacific. The images stay vivid long after you land, the turquoise natural pool framed by pines, the coral walls of Jinek Bay, the tall pines silhouetted against white sand, and the warm hospitality of the Kanak people. New Caledonia has a way of captivating those who visit, and you depart already dreaming of a return to these beautiful French-Melanesian islands and their extraordinary lagoon.