- Where~100 km SE of Nouméa
- Getting thereFlight ~25 min or ferry ~2.5 h
- Best forBeaches, snorkelling, honeymoons
- Stay2–3 nights
About 100 km southeast of Nouméa, the Isle of Pines (Île des Pins, Kunyié in the Kanak language) is small enough to circle by car in an afternoon and beautiful enough to stay for a week. Its signature is the Araucaria columnaris, the slender column pine that lines every bay.
Kuto and Kanumera
The neighbouring bays of Kuto and Kanumera sit back to back on a narrow isthmus. Kuto is a long arc of fine white sand; Kanumera is smaller, with a rocky islet you can snorkel around. Hotels, gîtes and the ferry wharf are all nearby.
The pirogue trip and Oro Bay
The island's most memorable outing is a morning on a traditional sailing pirogue from Saint-Joseph Bay across the shallow, turquoise Upi Bay, past mushroom-shaped limestone islets. You land and walk about 45 minutes through the forest to Oro Bay and its natural pool, a sheltered lagoon pool perfect for floating among tropical fish. Book the pirogue through your accommodation the day before.
More to do
- Climb Pic N'ga (262 m), the island's highest point, for a 360° view in about an hour return.
- Visit the Queen Hortense Cave and the ruins of the 19th-century penal settlement at Ouro.
- Stop in the village of Vao and the Catholic mission church.
- Eat grilled lobster or bougna at a tribal gîte.
Stay in Isle of Pines
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Top sights in Isle of Pines
Oro Bay Natural Pool
A sheltered, crystal-clear lagoon pool fringed with column pines on the Isle of Pines.
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Kuto & Kanumera Bays
Two of the Pacific's most beautiful beaches, back to back on the Isle of Pines.
Read guide →Header photo: Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 3.0
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