Trip Details
Itinerary, Accommodation, Boat, Food, Activities and Pricing
Spend a week in Rurutu, a remote South Pacific island, swimming with humpback whales. Beyond the ocean, stay with the Tavita family, enjoy incredible home-cooked meals, and experience land activities that blend adventure, culture, and connection. This trip is half-whale focused and half-people focused.
An Immersive Week
Our Rurutu program is not just about swimming with whales; it’s about being with them in one of the most intimate and immersive ways possible. Over the course of a week, we blend purposeful time on the water with cultural exchange, offering a rare kind of connection to both the marine world and the Polynesian families who call this tiny island home.
You’ll join a small group and expert team aiming for ~30 hours on water, focused on tracking, approaching, and swimming with humpback whales in their natural habitat.
Rurutu is remote, over 100 kilometres from the nearest island, and that’s part of the magic. Life moves slower here. Boats launch when the swell allows. Whales appear when they choose. And that’s what makes every encounter feel hard-earned and honest. You’ll be guided by a skilled captain and dedicated whale guides who understand how to approach them and build trust.
But the water is only half the story.
Each afternoon and evening, you’ll be welcomed into the island’s traditional way of life, learning ancestral stories, hiking dramatic cliff trails, harvesting taro, weaving pandanus, or preparing poisson à la javanaise with your host family. These are not staged activities; they are real insights into daily life, generously shared by a family who’s been here for generations.
You’ll stay at the Tavita family’s homestay, just steps from the sea. Mornings begin with fresh tropical breakfasts, evenings close around shared tables. It’s not luxury in the conventional sense, but it’s rich in something rarer: real connection.
Daily Schedule
Day 1: Sunday (arrival day)
All participants are met at Rurutu’s tiny airport on arrival. We head over to our house, just five minutes along the road from the runway. Once settled, we do group introductions followed by a home cooked Polynesian dinner at the house. This evening, everyone gets together for a trip briefing and gear check before bed.
Days 2~7: Monday~Saturday
The heart of the experience is the camaraderie among guests, crew, and trip leaders. Beyond the day's adventures, fostering connections and sharing stories enriches your trip.
As wind, weather, and swells affect the trip, the daily schedule changes throughout the week and your trip leader announces the next day’s plan the day before. We also include a full island tour of Rurutu’s culture, history, and legends, an epic hike to the Dragon’s Head during low tide, and other cultural activities to better connect to the island and her people throughout the week.
A sample schedule for a day during the week looks like this:
06:45 Wake up.
07:15 Breakfast (fresh fruit, eggs, baguettes, coffee, locally made jams).
07:45 Drive to the dive shop to suit up and get ready.
08:00 Set out on our boat from the wharf in search of humpback whales.
13:00 Return to shore, change out of wet gear, wash it, and hang it up.
13:30 Lunch in town at Snack Piaareare.
15:00 Cultural activity or return to the house to shower, chill, or have a photography workshop (sometimes these are in the mornings, sometimes in the afternoons, and boat sessions may alternate).
19:00 Family-style home cooked dinner at the house.
21:00 Bedtime.
Day 8: Sunday (departure day)
This morning we prepare a late breakfast full of tasty French pastries, scrambled eggs, baguettes, and local fruit. Transportation back to Rurutu airport is provided for everyone to match your flight departure time.
Accommodation Info
We stay at the Tavita family’s 6-bedroom guesthouse (A House) and adjacent 4-bedroom house (B House) in Una’a, just a five-minute walk from the beach and near Rurutu Airport.
Rooms are shared by gender, with single supplements extremely limited (1–2 per week) and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. These can be booked when registering for your week. During our 6-guest trips, more single supplements are available, as there are two fewer spots than our standard 8-guest trips.
Laundry is available (no additional cost) and we have a clothes drying area behind both houses. High-speed internet is generally available, and guests can enjoy fresh fruit and coconuts from the property.
A HOUSE
Our main expedition house is a 6-bedroom house with a large living room, outdoor dining space, and garden. Two of the guest rooms have large beds suitable for couples or singles, and the rest are twin shared. Each room has its own bathroom and hot water shower. This house is used for group meals (breakfasts and dinners) for both A and B groups.
B HOUSE
Just next door, this three-story, 4-bedroom house is used for our smaller groups and private groups. The house has 2 very large bedrooms and 1 bathroom/shower per guest floor, as well as a common floor, living room, and kitchen for hanging out. All showers are all hot water enabled.
Boat and In-Water Details
As per regulation, boats may be on water between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm, but we use them for normally 4-6 hours daily, depending on weather and how many other boats are out on the water. We divide the week into “sessions” on water, with each session representing 3~3.5 hours. Each week includes 10 prepaid sessions. Sessions may shift forward or back, shorten or combine depending on weather, tide, or local constraints.
Apo Apo 1
This boat is a converted fishing boat with fast inboard engine and adjustable sunroof for our smaller and private groups. The boat’s capacity is 8 including the captain and guide and fits perfectly with Polynesia’s regulations allowing 6 guests and 1 guide into the water at a time.
Apo Apo 2
This boat is a larger seven-meter steel dive boat with a fixed sunroof and single outboard engine converted for snorkelling. The boat’s capacity is 11 including the captain and guide. We normally use this boat for our larger groups (8 guests and 1-2 guides) as well as some premium groups, as it’s spacier than the Apo Apo 1.
Outings are planned based on weather, wind, permits, scheduling with other boats, and energy levels, with about 30 hours on the water per week. As per 2025 regulations, Rurutu now has a quota of 5 boats.
All in-water activities are led by our certified captains and guide, who ensure safety and respectful interactions with the whales. We prioritize the animals’ well-being, always honouring their space and behaviour.
From Farm/Sea to Table
Meals highlight Rurutu’s natural abundance and culinary traditions, blending Polynesian flavors with French influences. Teiti, trained in culinary arts, creates fresh and satisfying dishes tied to island life.
Fruits and root vegetables come from the family property, while fish like tuna and wahoo are hand-lined locally. Chickens and pigs are sourced from the island market or raised nearby.
We accommodate vegetarians and most dietary restrictions with advance notice.
Breakfast: Fresh baguettes, jams, butter, eggs, and fruits.
Lunch: Served at the family’s town restaurant for a taste of local culture.
Dinner: Home-cooked meals with traditional and creative dishes.
Land Activities
Your journey in Rurutu includes 2~4 immersive land activities that showcase the island’s landscapes and culture:
Tête de Monstre Hike: An adventurous trek to the “Monster Head” rock formation, planned during low tide, with stunning cliffs and wild views.
Legends and Culture Tour: A guided exploration of sacred caves, taro fields, artisan workshops, and historic sites, sharing the stories and traditions of Rurutu.
In the evenings, you can join Teiti in the kitchen to help prepare traditional meals, adding a hands-on element to your cultural immersion. We have also included deep sea hand line fishing sessions, po’i making, taro farming and pandanus weaving. These experiences offer a deeper connection to Rurutu’s natural beauty and heritage, complementing your time on the water.
Pricing Details
8-Guest Trips (shared rooms)
Note: 8 guest weeks (potentially) will have to rotate into 2 groups when dropping into the water to comply with the 2025 regulations allowing only 6 guests in the water at a time.
Early bird pricing:
$4,300 USD (before Jan 1st, 2026)
Normal pricing:
$4,500 USD (on/after Jan 1st, 2026)
6-Guest Trips (shared rooms)
Note: 6 guest weeks are guaranteed to not have to rotate amongst participants for drops, as the group size complies with the 2025 regulations allowing only 6 guests in the water at a time.
Early bird pricing:
$4,900 USD (before Jan 1st, 2026)
Normal pricing:
$5,100 USD (on/after Jan 1st, 2026)
Single Room (limited quantity)
+$700 USD for the week for single supplement (solo room).
Includes
7 nights accommodation (twin shared included; single supplements are limited).
6 boat days (~30 hrs total on-water time).
3 meals daily.
2~4 land excursions (hike and island tour).
Airport transfers in Rurutu.
Pro whale guide, program leader and captain.
Optional photography/videography lessons.
Photos our trip leader gets of guests during the trip (no guarantees, but we try our best).
Excludes
Gear (must bring your own, emergency rentals are available but quality and sizes are very limited). You need a mask, snorkel, fins, 3mm wetsuit.
Flights
Alcohol
Insurance
Personal spending and gratuities (optional)