The Beauty of New Caledonia

Day 1 Nouméa On arrival at Tontouta Airport in Nouméa, you will be taken by shuttle to your hotel.

Day 2 Nouméa – Koné (265 km) At 09.00 you pick up your hire car at your hotel in Nouméa and set off on your journey across Grande Terre. You first pass through Boulouparis and then Foa. We recommend a short stop at the public garden in the centre of Foa, where you can see Kanak sculptures by local artists. You continue through Moindou, a former coal-mining village. On the way to Bourail you can visit Fort Teremba, where you will learn more about this region of New Caledonia (admission not included). After arriving in Bourail, it is worth heading to the beach at ‘Roche Percée’ to see the famous quartz rock formation. We also recommend driving on to the beach at Poé, where you can have a picnic. Later in the afternoon you reach Koné, the capital of New Caledonia’s North Province. From here you set off on a one-hour scenic flight over the famous ‘Coeur de Voh’.

Day 3 Koné – Hienghène (177 km) We recommend stopping for lunch in Voh or Koné. In the afternoon you take the ‘Koné - Tiwaka’ road, which crosses Grande Terre. You then continue towards Hienghène and have the opportunity to visit the Lindéralique rocks.

Day 4 Hienghène – Poindimié (73 km) This morning, after breakfast, you can find out locally about the various ways of exploring the region. At the Hienghène Museum, visitors learn more about the region and about Jean-Marie Tjibaou, one of Hienghène’s best-known residents. Alternatively, you can climb up to the Belvédère and enjoy the magnificent view of the bay and the Lindéralique rocks. From there you can also admire New Caledonia’s highest mountain, Mont Panié (1,628 m).

Day 5 Poindimié – Sarraméa (208 km) Spend the morning on the superb beach at Poindimié, or take a short hike in Amoa or the Tchamba Valley. On the way from Poindimié to Sarraméa, we recommend a stop at the ‘Bâ’ waterfall in Houaïlou, where the water plunges 15 metres into a natural pool. On the way to the ‘Col des Roussettes’ you cross the mountains.

Day 6 Sarraméa – Port-Boisé (100 km) This morning, make a short stop at Trou Feillet: a swim in this natural pool is well worthwhile. You then cross Nouméa to reach Port-Boisé, one of the southernmost spots on Grande Terre.

Day 7 Port-Boisé After breakfast you have several options for spending the day. Relax at your hotel, visit the ‘Parc de la Rivière Bleue’ with its fascinating flora and its lakes, or take an excursion to the ‘Madeleine Falls’, where you can see the original landscape of the cork oak, a rare tree that grows in water.

Day 8 Port-Boisé – Nouméa (110 km) In the morning you have time to visit the places you have not yet discovered, or you can relax at your hotel before returning to Nouméa. The car can be returned at your accommodation in Nouméa.

Day 9 Nouméa After breakfast you are taken by shuttle to Nouméa airport, from where you continue your journey to islands such as the Isle of Pines, Ouvéa or Maré.

Day 10