Escapade Charter Tahiti, Day tours

Escapade Charter Tahiti, Day tours

Escapade Charter Tahiti, Day tours
4.5
About
L'Escapade Charter Tahiti offers you various cruises in French Polynesia in the Leewards Islands, Tuamotu island, Marquesas island, Gambiers and Australes archipelago.You will sail on a Fountaine Pajot SALINA 48 catamaran with one of our skipper.Spend a full day discovering the well-knowned atoll of Marlon BRANDO : TETIAROA
Papeete, French Polynesia

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles74 reviews
Excellent
55
Very good
10
Average
4
Poor
2
Terrible
3

P12345Uk
UK24 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2011
A light breakfast is provided on arrival at the quay and there are refreshments available on the boat all day. The journey to and from TETIAROA island is quite long and the sea can be rough. However, the island is idyllic, with no visible development to speak of, just white sand beaches and palm treees. Along the shore is another island, accessible on foot, where large numbers of seabirds nest. The birds are unafraid of people and it is easy to get photos like the ones on the website http://www.tahiti-charter-catamaran.com.

There is time for swimming and snorkeling (best to bring your own gear if you can). A good quality lunch is then provided on the boat prior to the return trip to Tahiti.

Overall, a memorable day out - and a great cure for jetlag!
Written March 15, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Buckeye_TravelerSF
San Francisco, CA55 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2014 • Family
We really enjoyed our day trip to Teti'aroa. We were picked up at our hotel at 5:20AM (2 of us). We were taken to the dock and given breakfast (coffee and bread with jam/butter). Of note, we were the only 2 people who were not primarily French speaking on the boat including the captain, except the first mate spoke English fluently (luckily). The boat is very nice and well maintained - has a bathroom on board. You are asked to pay for the day in cash when you arrive on the boat. Of note, make sure you know how much you should be charged. When we first arrived on the boat the captain told us it was 20,000 CPF each ~$200 (mainly spoke French). We said that we needed to go to an ATM to get cash and were told to go after we got back. Upon getting back when we were about to pay, there was an exchange between the captain and the driver taking us back to our hotel where he told the captain that it was only 12,000 CPF each ~$120 right as we were about to give him 20,000 CPF - so he saved us about $80. Interestingly on our confirmation it said we were to pay 14,000 CPF. Basically make sure you know the price you were quoted (would be a good idea to print confirmation) and be sure you have that amount in CPF - we almost paid $80 each too much (seemed a bit sketchy on part of the captain).

It is a 3.5 hour trip from Tahiti to Teti'aroa. We had a day of very smooth seas and it was very relaxing - we were nervous about this since other reviews had mentioned the rough seas. Once arriving you are shuttled to the beach in pairs of 2 via a smaller boat. Once everyone is on shore you walk over to "bird island" - which has a beautiful beach and is extremely picturesque (~ 30 minute walk). Of note - would be a good idea to bring water shoes - you are dropped off from the big boat onto a rocky reef and the walk to bird island is very rocky. We borrowed some that were on the boat, but it did not seem like they had enough for all passengers - would have been painful in my flip flops. Then you are free to stay on bird island or walk back and snorkel around the reef or explore the island. They provide snorkel masks but not flippers. You have about 3.5 hours on Teti'aroa. Then you head back to the boat around 2 where you are served lunch, then you head back to the marina. Lunch for us was centered around tuna: tuna spread on bread, tuna salad with vegetables, and cooked tuna with rice - if you didn't like tuna there were not alternatives that were provided.

Overall we had a very enjoyable experience and Teti'aroa is definitely worth a trip - it is gorgeous. There is another company that apparently only takes 2 or 2.5 hours to get there? We didn't mind the trip because the seas were smooth. I only took off one star due to the issue with the confusion about charge for the trip.
Written March 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

EduardoO350
Carson, CA111 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2014 • Couples
We good picked up by taxi from our hotel around 5 am. The sailing starts at 6 am. Light breakfast is provided. It is about a 3 to 31/2 hour sailing to Tetiaroa . The island is isolated and has beautiful beaches specially on Bird Island. It was exciting walking on the sandbar connecting the islands. Lunch is provided on the boat before you head back to Tahiti. My wife and I are the only English speaking passengers , the other eight people speaks only French. The deck hand Tahiri speaks very good English so he was the one giving us instructions because the Captain has limited English.
The only draw back is that they only accept cash (French Polynesian Francs), no credit cards.
Even with the draw backs, I would still recommend this trip
Written April 20, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jasper K
7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Family
Exactly the same experience as the other negative reviews here. Booked a day trip to Tetiaroa and the day before received an email saying the trip was cancelled due to inclement weather, with the next tour only available two weeks later. Tetiaroa was planned as a highlight of our trip to French Polynesia, so this was a huge disappointment to deal with.

It turns out the owner was lying, and weather conditions the following day were fine. I was able to book at the last minute seats on the Poe Charter tour for the same day. Do yourself a favor and do the same thing to avoid ruining your travel plans.
Written July 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are very sorry, that you are so unhappy with our decision to cancel a day trip when it's not realy secure for our guests. You have to know that the owner doesn't decide to cancel a day trip because of the weather forecast but the skipper who knows when it's not safe to go threw the reef in the dinghy. Again we are very sorry about this.
Written July 23, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

chilopoda2
New York City, NY68 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2016 • Solo
I booked a tour with this company several months in advance. Just a few weeks before my trip, I e-mailed them again and the tour was reconfirmed. I was shocked when they informed me that the excursion was cancelled just 24 hours before departure (due to lack of participants)! French Polynesia was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for me and this cancellation caused me a lot of stress. Luckily, Poe Charter was able to get me on their tour (last minute) and they did an excellent job. Escapade Charter is, unfortunately, not a reliable company.
Written January 29, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KARcal
Walnut Creek, CA90 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2018
Was scheduled with Escapade Charter for a day trip to Tetiaroa in March '18. Much like Chilopoda2, Escapade cancelled the trip at the last minute due to "weather conditions". My super hotel concierge was able to get me on the Poe the morning of departure, for a great day on the water and stop at Tetiaora.

Imagine my surprise to see the Escapade moored at Tetiaroa when the Poe arrived.
Written August 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Russ O
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2018 • Friends
We had originally booked and paid for this tour on a Poe Charter only to sent an email ( in French) telling us that our reservation was cancelled because they have to cater to the cruise ships..😡 We were lucky to discover Escapade Characters still had 3 spots open. Best part they were $40usd less than Poe with only 12 pax vs 30...
Escapade charters was excellent in communication by email of what, where and what we needed to bring!
We were met by the owner/ captain, his wife and the guide/cook/hostess and given very warm welcome, hot coffee,light breakfast, and we were given safety briefing.(translated in English to “don’t fall overboard “)
Note.. we were the only 3 English speaking passengers but the hostess could translate.
Even though the sea-state was a little rough do to strong winds 20 kts causing some pretty good ocean swells it was not a bad ride. The island itself was ok, when they tell you to wear watershoes or old sneakers they really mean it! A lot of walking over broken coral lava rock and sharp stones!, flip flops will not work! You will also be walking in 2’ of water for a good part of the time..
The bird island was just so-so.. you walked about 1/4 the way around it 20’ from shore to view a bunch of gulls turns and boobies sitting on the beach or flying in the trees way up on the island. You will then turn around and backtrack. When you get back to where the zodiac dropped you on the island the hostess will go back out to the anchored boat and start cooking lunch. You have about an hour to rest or snorkel on the reef nearby.. Note, there is a moderat current that can push you onto the coral if you are not a strong swimmer. The fish viewing was not the best, we have seen much better at some local Tahiti beaches. You will be ferried 2 at a time by inflable back to the boat to enjoy a wonderful lunch, drinks and deserts. It’s a long ride back to Tahiti of almost 4 hours, but being sailers ourselves loved every min of it... hopefully you will get to see a beautiful sunset behind Morrea..
Written November 10, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Russ for comment We were delighted to have discovered this beautiful atoll. Hoping that you will keep a good memory. Christelle
Written November 13, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Pottstown C
Hershey, PA16 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2017 • Couples
First things first---we should have been told to wear water shoes, the island we visited was all coral & BRUTAL on the feet even in flip flops. Our french hosts could not have been nicer or more entertaining as was the crew. The island we visited was Tetiaroa, not much to see & no beach to speak of. The trip over & back on the sailing catamaran was very nice, we were served a light breakfast & a delicious hearty lunch. I recommend the boat & crew, but the island left a lot to be desired
Written February 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mujitamas
Budapest, Hungary1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2015 • Solo
I would highly recommend this one day trip to everyone visiting Tahiti (but not for those who become sea-sick). The Escapade Charter is run by a elderly French couple. They are very nice and friendly. English knowledge is limited but still sufficient. The start is early morning around 6:00 from the port of Papeete. Before they serve a typical french breakfast with some fruits, baguette, jam, coffee, tea. The trip tlaes 3-3.5 hours. The Island has been leased to the Brando family for 99 years (starting from 60's). So the visitors can only walk on the beach. The access to the inside of the islands are not allowed. We were really lucky as we had only 4 people on board. It felt like being on a private excursion. We had apx. 5 hours on the island. The bird island is really special. The snorkeling was nice as well. You have to find the good spots. What was amazing is the number of Black Tip Reef Sharks around the island. We have seen at least a dozen. Not big ones but still very spectacular. Around 2pm we got back to the Catamaran and had our lunch. It's prepared by the wife. I loved the food! After the lunch around 3pm we headed back to Papeete. What I really liked with this trip is that u can visit an island which is not crowded at all. Just a few other people there. I'm really sad that we couldn't stay there more.
there are 3 other companies doing trips to Tetiaroa but it seemed to me they are more commercial and touristy. With this one I felt like I'm part of the family.
Thank You again!
Written November 18, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bonni O
Gig Harbor, WA90 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2018
We took the Escapade Charter to Tetiaro Atoll. They run a safe and fun operation. The deck hand/cook spoke good English. Most of the other tourists were French speaking. Some of them spoke to us a bit in English. There was good camraderie even with the language barrier. It was a 3.5 hour motor sail out to the atoll. We loved it. That is why we went - to spend some time on the ocean in the South Pacific, as we are sailors. The weather was pretty rough, but we know how to avoid sea sickness - watch the horizon adn be one with the boat. Many passengers were sick. Tetiaro was interesting. We wore water shoes which are a must. The shore and water that you walk in for 45 min each way to the Bird Sanctuary is rough and rocky. We also wore hats, tee shirts and sunscreen. We snorkeled for an hour after the walk. It is an OK snorkeling reef. There is a strong current, but ok if you have fins. The lunch was delicious and fruit and snacks available all the way home. We returned later than usual - about 7pm, maybe because of the rough weather. I would do it again!
Written December 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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