The Tuamotus Diaries #32: INTRODUCTION TO FAKARAVA
Ok, we have just completed our series of Diary Entries from Makemo, and are now inaugurating a new chapter of our Journey in the Tuamotus: Fakarava.
Makemo was our first atoll in the Tuamotus. We had not originally planned to go there. Moreover, we stayed there for more than 2 months. As such, Makemo had plenty of opportunity to surprise us in many ways, as it did.
Fakarava was a different story. Being one of the largest atolls in the Tuamotus, and one which is a popular (and convenient) stop for cruisers, Fakarava was always a centerpiece of our cruising plan for the Tuamotus. So, not only did we arrive there with expectations, but also with a strong benchmark – set in Makemo – to compare it with.
Differently from Makemo, Fakarava is easy to sail inside, and move around we did. We entered it via the wide North Pass, headed to Tonae – a roadstead anchorage roughly midway down the atoll – where we celebrated Raquel’s birthday. We then came back North to the village in Rotoava for internet, provisioning and to pick up my sister in law who was arriving for a two-week stay with us. With her we sailed down to the South Pass area – where we did some awesome snorkeling in the company of sharks, a lot of them – and then on to Hirifa at the very SE corner of the atoll – a truly lovely setting, where the reef forms huge pools of the purest brilliant seawater we’d seen. Adriana then left with her sister, and I stayed with the kids for another two weeks, when we repeated the same circle again: Village-South Pass-Hirifa. The attached picture shows the location of these places (Fakarava’s dimensions are roughly 25 miles long by 10 miles wide). This will be all dully covered in the posts to follow, of course.
We hope you will enjoy our upcoming series of Diary Entries from our stay in Fakarava. Stay Tuned, and Thank You for following us on our Journey.
E la vamos nos para Fakarava! !!