The custom-built Aranui III is specially designed with added space and our passengers’ comfort in mind. But we have retained our remarkably friendly atmosphere and experienced crew. Join us on an unforgettable
South Pacific adventure, discovering the intoxicating beauty of these lush, untouched islands.
Our state-of-the art ship offers tasteful, spacious suites. All have windows. On the sweeping decks, read, relax or take in the views of pristine lagoons and soaring mountain spires. Take a dip in our sparkling outdoor
swimming pool or use our on-board facilities for fishing, swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. In our expanded dining room, savor fine French and Polynesian cuisine with fellow adventurers from around the
world. Lose calories in the gym or exercise your mind in the library. Socialize in the lounge or learn about the rich Marquesan culture and history from our onboard experts.

And at our expanded bar-lounge, our spirited crew sing and strum Polynesian rhythms on their hand-crafted ukuleles. They’ll teach you to gyrate your hips to rapid, hypnotic beats of the tamure.

Our dedicated crew are descendants of the greatest navigators of all time -- the ancient Polynesians. We’ve learned about what matters to modern navigators and to our guests – that’s why we’ve built the technically-advanced Aranui III. This is voyaging at its best -- interior South Sea designs, seafaring.

The Aranui III continues our tradition of excellence. Join us for the only and the most unforgettable way to explore the Marquesas Islands.

You’ll board the Aranui III in Tahiti and sail almost 800 miles to the most spectacular and remote islands in French Polynesia. The first stop on this 16 day voyage starts with the Tuamotu islands, where you’ll see pearl farmers harvest rare black pearls from giant oysters.

The Marquesas’ six inhabited islands are so remote that the Aranui III is their lifeline to the outside world, bringing supplies and picking up copra, dried coconut and noni fruit. We make 15 stops, so we have plenty of time to explore. Little has changed in these untouched islands, which have few roads or cars. Visitors are very rare and very welcome.

The first view of the Marquesas are the mountain spires of Ua Pou, "volcanic needles like the pinnacles of some ornate church," as Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in 1880. Whenever the Aranui III docks, villagers gather on the pier to greet us. As our muscular crew unloads supplies -- from cement to sugar -- and loads sacks of copra (dried coconut meat), our well-trained, multi-lingual guides bring you to meet traditional artists and take you on breathtaking hikes to hidden jungle ruins.

You'll never forget sailing into Nuku Hiva’s spectacular bay, a giant volcanic amphitheater dominated by towering cliffs streaked with majestic waterfalls. There are dramatic dive sites or heartstopping views by
helicopter. A decade before he wrote Moby Dick, 23- year-old Herman Melville jumped his whaling ship
here in 1842. We’ll retrace his escape route on a spectacular Jeep safari over the mountains to mysterious jungle river valley, still much the same as Melville described it in his autobiographical first novel -- Typee. Hidden amidst the bamboo and vanilla vines, you’ll see stone tiki gods, sacred ritual sites and enigmatic petroglyphs of birds, fish and sacred turtles and fish carved on boulders.

Hiva Oa is where Paul Gauguin’s search for an unspoiled island ended. This artist with a lust for life painted his final masterpieces here. In the hill top cemetery where Gauguin is buried is the gravestone of another European who also was seduced by these islands -- singer-composer Jacques Brel. Our guides will show you mysterious jungle ruins -- the largest tikis outside the Easter Islands. Once used for religious rites, these humanlike stone sculptures are reminders of that a great civilization flourished here before the Europeans invaded.

Even though Fatu Hiva is a center of Marquesian culture, Aranui passengers usually are the only visitors to this remote, verdant island. We’ll see artists painting ancient designs on tapa cloth, making pareos (sarongs) and monoi, coconut oil scented with tiare blossoms. We’ll see woodworkers carving intricate bowls and
spears. After hiking past towering cliffs with dizzying views of majestic waterfalls, cool off with a plunge in a secluded river pool.

On Ua Huka, the wild horses outnumber the 300 residents. Explore by horse or by jeep -- either way, you'll have magnificent views. Along the way, you’ll enjoy bounteous Marquesan buffets: barbecued rock lobster, poisson cru (raw fish marinated in lime juice and soaked in coconut milk), curried goat, breadfruit, taro
and sweet red bananas.