Grand New Caledonia: Noumea, Isle of Pines & the Loyalty Islands

Today you explore Noumea, a sophisticated, uniquely French-Pacific city. A guided tour takes in the vibrant morning market overflowing with produce, flowers and seafood, the bays and marinas, the city beaches, and the excellent aquarium showcasing the extraordinary marine life of the lagoon. The highlight is the striking Tjibaou Cultural Centre, an architectural masterpiece by Renzo Piano inspired by traditional Kanak huts, a wonderful window onto the rich indigenous Melanesian Kanak culture. Noumea's blend of French elegance and Pacific setting, of chic boutiques and coral reefs, is delightful and distinctive. You might dine in one of the city's excellent French or fusion restaurants, or relax on Anse Vata beach. As you soak up the cosmopolitan charm and the Kanak culture, you gain a real feel for the unique French-Melanesian character that makes New Caledonia so special, and a wonderful cultural introduction to the beautiful islands ahead.

A day exploring the world's largest lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extraordinary marine life. A boat trip carries you across the shimmering turquoise water to Amedee Islet, a tiny coral cay crowned by a historic white lighthouse, one of the tallest in the world, which you can climb for breathtaking views over the lagoon. On the island, you snorkel over vibrant coral gardens alive with tropical fish, turtles and rays, swim in the warm, clear water, relax on the white sand, and enjoy a barbecue lunch, often with a display of Kanak dance. The sheer beauty and marine richness of the lagoon are breathtaking, and the day offers a wonderful introduction to the underwater wonders of New Caledonia. As the boat returns across the turquoise water, you take in the beauty of the lagoon. Back in Noumea, a relaxed dinner rounds off a delightful day, and you rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to the incomparable Isle of Pines.

This morning you transfer for the short, scenic flight to the Isle of Pines, the 'jewel of the Pacific', one of the most beautiful islands in the world. As you approach, the island's signature landscape unfurls beneath you, blinding white beaches, towering dark araucaria pines, and impossibly turquoise water. On arrival you are welcomed and transferred to your accommodation near the beautiful beaches of Kuto and Kanumera. The rest of the day is yours to settle into this island paradise, swimming in the warm, calm, crystal-clear lagoon, strolling the white sand beneath the pines, or simply relaxing and admiring the extraordinary beauty. The Isle of Pines is small, tranquil and utterly unspoiled, and the pace is wonderfully slow. As the sun sets over the turquoise water, silhouetting the tall pines, you settle in for three blissful days on this incomparable island, a serene, idyllic counterpoint to the culture of Noumea.

Today you experience the crowning glory of the Isle of Pines, the magical Oro natural pool. Reached by a lovely walk through fragrant pine forest and along a shallow, crystal-clear river, the natural pool is a stunning tidal lagoon enclosed by rock and reef, filled with water of the most extraordinary, luminous turquoise imaginable. Here, in sheltered, calm, crystal-clear water, you can snorkel among coral and shoals of brilliant tropical fish, or simply float and swim in the warm, dazzling pool, surrounded by the towering pines and white sand of this incomparable island. The setting is idyllic and utterly tranquil, and the sense of having discovered a hidden natural paradise is profound. Snorkelling or floating in the Oro natural pool, in water of such astonishing beauty, is an experience that stays with you for a lifetime, and for many the single most beautiful moment of the journey. As the sun sets, enjoy a relaxed island dinner of fresh lagoon seafood beneath the pines.

A day to enjoy the beauty and culture of the Isle of Pines. In the morning you sail Upi Bay aboard a traditional wooden outrigger canoe, gliding silently among dozens of towering limestone rock pinnacles that rise from shallow water of the most brilliant turquoise, a surreal and unforgettable seascape. The rest of the day is yours to relax on the world-class beaches of Kuto and Kanumera, snorkel the coral, visit the island's Kanak communities to experience their warm hospitality and traditional way of life, or explore the atmospheric ruins of the island's convict past. You might also enjoy a Kanak bougna feast cooked in an earth oven. The Isle of Pines combines extraordinary natural beauty with tranquillity and genuine culture, and there is always time to swim, relax and soak up the incomparable surroundings. As the sun sets over the turquoise water, silhouetting the tall pines, enjoy a leisurely dinner and rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to wild, beautiful Lifou.

This morning you transfer for the scenic flight to Lifou, the largest of the wild, unspoiled Loyalty Islands. As you approach, the island's dramatic limestone cliffs plunging into brilliant blue water, secluded beaches and lush vegetation are strikingly beautiful. On arrival you are welcomed with genuine Kanak hospitality and transferred to your accommodation, often set on a stunning bay or clifftop. The rest of the day is yours to settle into this beautiful, remote island, swimming in the turquoise water, exploring the dramatic coast, or simply relaxing and taking in the wild natural beauty. Less developed and less visited than the main island or the Isle of Pines, Lifou retains a timeless, unspoiled character, and the warmth of its Kanak people is immediate. As the sun sets over the sea, you settle in for a genuine taste of the wild, cultural heart of the Loyalty Islands, with pristine reefs and dramatic cliffs to explore.

Today you explore the wild beauty and superb snorkelling of Lifou. At Jinek Bay, a protected marine reserve, you snorkel over pristine coral walls teeming with brilliant tropical fish, turtles and reef life just off the shore, one of the best and most accessible snorkelling experiences in the Pacific, in crystal-clear, sheltered water. You visit the dramatic cliffs of the Jokin area, where towering limestone plunges into brilliant blue water and a stairway leads down to a hidden snorkelling cove, and take in the island's spectacular coastal scenery. Along the way you meet the warm Kanak people and take in secluded white-sand beaches. Lifou's blend of dramatic cliffs, pristine reefs, hidden coves and genuine culture, far from the crowds, is unforgettable. As the sun sets over the sea, enjoy a relaxed dinner, perhaps of fresh lagoon seafood, and reflect on the wild, unspoiled beauty and warm hospitality of this remarkable island.

A day immersed in the culture and natural beauty of Lifou. You visit a Kanak tribe to share their genuine hospitality, observe 'la coutume', and learn about their traditional way of life, carving and customs, and perhaps visit a sacred vanilla plantation. You explore more of the island's dramatic cliffs, hidden coves and secluded beaches, and take in the timeless, unspoiled character of Lifou. The warmth, dignity and generosity of the Kanak people, who share their homes, food and traditions with open hearts, leave a deep impression, and a traditional bougna feast offers a memorable insight into island life. This immersion in genuine Kanak culture, combined with the wild beauty of the island, reveals the authentic heart of the Loyalty Islands. As the sun sets over the sea, enjoy a relaxed evening and rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to Ouvea, home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and the final beautiful island of your grand journey.

This morning you transfer for the scenic flight to Ouvea, a slender, atoll-like island home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. As you approach, the island's breathtaking twenty-five-kilometre ribbon of blinding white sand, curving along a lagoon of the most impossibly luminous turquoise, unfurls beneath you, a sight of almost overwhelming beauty. On arrival you are welcomed with genuine Kanak hospitality and transferred to your accommodation near the famous beach. The rest of the day is yours to settle into this incomparable island paradise, walking, swimming and relaxing along the dazzling white sand, snorkelling the coral, or simply gazing across the turquoise lagoon. Ouvea is one of the least-visited and most unspoiled islands in the Pacific, and its extraordinary natural beauty and tranquillity are profound. As the sun sets over the endless beach and turquoise lagoon, you settle in for the beautiful finale of your grand journey through New Caledonia.

A final full day to savour the incomparable beauty of Ouvea, above all its breathtaking twenty-five-kilometre beach, one of the most beautiful in the world. You can walk, swim and relax along the dazzling, near-deserted ribbon of blinding white sand, backed by coconut palms and lapped by warm, calm, crystal-clear turquoise water, an experience of almost overwhelming beauty and tranquillity. You might visit the striking Lekiny cliffs and pierced rock, take a boat to the pristine reefs of the Pleiades islets for superb snorkelling, visit a Kanak community, or simply laze on the sand, taking in the endless expanse of white and turquoise curving into the distance. The pace is wonderfully slow, and the sense of being in an unspoiled paradise, far from the crowds, is profound. As the sun sets over the lagoon in a blaze of colour, a farewell dinner celebrates the beauty and culture you have experienced across all of New Caledonia, from cosmopolitan Noumea to this incomparable island paradise.

After a final barefoot morning on Ouvea's incomparable beach, perhaps a last swim in the turquoise lagoon, you transfer for the flight back to Noumea and your onward international departure. You leave having truly experienced New Caledonia, the cosmopolitan French-Pacific charm of Noumea, the world's largest lagoon, the incomparable Isle of Pines with its pines and natural pool, and the wild Loyalty Islands with Lifou's cliffs and reefs and Ouvea's breathtaking beach, some of the most beautiful and least-crowded island scenery in the Pacific. The images stay vivid long after you land, the turquoise natural pool framed by pines, the coral walls of Jinek Bay, the endless white beach of Ouvea, and the warm hospitality of the Kanak people. New Caledonia has a way of captivating those who visit, and having experienced it in such depth, you depart already dreaming of a return to these beautiful French-Melanesian islands.