New Caledonia Short Escape: Noumea & the Isle of Pines

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. Before or after the cruise, you might explore Noumea's markets, the Tjibaou Cultural Centre or its cafes. As the sun sets, 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, a scene unlike anywhere else in the Pacific. 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 a few blissful days on this incomparable island, the beautiful heart of your escape.

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 and clarity, is an experience that stays with you for a lifetime, and for many the single most beautiful moment of the escape. As the sun sets, enjoy a relaxed island dinner of fresh lagoon seafood beneath the pines.

A final full day to savour the Isle of Pines at the gentlest of paces. You might sail Upi Bay aboard a traditional outrigger canoe, gliding among the extraordinary turquoise-water rock pinnacles, relax on the world-class beaches of Kuto and Kanumera, snorkel the coral, visit a Kanak community for a warm welcome, or simply do nothing more than relax beneath the pines, cold drink in hand, watching the endless colours of the turquoise water. The Isle of Pines combines extraordinary natural beauty with tranquillity, and there is always time to swim, relax and soak up the incomparable surroundings. As your escape draws to a close, a farewell dinner celebrates the beauty you have experienced, from Noumea and the world's largest lagoon to the incomparable Isle of Pines, and you watch one last spectacular sunset over the turquoise water, silhouetting the tall pines, deeply content and reluctant to leave this rare and beautiful island paradise.

After a final barefoot morning by the lagoon, perhaps a last swim in that warm, turquoise water beneath the pines, you transfer for the flight back to Noumea and your onward international departure. You leave with the beauty of New Caledonia etched in your memory, the cosmopolitan French-Pacific charm of Noumea, the world's largest lagoon, and the incomparable Isle of Pines with its magical natural pool and towering pines. Though brief, your escape has delivered the full magic of the South Pacific, its turquoise lagoons, superb snorkelling, unique French-Melanesian culture and warm welcome, and the images stay vivid long after you land. New Caledonia has a way of captivating those who visit, and you depart already dreaming of a longer return to explore more of these beautiful islands, from the wild Loyalty Islands to the vast lagoon, one of the most beautiful and distinctive corners of the entire Pacific.