Pitcairn Cruise Tour

Tuesday 19th January – Mangareva – Rikitea

Morning

• Meet your fellow travellers at Faʻaʻā International Airport in Papeete, Tahiti, for the pre-tour meeting. Following the briefing, the group will travel together on a scheduled flight to Totegegie Airport in the Gambier Islands.
• Arrive at Totegegie Airport located on one of Mangereva’s reefs.
• We will collect our luggage and take the 40 minute ferry to Rikitea, the main village and administrative capital of Mangareva, the largest and central island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. Here, a French Polynesian Gendarmerie will give exit stamps for passengers heading to Pitcairn.

Afternoon

• Upon arrival in Rikitea, a crew member will assist with loading your luggage on to the ship and escort you to your cabin. After a brief safety walkthrough with the chief officer, we will depart in the late afternoon as the ship sets sail for Pitcairn. Our cargo passenger vessel, which supplies the island with essential goods, will be our home for the next 32 hours, spanning two nights and one full day at sea, as we cover approximately 480 km to one of the UK’s most remote dependencies, the Pitcairn Islands.
• Overnight aboard our ship.

Wednesday 20th January – Pacific Ocean 

Morning

• Breakfast is served from 7:30am in the dining room. Afterward, we will explore the ship with access to the top deck, weather permitting. While spotting whales or large marine life is unlikely, we can relish the ocean breeze and the breathtaking views of this remote corner of the Pacific.

Afternoon

• Lunch will be served at 11:30am, followed by free time to relax, play card games, share travel stories, or catch up on some well-earned rest.
• Dinner will be served at 5:30pm, followed by evening drinks, lively conversation, and time to unwind together as the ship continues its crossing.
• After dinner, your YPT guide will fire up the popcorn and cue up one of the classic film adaptations of Mutiny on the Bounty. Will it be the 1935 Clark Gable version, the 1962 Marlon Brando epic, or the 1984 Mel Gibson take? Dealer’s choice.
• Overnight aboard our ship.

Thursday 21st January – Pitcairn 

Morning

• We will start our day with breakfast on the boat before heading to the top deck to capture stunning photos as we approach and anchor off Pitcairn, the only inhabited island among the four volcanic islands of the Pitcairn group. With around 50 residents, Pitcairn’s close-knit community is made up of the descendants of the infamous mutineers of the HMS Bounty and their Polynesian companions who arrived in 1790.
• Around 8am, we will board longboats and transfer to Bounty Bay, arriving ashore around 9am After clearing customs, we will be warmly welcomed by our homestay hosts, who will escort us to their homes, where you will settle in and get to know your hosts over a welcoming cup of tea or coffee. This is also a great time to discuss any dietary preferences, as your hosts will be providing most of your meals during your stay.

Afternoon

• After settling in, we will regroup and kick off our Pitcairn adventure by visiting the Pamai Centre, the island’s central hub and home to the general store, post office, government treasury and museum. Funded by the EU and built in 2020, it serves as the main commercial and administrative spot, crucial for island life, though the store’s hours are very limited, receiving supplies only by ship.
• We will also visit the Pitcairn Island Museum before leaving the Pamai Centre. Opened in 2005, the museum showcases fascinating artifacts from the island’s original settlers, along with remains from the HMS Bounty, which was deliberately set ablaze and sunk in 1790 to avoid detection by the Royal Navy and prevent escape from the island.
• After our tour, we will head back to our homestays for a delicious lunch, featuring a variety of quality whole foods, fruit, coffee, tea, and juice.
• After lunch, we will regroup and set off on a full island tour by ATV, led by our local hosts. ATVs are the ride of choice for Pitkerners and the ideal way to navigate the island’s steep terrain, rugged tracks, and remote viewpoints while reaching areas few visitors ever see. We’ll begin by visiting the ship’s landing point before continuing on to St Paul’s Pool. Weather permitting, there will be an opportunity to swim in this natural tidal pool framed by volcanic rock. We then head onward to Evans Lookout, where you can look down over ancient petroglyphs and take in sweeping views of St Paul’s from afar.
• The route continues past the island’s sports field, picnic area at the Big Mango, recycling centre, and radio station before reaching Pitcairn’s highest point. From here, we cross the ridge and descend toward the Western Harbour, offering dramatic coastal perspectives along the way. On the return journey, we’ll walk across Gannets Ridge before heading back toward Adamstown.
• Back near town, we’ll stop to visit the island’s famous tortoise, where you may have the chance to feed her if she’s feeling cooperative. We then continue to the grave of John Adams, the Pitcairn cemetery, and the island’s edge overlooking Arcadia Anchorage and Bicentennial Park, with panoramic views across Bounty Bay. The tour concludes back at our accommodation, where refreshments will be served after an unforgettable introduction to Pitcairn’s landscapes, history, and daily life.
• We will regroup for a sunset dinner with our local guides to experience the breathtaking night skies of Pitcairn. The Pitcairn Islands are uniquely recognized as the only island group—and the first British Overseas Territory—to be designated as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. Named Mata ki te Rangi, or “Eyes to the Skies,” this sanctuary spans all four islands (Pitcairn, Oeno, Henderson, and Ducie), covering a vast area of 520,000 square miles.

Friday 22nd January – Pitcairn 

Morning

• Today will be dedicated to discovering Pitcairn’s small businesses and cottage industries, offering a closer look at the island’s local production and entrepreneurial life. After breakfast with your hosts, step into one of Pitcairn’s most unique cottage industries on the Christian Group Honey Production Tour. Visit a local beekeeper’s hives and discover how Pitcairn has maintained one of the world’s rare populations of disease-free bees. If timing allows, watch the honey extraction process in action, then enjoy the unforgettable experience of tasting raw honey straight from the comb, a true highlight for many visitors. The visit includes light refreshments and a complimentary 250g jar of Pitcairn honey, valued at $20, to take home as a sweet souvenir of the island.

Afternoon

• Following a delicious home-cooked lunch with our hosts, enjoy an in-depth visit to Pitcairn’s coffee plantations and working coffee farm, where you’ll learn how coffee is grown, nurtured, and processed on one of the world’s most remote islands. Explore the coffee nursery and processing facilities, and, if she happens to be working in the fields, catch a glimpse of the legendary Mrs T among the plantations. The tour also includes a brief stop at the island’s bee hives and a look inside the apiary processing plant, highlighting the close relationship between Pitcairn’s coffee and honey production. The experience concludes with freshly brewed coffee and local honey tastings.
• We will then return to Adamstown to visit the island’s other equally vital enterprise: the pub! Settle in for a lively Pitcairn Quiz Happy Hour at the Whale’s Tooth Tavern, hosted by the legendary Pirate Pawl Warren in his cozy, makeshift bar. Proudly billed as the World’s Most Remote Tavern, the Whale’s Tooth is famous for its signature tequila shot served in a hollowed whale’s tooth, a must try for the adventurous. The afternoon will be spent enjoying cold beers, playing pool and darts, and, if we are lucky, getting a glimpse of Pawl’s private collection of HMS Bounty artifacts.
• Dinner, drinks, and an overnight stay at your homestay, where you can relax and share stories of the day’s activities.

Saturday 23rd January – Pitcairn 

Morning

• After breakfast, we head out with Pitkern Sea Service 360° for a scenic boat journey around the entirety of Pitcairn Island, offering a rare sea-level perspective of its dramatic cliffs, rugged coastline, and hidden coves. From the water, enjoy fish and coral viewing in the island’s clear surrounding seas, with commentary from local crew along the way. The trip also includes viewing of shipwreck remains and sites associated with the historic HMS Bounty story near Bounty Bay, linking Pitcairn’s natural landscape with its remarkable maritime history. Refreshments are served on return, rounding out a relaxed and memorable way to experience the island from a completely different perspective.

Afternoon

Sunday 24th January – Pitcairn – Pacific Ocean 

Morning

• After an early breakfast, we will return Adamstown for a final hike on the eco-trail – known as the “Trail of Tears” by the locals who can no longer remember how the trail got its name – which leads up to the Pawala Valley Ridge, the highest point on Pitcairn with an elevation of 347 meters above sea-level. We will also see Tedside on the island’s west coast, an alternate anchorage for arriving vessels if the ocean is too choppy at Bounty Bay.

Afternoon

• Upon returning to Adamstown, we will stop by the town square for a farewell community lunch and street market. This will be your chance to pick up one-of-a-kind Pitcairn T-shirts, carvings, fridge magnets, as well as Pitcairn’s famous honey, which is considered some of the rarest and best in the world for its unique flavor due to the nectar from Mango, Passionfruit, Guava and other exotic fruit and flowers found on the island. After securing our Pitcairn keepsakes, our hosts will see us off at Bounty Bay as we board our longboats and transfer back on to our cargo-passenger ship for the 2-day return journey to Rikitea.
• Overnight on our ship.

Monday 25th January – Pacific Ocean 

• With meal times and amenities the same as our journey to Pitcairn, we will spend the day relaxing, reflecting and exchanging stories of our trip.

Tuesday 26th January – Rikitea – Mangareva 

Morning

• Arrive in Rikitea in the early morning hours, and have a farewell breakfast aboard our ship. At dawn, we will take the ferry back to Mangareva where our Pitcairn cruise will conclude. YPT are able to arrange post-tour accommodation or extra activities in Papeete if you want to extend your trip.