Cook Islands Vacations, Cook Islands Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide
A lagoon on Aitutaki
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Cook Islands Vacation Guide
Minute, but spread across vast swathes of open ocean, the Cook Islands are the perfect getaway for travelers harboring a ‘lost on a desert island’ fantasy. There are 15 desert islands to be precise, and each is home to its own homely brand of Polynesian culture and palm-strewn views the envy of any tropics fanatic.
Most visitors land on Rarotonga, where dense rainforests meet white beaches meet translucent turquoise seas. Dance the night away in an ecstatic haze of tribal culture, soaking up the beat of the tribal drums after a sumptuous Umukai feast, explore the sweet-smelling rainforests or take a glimpse into the expanses of the deep blue from the deck of a glass-bottomed boat.
While Rarotonga’s blissful in it’s own right, to feel like you’ve really ‘just been washed up’ you’re going to have to hit the smaller islands. In Aitutaki you’ll be greeted by an underwater garden full of unfeasibly hefty clams and rainbow fish, all tucked just under the surface of a colorful lagoon widely commended as one of the South Pacific’s most brilliant sites. On shore there are enough beaches to share that you might just find your own, and exploring the backstreets reveals choral-walled churches and ancient tribal meeting spots.
Atiu’s set of deep underground caves and soggy swamps draw in the nature lovers, while the spooky burial grounds give visitors a sinister taste of Polynesian culture and the potent coffee grown at the local plantations makes a perfect Sunday morning hangover cure. If you have plenty of time to kill, the black pearl fields of far off Penrhyn and Manihiki are fabulous and rarely visited, while for culture addicts, Mitiaro offers the best in well-preserved villages and traditional lifestyle.
The Cook Islands are the kind of location where time passes too quickly, and it’s easy to find yourself stepping back on the plane with the taste of your last Mojito still lingering at the back of your throat, and this south pacific paradise already a fading memory. It’s divine, but try not to get tied to just one beach.
Most visitors land on Rarotonga, where dense rainforests meet white beaches meet translucent turquoise seas. Dance the night away in an ecstatic haze of tribal culture, soaking up the beat of the tribal drums after a sumptuous Umukai feast, explore the sweet-smelling rainforests or take a glimpse into the expanses of the deep blue from the deck of a glass-bottomed boat.
While Rarotonga’s blissful in it’s own right, to feel like you’ve really ‘just been washed up’ you’re going to have to hit the smaller islands. In Aitutaki you’ll be greeted by an underwater garden full of unfeasibly hefty clams and rainbow fish, all tucked just under the surface of a colorful lagoon widely commended as one of the South Pacific’s most brilliant sites. On shore there are enough beaches to share that you might just find your own, and exploring the backstreets reveals choral-walled churches and ancient tribal meeting spots.
Atiu’s set of deep underground caves and soggy swamps draw in the nature lovers, while the spooky burial grounds give visitors a sinister taste of Polynesian culture and the potent coffee grown at the local plantations makes a perfect Sunday morning hangover cure. If you have plenty of time to kill, the black pearl fields of far off Penrhyn and Manihiki are fabulous and rarely visited, while for culture addicts, Mitiaro offers the best in well-preserved villages and traditional lifestyle.
The Cook Islands are the kind of location where time passes too quickly, and it’s easy to find yourself stepping back on the plane with the taste of your last Mojito still lingering at the back of your throat, and this south pacific paradise already a fading memory. It’s divine, but try not to get tied to just one beach.