Lagoon Tours with a Motu Lunch

A lunch on a motu is what turns a Bora Bora snorkel trip into a full day. You spend the morning swimming with rays, sharks and reef fish, then the boat pulls up on a small palm-covered islet and lunch is laid out by the water. Every tour on this page does that, but the lunch itself differs more than the tour titles suggest: a BBQ with a salad bar, a Polynesian picnic, a traditional plate of raw fish and taro, or a buffet with craft shows. Here is what you actually eat on each, and which day suits whom.

What Is a Motu in Bora Bora?

Motu is the Tahitian word for a small island. In Bora Bora it means the low, narrow islets of sand and coral that sit on the barrier reef in a ring around the lagoon, most of them fringed with coconut palms. Some carry resorts, and many are quiet strips of beach. Several tour listings describe their lunch spot as a “private motu”. Expect shade, shallow water at your feet and a view back across the lagoon to Mount Otemanu, the island’s highest peak.

What the Lunch Is on Each Tour

The Vavau full-day lagoon cruise serves a BBQ and salad bar lunch on a small island, with a beachside Polynesian performance. The GetYourGuide version of the same trip spells out the menu: steak, chicken, fish, salads, fruit and drinks, eaten at tables with your feet in the lagoon, during a one-hour lunch break. Reviewers mention tasting green and ripe coconuts. In September 2026 it started from $155 per person for six hours, rated 4.8 from 722 reviews.

Rohivai’s full-day lagoon safari with lunch on a motu serves a Polynesian-style picnic. The Viator version gives the motu stop two hours, and reviewers recommend the coconut bread and mention ukulele and singing at lunch. Water, juice and sodas are included all day. It started from $171 per person on GetYourGuide (4.9 from 838 reviews), or $195 for the same trip on Viator.

The Manu full day with lunch on Motu Fanfan is the most detailed menu on the page: grilled fish and chicken, raw fish in coconut milk, rice, taro, manioc, banana po’e, coconut bread, local fruit, juice and water. Other drinks are on sale, and alcohol is not included. Staff serve the plates, which one four-star reviewer found stingy on portions. It started from $146 per person for seven hours.

On the Lagoon Service full day, the lunch is a buffet of local dishes on a private motu, such as rice salad, grilled fish and meat, and fruit, according to the GetYourGuide version of the trip. After lunch come the Coconut Show, a pareo demonstration or a palm-leaf plate workshop, and one reviewer noted bathrooms and a shop on the motu. It started from $174 per person on Viator, rated 5.0 from 1,699 reviews, the most-reviewed tour on the site, or $170 on GetYourGuide.

Two smaller options round it out. Moana’s outrigger canoe cruise with BBQ island lunch serves a barbecue on a private motu to a maximum of six couples, adults 18 and over only, from $282 per person. Onoku’s full-day canoe tour with BBQ motu serves a picnic with your feet in the water, then a hand-dyed pareo workshop and a coconut show, from $151 per person, with only nine reviews so far.

How the Day Runs Around Lunch

The pattern is much the same on every boat. Pickup comes first, then two to four snorkel stops through the morning: stingrays and blacktip reef sharks in shallow water, a coral garden, and on some tours a manta site where sightings are never guaranteed. Lunch lands around midday, and the afternoon is slower, with sightseeing, a swim off the motu or the cultural shows.

The time on the islet varies. Vavau’s GetYourGuide itinerary allows an hour for lunch, Rohivai’s Viator listing two hours, and Manu’s listing sets aside a long block on Motu Fanfan with a beach to relax on. If you would rather maximise time in the water, pick a shorter lunch. If a slow afternoon on the sand is the point, pick a longer one.

Practical Points Before You Book

None of the listings mention vegetarian or allergy options, so contact the operator after booking if you have dietary needs. Pickup differs too. Vavau, Lagoon Service, Rohivai and Moana collect you from your accommodation (Rohivai by boat where the hotel has safe sea access). Manu’s boat picks up at the water’s edge near Tiare Market, and Onoku’s free pickup is at 9:00 from the beach in front of Tiare Market. Rohivai needs a minimum number of travellers to run, and offers another date or a refund if it does not.

Which Motu Lunch Tour to Book

• Book Vavau if you want a classic BBQ with a proper salad bar and a performance, at a mid-range price.
• Book Rohivai’s safari on GetYourGuide if you want a long picnic stop, drinks included all day and a very large review base.
• Book Manu if the food matters most and you like trying local dishes such as poisson cru and taro.
• Book Lagoon Service if you want the buffet plus cultural workshops and the biggest review record.
• Book Moana’s canoe trip if you are a couple after a quieter, adults-only day and the higher price suits you.

The comparison table lines up Vavau, Rohivai and Manu side by side. Prices change, so check the live figure before you pay.

Where to Go Next

For every full-day option, with or without lunch, see full-day lagoon tours. If an outrigger appeals, traditional canoe tours compares the Moana and Onoku days, and coral garden snorkeling covers the morning’s coral stop. You can also read our breakdown of the Vavau lagoon cruise, or check availability for your dates.