AN ATTRACTIVE CULTURE NEW-CALEDONIA
THE BLUE DREAM TERRESTRIAL PARADISE

Discovery

With approximately 2,000 kilometers north of New Zealand, New Caledonia is made up of several islands, largest being the Large Earth. In this splendid archipelago of Pacifique Sud, that the close friends call “Stone”, you will discover a sublime lagoon, the crystalline water who extend as far as the eye can see, girdled by a coral reef. But the treasures of the area are not summarized with the natural beauty of its littoral! One should not hesitate to leave to the meeting the local tribes and to taste with the culinary specialities like the bougna to determine the heart calédonienne.  The visit of the many museums of Noumea, the excursions in the Loyalty Islands, the immersion in the natural parks of the Southern province and the adventure in the caves of Koumac in the Northern province are as many experiments not to miss.

Identity

Small case of the Pacific where the largest lagoon of the world is, New Caledonia is a sanctuary of nature. Influenced by the cultures kanak, Frenchwoman, Polynesian, Vietnamese and Indonesian, the archipelago offers to its visitors a true range of more incredible experiments all the ones than the others. Noumea acts as the nerve centre of the country and will enable you to discover the civilisation kanak through its arts centre Tjibaou whose impressive architecture accommodates many museums. 

By traversing the rest of the main island, the “Large one Is in hiding”, you will admire the beautiful landscapes as well as fauna and the underwater flora. The four other islands which compose New Caledonia are paradisiac places where you will leave to the meeting tribes whose culture remained preserved, and of which you will appreciate the coral beaches and reefs.

Culture & Traditions

KANAKS

Kanaks being the principal ethnos group of the country, their culture, their habits and rites are very present and visible. They express their culture through the dance, the music, the pottery and the sculpture. The dances make it possible to reinforce the links within the clan.

THE DIVING

New Caledonia has the largest lagoon in the world and the second longer coral reef after that located in Australia. This watery sanctuary is the place dreamed for the plunger amateurs and confirmed. That is in diving bottle or snorkelling, you will undoubtedly be able to be able to observe tortoises, corals and thousands of tropical fishes.    

OBSERVATION OF THE WHALES

Each year, of mid-July to mid-September, surroundings 500 individuals of humpback whales find themselves in the lagoon calédonien in order to reproduce and to put low. If your travel in New Caledonia coincides with the season of the loves, do not hesitate to leave in excursion in order to be able to observe them.

 

NATURE

The principal attraction of New Caledonia east without any doubt its wild nature worthy of the postcards. Indeed, put except for its littoral and its lagoon, the country also has splendid mangrove swamps, mountains, savannas, rivers and atolls of limestones.

Essential

Located at the level of the tropic of Capricorn, New Caledonia profits from a tropical climate summarizing itself in two seasons. One hot season of mid-November to mid-April when the risks of cyclones are high and current rains. One fresh season, dries, of mid-May with mid-September with temperatures oscillating between 20°C and 23°C.

25°-30°
PACIFIC FRANC
+10H WINTER / +9 SUMMER
FRENCH
NOUMÉA
BOUGNA

Form your trip

The stages

NOUMÉA

Noumea, between ground and sea, is more the French-speaking big city of the Pacific Ocean. Chief town of New Caledonia, Noumea was created in 1866 and still carries in it the marks of its history: built on marshes, French colony, prison, base camp during the Second World War… However, nothing lets suppose today that it was not always this haven of peace. Noumea surprises especially by its luxuriant vegetation, its idyllic cultural heritage and its landscapes. 120 kilometers of coasts of fine sand, 4 public beaches, of the islands within reach of pitch-stirrer - not to miss the island with Ducks! -, an aquarium, zoological gardens, an arts centre kanak and many museums… Noumea abounds in opportunities, activities in all kinds and remarkable sites.

BOURAIL

The town of Bourail is the larger second of New Caledonia which is part of the Moindou-Bourail area whose lagoon is registered with the world heritage of humanity by UNESCO. This vast commune between three valleys offers a landscape between sea and mountain whose penitentiary heritage dates from the 19th century. Bourail counts only one main street marked by the presence of a decorated white church of a French flag, testifying to the strong presence to New Caledonian (descendants of Europeans of New Caledonia). The dynamism of the city is explained by the presence of many schools like by its natural tourist assets. Indeed, Bourail is famous for its kilometers of white sand, the famous rock of the Bored Rock, the bay of the Tortoises or Poé.

HIENGHENE

Located on on the east side, the Hienghène valley will transport you in a radically different decoration. The observation of the landscapes, the meeting with tribes kanak and the practice of sports are main attractions of the area. This valley is indeed historically important for Kanaks because it is there that took place of the confrontations having led to the assassination of Jean-Marie Tjibaou, celebrates Kanak leader. A little more in the south, you will be able to admire along the coast a jade sea, and black limestone cliffs of which certain parts take original forms.

PROVINCIAL PARK OF THE BLUE RIVER

The park created in 1980, is spread out over 160 km2 and was classified books protected. One observes there numerous species of birds like the cagou (symbol of New Caledonia), the parakeet with red stringcourse or the indicator with black throat. There exist various possibilities of excursion to visit the park, of which certain paths only booked to the cyclists. Do not miss famous “the Forest Drowned” with the Lake Yaté.

THE BAY OF PRONY

Prony and its bay are located at the extreme south of the Large Earth. The city was built to be used to supply Noumea with wood, then accommodated a penal institution before finally turning to the mining activity. From this time (beginning 19th until beginning 20th) remain some vestiges interesting to discover which are made more and more crush by the banians. But the interest of the city lies primarily in its environment. Indeed, the bay of Prony present of the ochre overland routes red, underlining the green of the column-like, typical pines of bay. The latter is also famous for its shells of which some are only here.

THE ISLAND OF THE PINES

Located at the south-east of New Caledonia, the Isle of Pines is a locality being in the center of a group of French islands. The travellers appreciate much this destination because of its beautiful sandy beaches, and its natural sites (in particular the cave of the Hortense queen and the sea water natural pool which is with bay of Oro). Those which like to admire the exceptional landscapes will thus be filled by this territory at the same time remarkably preserved and easy of access. With regard to the climate, the temperatures vary between 15 and 26 degrees during the fresh season which extends from April in October. The hot season is characterized by temperatures enters 22 and 31 degrees.

MARÉ

Pond, of its local name Nengoné, is a luxuriant island with splendid basaltic cliffs which plunge directly in the Pacific Ocean. The inhabitants whose traditions are always very present maintain a particular link with surrounding nature. Like the other islands, Pond does not have a river, however, the central plain is bored many caves and holes which are as many swimming pools and wells which shelter fishes and tortoises in a range of greens and blue single in its kind. The caves of Padawa are located in the district of Guahma, in which are also more than 60 vanilleraies, of the wild beaches of which those of the Cape Roussin and the astonishing geological formations like the hole of Bone or cliffs of Asicen. In Tadine, an astonishing natural aquarium is in which tortoises and fishes take refuge. The local population is found in the markets of the Rock and Tenane where the stalls abound in exotic lobsters, cabbage kanak, papaws and other fruits. The district of Penelo is famous for the terraces of Shabadran whose beauty is recognized through all New Caledonia and amplified by the difficulty of access. East of the Rock, the lagoon is not any more and leaves room to the cut out cliffs which fall to peak in the Pacific.

LIFOU

The Lifou, largest of the Loyalty Islands, is located between Ouvéa and Maré and is dissociated by the great diversity of its landscapes between immaculate beaches, deep forests, immense caves and steep cliffs. Lifou is divided into three districts: Wetr which gathers 16 tribes, Gaïcha which gathers 4 of them and Lössi which gathers 16 of them also. Lifou indeed is populated archipelago what explains the great diversity of the languages used like its nickname: “the island with the multiple faces”. After being discovered by the French Dumont d' Urville in 1827, the island was quickly colonized by catholic and Protestant missionaries, whose vestiges are still visible. Indeed, one discovers in Wé of old colonial churches along bay, an immense Catholic church of neogothic style in the village of Hnathalo, the Spanish church with the style of Qanono or surprising it Catholic church of Easo whose tower is capped with a cupola.

KONÉ

Chief town of the Northern Province, Koné is surrounded by meadows and the hills of the majestic solid mass of Koniambo and makes it possible to make the junction between on the west side and on the east side. After a revolt kanake, the city extended around a military station and has traces of the colonial past with some masonries of time. A little more in north, the town of Voh, rested by the French colonists was built then completely devastated in 1892 by a cyclone the following year.

OUVÉA

Ouvéa is one of the four atolls of the Loyalty Islands which is located at a hundred kilometers at broad of on the east side of the Large Earth. The atoll is composed of a 35 km length main island including 25 uninterrupted km of white sand beach, of two small islands as well as about twenty small islands forming an arc of a circle of more than 130 km2. The lagoon is as for him of a green emerald and shelters an abundant sea life. North of the main island, the district of Saint-Joseph accommodates the eponymous church (going back to 1912) of which interior architecture, the stained glasses and its wooden ceiling arches are worth a certain popularity to him. More in north, not far from the Pleiads, the mangrove swamp is the place chosen by the sharks lemons, corails or with black ailerons to reproduce. The fairy-like Pleiads form a chain of small islands around whose dolphins and Manta rays swim in translucent water. All in the south of the main island, the district of Mouli is characterized by its bridge since which it is possible to observe the island of Mouli and bay of Lékiny whose coral cliffs were carved by erosion. In the center of the island, the district of Fayaoué is famous for its 22 km of white sand beach bordered of coconuts, which makes some largest of New Caledonia. On the level of the narrowest part of the island the collar of the Daredevil is, not far which the blue hole of Hanawa is dissimulated. This geological characteristic forms a round swimming pool 30 m in diameter of a blue oil.

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