Photo: aj via Google
The verdict
- Best forTravellers who want to know which white sand they can actually reach, not just photograph
- Top pickMatira Beach, the one long stretch of public white sand on the island
- One thing to knowNearly all the famous white sand sits on the motu and belongs to resorts or private owners, so Matira is the sand anyone can walk
Published 27 March 2026. Last reviewed 30 May 2026
Bora Bora is sold on impossibly white sand and turquoise lagoon, and the images are real, but the honest question is which of that sand you can actually set foot on. The main island is mostly volcanic, ringed by a road and seawalls, while the powder white beaches belong to the motu, the low coral islets on the reef, and most of those are held by resorts or private owners. So the map of white sand you can enjoy is smaller and more specific than the brochures suggest.
We have ranked these for the traveller who wants the truth about access as much as the beauty, weighing whether you can reach the sand freely, by a resort day or only on a lagoon tour, alongside the quality of the beach and the snorkeling off it. We have been honest about where the sand is genuinely public and where the photograph is taken from a lounger you have to pay to lie on.
If you want one certain answer, go to Matira Beach. It is the only long public white sand beach on Bora Bora, shallow and gently shelving, free to walk and famous for its sunset, and it is the one place anyone can spread a towel without booking a thing.
The best white sand beaches
Which sand you can reach, and how, first.
Matira Beach
The only public beach in Bora Bora, a long, shallow, gently shelving stretch of soft white sand with a celebrated sunset and lagoonfront venues along it. Free, easy and the one place anyone can lay a towel without a booking, it is the essential white sand pick and the heart of a Bora Bora beach day.
Matira Point
The headland at the southern tip of Matira, where the public sand meets resort frontage and the snorkeling improves over the coral shelves offshore. Reachable on foot from Matira Beach, it offers the clearest water you can get to on the main island without a boat, best at a calm high tide.
Motu Piti Aau
The long reef motu on the east side, ringed with powder white resort beaches and bright shallow lagoon, reached by boat or a resort transfer. The sand is superb, though access runs through the resorts that line it, so a stay or a confirmed day pass is how you set foot on it.
Motu Toopua
The west side motu with the Conrad resort beach and fine coral gardens for snorkeling just off the sand. Calm, sheltered and beautiful, it is reached through the resort or on a lagoon tour, so plan the boat rather than expecting to wander on unannounced.
Motu Tapu
The tiny picture postcard islet reached on a lagoon tour for a white sand picnic and a snorkel in glass clear water. You land by boat with an operator rather than on your own, so this is a booked half day treat, but the sand and the setting are as perfect as the photographs promise.
The honest truth about the sand and the access
The access truth is the whole story here. Motu Tane, one of the prettiest islets, is privately owned and you cannot land on it, so admire it from the water rather than planning a picnic there. The main island beyond Matira has very little public sand, mostly seawalls and resort frontage, so do not expect to string together beach after beach the way you might elsewhere.
The honest way to reach the best motu sand is a lagoon tour or a resort day rather than a hopeful wander, since the finest beaches sit on land the resorts control. A half day lagoon excursion is the democratic option, landing you on a motu for a picnic and a snorkel, and it is often the highlight of a trip. If you are staying on the main island, Matira remains your free and reliable white sand every single day.
Off the sand, the snorkeling is the reward, best at Matira Point and in the coral gardens off Motu Toopua, while the manta ray cleaning station at Anau needs a boat and a guide. The lagoon is warm, shallow and usually calm, which is why the swimming is so easy, but conditions are typical and never guaranteed, so check with your host or operator before you head out.
Where to lounge on the lagoon
Bora Bora has no European style beach club scene renting rows of daybeds; what it has is lagoonfront resort bars and the restaurants along Matira Beach for a drink with your feet near the water. The directory covers what actually sits on the lagoon factually. We never invent a venue, a price or an opening status, so anything unconfirmed is marked to be confirmed. Browse it to see the real options before you plan.
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Before you go
Does Bora Bora have public white sand beaches?
Really just one. Matira Beach is the only long public white sand beach on the island, free to walk and swim from. The other celebrated white sand sits on the motu, the reef islets, and most of those belong to resorts or private owners, so access is limited.
Which is the best beach in Bora Bora?
Matira Beach, without much argument. It is the one long stretch of public white sand, shallow and gentle for swimming, lined with places to eat and drink, and famous for its sunset. Anyone can enjoy it for free, which is why it anchors almost every Bora Bora beach day.
Can you visit the motu beaches without staying at a resort?
Yes, but usually on a lagoon tour rather than on your own, since the best motu beaches are resort controlled. A half day excursion lands you on a motu for a picnic and a snorkel, and a resort day pass is the other route where one is offered, so plan the boat in advance.
Is Motu Tane open to visitors?
No. Motu Tane is privately owned and you cannot land on it, so it is a beach to admire from the water rather than visit. For white sand you can actually stand on, choose Matira Beach or book a lagoon tour to a motu that welcomes visitors, such as the picnic islets.
Where is the best snorkeling off the white sand?
Matira Point and the coral gardens off Motu Toopua are the easiest to reach and reward a mask and fins over the shallow reef. The famous manta ray cleaning station at Anau is deeper and needs a boat and a guide, so treat that as a separate booked trip.
Is the water calm for swimming at Matira?
Usually, yes. Matira is a warm, shallow, gently shelving lagoon beach, which is what makes the swimming so easy and safe feeling there. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed, though, so check locally on the day, especially around the tide and any current at the point.