French Polynesia/Taha’a: La Orana Pearl Farm

There are three Pearl farms on Tahaa Island, of which Ia Orana is the biggest. Set on the western coast of the island, the farm has a fantastic view of the distant Bora Bora island and the aquamarine Tahaa lagoon where the pearls are growing. It’s a simple walk-in tour without reservations and you get to see a lot – how the pearl oysters are harvested, cleaned, opened, and extracted, then sorted, classified and made into jewelry. And I even asked to try some of the pearl oyster meat as an improvised sashimi – delicious!