Niau Atoll and Niau Kingfisher (no pass)

16° 10.3′ S · 146° 21.6′ W

A raised atoll with a closed brackish lagoon, home to the critically endangered Niau kingfisher (koteuteu), found nowhere else on Earth, with only about 125 birds in the wild.

Tuamotus Marquesas

Practical

Coordinate is the atoll (Wikipedia FR, 16°10'16"S 146°21'38"W). No pass: the 33 km² lagoon is closed to the ocean and brackish, 2 m deep on average (5-6 m max). No yacht anchorage is documented, so visit by air (Air Tahiti, Friday mornings per Wikipedia FR) or by the twice-monthly supply ship. The kingfisher (Todiramphus gertrudae; IUCN Critically Endangered) lives in semi-open coconut groves, gardens and cultivated land around the villages and forages for insects and lizards. Introduced cats and rats are the main threat (Wikipedia). Lindblad's National Geographic Orion found the bird on a March 2025 visit with walking groups ashore. Ask in Tupana for a local guide. Never bring pets or rodents ashore. Niau is part of the UNESCO Fakarava Biosphere Reserve; Arrêté n° 953 CM (2016) classifies part of its waters as a wilderness area (category Ib).

Best for

Seeing one of the world's rarest birds

Practical

Best for

Nearby