Wildlife· Ua Huka· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Ua Huka Free-Roaming Horses and Goats
8° 55.5′ S · 139° 33.9′ W · approximate
Ua Huka is the 'island of horses': herds of semi-wild horses and goats graze its dry, Mars-like grasslands and dot the skyline above the bays. You meet them on any walk or drive between Vaipaee, the airport and Hane.
Practical
Coordinate approximate: a point on the dry plateau between Vaipaee and the airport road, where the herds range; they are seen island-wide. Noonsite: 'the Wild West of the Marquesas with its dry grasslands and dozens of wild horses and goats dotting the skyline'. French Wikipedia puts horses and goats together at about 3,000 head, a figure it calls unverifiable, and says locals claim more horses than people. English Wikipedia: goats, pigs and horses have largely destroyed the vegetation; farming is based on free-ranging horses and goats, and locals hunt wild goats for food. Lonely Planet: drought killed many of the semi-wild herds, so the nickname fits less well than it did. Routard: hikes and rides let you meet the free-roaming herds; horses graze in Hane village. sy-maya (2020) also saw many free-roaming horses and goats. These are livestock and hunting animals, not a park: keep your distance, close gates, and don't feed them. For riding, see the horseback tours entry.
Best for
Watching the herds on a walk or drive across the island
Nearby
- Ua Huka Ultramarine Lorikeet (Pihiti)0.2 NM away
- Ua Huka Arboretum (Papuakeikaa)0.4 NM away
- Pension Mana Tupuna (Vaipaee)0.6 NM away
- Pension Alexis (Vaipaee)0.7 NM away
- Ua Huka Infirmaries (Vaipaee and Hane)0.7 NM away
- Ua Huka Matava'a 2025 (Marquesas Arts Festival)0.7 NM away
- Ua Huka Museum (Musée Communal)0.7 NM away
- Ua Huka Wild Horses and Horseback Tours0.7 NM away