Hidden Islands of the South Seas – Wallis & Futuna

Turquoise-blue water, beaches so powdery white they look as if they’ve been touched up in Photoshop, and a radiant underwater world—few destinations are associated with as many myths and longings as the South Seas. And yet, some of the islands in the Pacific are among the least visited places on Earth.

Wallis and Futuna is the French overseas archipelago farthest from France, consisting of two groups of volcanic islands of immense natural beauty: the Wallis Islands with their coral-fringed lagoon, and the islands of Futuna. Nature in its purest state, with a breathtaking underwater world that hardly anyone outside the islands has ever seen.

Located between Fiji and Samoa, this twin island is one of the very few places in the South Seas where the myth that once enchanted Gauguin can still truly be felt. It is also a place with very special royal traditions: no fewer than three different royal houses compete for power and influence under the palm trees of Wallis & Futuna.

And to this day, the locals have little to no interest in marketing their South Sea paradise to mass tourism. There are hardly any hotels or holiday apartments; if you want to stay overnight, you must contact the local clan leader at the chefferie. The chief then arranges a temporary “accueil en tribu,” which translates roughly as “at home with the tribe,” meaning a stay with locals as part of the family. Only about one hundred tourists visited Wallis & Futuna last year.