Cruising into Noumea? These shore excursions are built for one thing: a great port day that gets you back to the ship on time. Fernando meets cruise passengers at Les Petits Choux Patisserie beside the Noumea City Terminal between 8.30am and 9am, and every tour returns by 2.30pm for a 5pm sailing. That is a two and a half hour buffer, with backup transport on standby, and no Fernando guest has missed a sailing since 2013.
Choose from the classic Noumea Highlights loop (FT01, XPF15,000), the Blue River Park nature day with the Cagou bird (FT07, XPF21,000, not Mondays) or the Fort Téremba convict history tour with lunch in La Foa (FT08, XPF26,000). Nothing is charged until you arrive, and if your ship cannot dock you pay nothing. Compare all three side by side in our complete guide to Noumea shore excursions.
Noumea highlights tour for morning arrivals
Duration: 5½ to 6 hours
Highlights of Noumea the city, vantage points, historical and cultural points of interest, beaches and lagoon, a little of the countryside
Blue River Park tour with Cagou bird, giant Kauri trees and swimming
Duration: 6 hours
Blue River Park is regarded as the most spectacular of New Caledonia’s nature reserves. Covering 9,000 hectares, the park is home to a big population of the flightless bird, the Cagou which is the national symbol, a drowned forest, the giant Kaori trees, and the beautiful Blue River. Fernando Tourisme takes their guests to the park and then uses the park’s shuttle bus to explore the highlights. This tour is not available on Mondays because the Park is closed. The entry fee into the park is included in Fernando’s tour price.
Historic Fort Téremba Penitentiary, plus lunch at the famous Banu hat hotel La Foa
Duration: 6 hours
You will be impressed by this historic vestige of French deportation and of the living conditions of convicts. In Fort Téremba, these buildings restored to as they used to be will transport you to another era, that of life in this penitentiary. A visit laden with emotion for understanding a chapter in the history of New Caledonia. (New Caledonia Travel)
Cruise line port day guides
Fernando meets passengers from every line that calls at Noumea. These guides cover dock location, timing and the best excursion for each:
Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Celebrity passengers use the same meeting point and timings. Planning your day? Read what to do in Noumea on a cruise day, or browse every one of our New Caledonia tours including full day trips for hotel guests.