CruisingCruising a T andhiti French Polynesia TTahitiahiti ◆ MMooreaoorea ◆ HHuahineuahine ◆ TTaha’aaha’a ◆ BBoraora BBoraora ◆ RRangiroaangiroa aaboardboard tthehe FFive-Star-Plusive-Star-Plus M.S. PAAULUL GAAUGUINUGUIN February 9–19, 2017 ◆ ROUND-TRIP AIR FROM LOS ANGELES IS INCLUDED ◆ L UXURY SMALL SHIP–ONLY 166 SUITES AND STATEROOMS ◆ MOST ACCOMMODATIONS FEATURE PRIVATE BALCONY ◆ ALL SHIPBOARD GRATUITIES ARE INCLUDED ◆ Cruising ALL BEVERAGESCruising ARE INCLUDED Dear MIT Alumni and Friends, Experience this unspoiled earthly paradise—Tahiti, Huahine, Fakarava, Rangiroa, Taha’a, Bora Bora and Moorea—that has beckoned explorers, travelers, artists and writers for centuries. Enjoy two nights in colorful Papeete, Tahiti, and seven nights aboard the Five-Star-Plus M.S. PAUL GAUGUIN, including the remote Tuamotu Archipelago, known for its incredible marine life and tremendous snorkeling. The M.S. PAUL GAUGUIN provides a small ship experience amidst the unparalleled beauty of the islands, atolls, and motus of French Polynesia. The gracious staff brings the native spirit of Polynesia to life through enriching cultural experiences including ancestral storytelling through dance, traditional songs, and demonstrations of customary Polynesian handicrafts. Enjoy many complimentary features aboard the ship including all shipboard gratuities; complimentary alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages served throughout the ship, at every lunch and dinner, and replenished in your Suite or Stateroom throughout the cruise; complimentary watersports; and even complimentary personal butler service in Suite Category 1 and Stateroom Category 2. During your stay in Tahiti, explore the west coast of the island and learn more about the history, environment, and culture of Polynesia and admire the unique private collection in the Museum of Tahiti and Her Islands. An onboard naturalist will provide a variety of talks and demonstrations about the islands’ history and cultural heritage throughout the cruise. You can observe—and even snorkel and swim with—extraordinary marine life and breathe in the fresh fragrances of vanilla, gardenia, and jasmine that delicately permeate the island air. A program of optional shore excursions is available at an additional cost. Join fellow MIT travelers for this splendid opportunity featuring round-trip air included from Los Angeles✤ and Early Booking Savings through July 22, 2016! We will share this program with Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University and other general interest travelers. This program sells out quickly, so we encourage you to book now while space and Early Booking Savings are still available! If you have any questions or to make a reservation, please call the MIT Alumni Travel Program at 800-992-6749, or email [email protected]. You may also contact the tour operator, Thomas P. Gohagan & Company, at 800-922-3088. I hope you decide to join us. Sincerely, ✤Air included from Los Angeles and Air Add-Ons have limited availability Melissa Chapman Gresh and are not guaranteed. Director, MIT Alumni Travel Program P.S. Please visit our website at alum.mit.edu/travel for details and updated information on all of our trips. Find us on Facebook at MIT Alumni Travel Program! SOCIETY ISLANDS AIR is Included Papeete, Tahiti ✤ Lively, cosmopolitan Papeete, the breathtaking From Los Angeles! capital of French Polynesia and the gateway to the treasures of the South Pacifi c, has AIR ADD-ONS extended a hospitable welcome to visitors are available from since its founding as a missionary settlement 85 SELECTED GATEWAYS. ✤ in 1824. Located on a natural harbor cooled Round-trip economy-class air is included from by trade winds, Papeete enjoys one of the Los Angeles, and there are economy-class Air fi nest natural settings in the South Pacifi c, Add-Ons available from 85 selected gateways set against a backdrop of verdant, (limited) at additional cost; all are available through Paul Gauguin Cruises’ (PGC) Air/Sea forest-clad peaks. Its tropical ambiance is Program, and all are based on economy-class complemented by the charm and diversity travel, carriers and routings of PGC’s choice of its inhabitants, a vibrant blend of native and contractual agreements between PGC and respective airlines; Gohagan & Company and Tahitian, French and Chinese. During the the sponsoring association/organization have exclusive included excursion along the no control over availability. island’s west coast, tour the Museum of Tahiti and Her Islands to view its signifi cant Visit the beautifully landscaped archaeological fi nds and learn more about Spring Garden of Vaipahi, home to the island’s geology, fl ora, fauna, culture approximately 75 different species of and customs. Walk through the sacred plants including precious mape (chestnut), Arahurahu Marae, Polynesia’s only fully tropical fl owers and pine woods. restored marae (open-air temple). Huahine Soaring peaks, lush rainforests, dazzling white beaches and ancient shrines distinguish this untouched paradise formed of two islands—Huahine-Nui ◆ Round-trip air is included ✤ and Huahine-Iti—separated by a deep from Los Angeles! sapphire blue bay and ringed by a ◆ Five-Star-Plus Small Ship. coral atoll. The idyllic port of Fare lies nestled between the sea and a woodland ◆ Complimentary alcoholic and of towering mape trees draped with nonalcoholic beverages. sweet-scented vanilla vines. In the nearby ◆ All shipboard gratuities are included. settlement of Maeva, the ancient religious center of Huahine-Nui, stand 10 marae, ◆ Complimentary fruit and fl owers in your Suite or Stateroom upon arrival. ◆ Spacious, 100% ocean-view Explore the mysterious underwater world of accommodations. Bora Bora’s reefs and look for graceful double-saddle butterfl yfi sh, dazzling corals and an abundance of ◆ Complimentary Butler Service exotic marine life. (categories 1 and 2). ◆ Two-star Michelin chef-designed signature menu items featured at dinner. ◆ Early Booking Savings! Society Islands BOORARA BOORARA Tuamotu ArchipelagoRAANGIROANGIROA TAAHAHA’A FAAKARAVAKARAVA P a HUUAHINEAHINE c i fi c O c e an MOOOREAOREA ASIA NORTH PAAPEETEPEETE AMERICA Pacific Ocean EQUATOR UNESCO SOUTH Biosphere Reserve TTAHITIAHITI AUSTRALIA AMERICA Cruise Itinerary FRENCH POLYNESIA Air Routing built in the 16th century of locally quarried wear the traditional colorfully hand-dyed stone and dedicated to the Polynesian deities pareo or sarong. In Bora Bora’s forested Tane and Oro. interior, villagers cultivate breadfruit, coconuts and taro and preserve the ancient Taha’a (Motu Mahana) ruins of stone marae, the legacy of ancestral Idyllically set across an azure lagoon Polynesian deities. to the north of Huahine, Taha’a is dominated by the profi le of Mount Ohiri, named for Hiro, the Polynesian god of sailors and thieves. Today, two ITINERARY exotic enterprises provide the islanders’ livelihoods—the production of the world’s Day Destination most fl avorful vanilla beans and the 1 Depart the U.S./Arrive in farming of lustrous black pearls. Spend the PAPEETE, TAHITI, SOCIETY ISLANDS day on the private South Pacifi c paradise 2 PAPEETE of Motu Mahana, where you can swim, snorkel or kayak, and enjoy a traditional 3 PAPEETE/ Polynesian feast on the island complemented Embark M.S. PAUL GAUGUIN by entertainment. 4 HUAHINE Bora Bora 5 FAKARAVA, TUAMOTU ARCHIPELAGO Described as “the most beautiful island in 6 RANGIROA the world” by author James A. Michener, 7 TAHA’A (MOTU MAHANA), Bora Bora is the proverbial vision of a SOCIETY ISLANDS/BORA BORA South Seas paradise. Its distinctive black basalt 8 BORA BORA peak is cloaked in a lush tropical forest and silhouetted against turquoise lagoon waters, 9 MOOREA/PAPEETE, TAHITI where a coral reef and an outlying fringe of 10 PAPEETE/Disembark ship/ motu teem with multicolored fi sh. Bora Bora Depart for the U.S. was settled by adventurous Polynesian 11 Arrive in the U.S. mariners in the 10th century. The islanders have preserved the ways of their forebears and still Exotic natural beauty surrounds you in Bora Bora, where tall peaks, ideal for trail walks, and strikingly blue and turquoise lagoons, well-suited for snorkeling, are in abundance. The pristine, sparkling waters of French Polynesia In Tetumanu, see the village’s picturesque Catholic provide incredible snorkeling opportunities. church, made entirely of coral in the mid-19th century. Moorea Catholic church built entirely of coral, the Intriguing temples evoke Moorea’s fi rst church constructed in the archipelago Polynesian heritage while European by European missionaries (1874). churches underscore its role as the center Near the village of Rotoava stands for 19th-century missionary activity in the the Topaka Lighthouse, a picturesque Society Islands. Contemporary islanders 45-foot-tall coral stone turret. continue the ways of their forefathers, farming pineapples and papayas and INTERCONTINENTAL LE MOANA crafting fi ne works of art from seashells and BORA BORA RESORT indigenous wood. In Moorea’s village Post-Program Option of Papetoai, a unique, octagonal-shaped Extend your sojourn in French Polynesia church is the oldest European structure in with two nights in a Five-Star seaside resort the South Seas still in use. hotel on Bora Bora, providing an authentic Polynesian experience. On Bora Bora’s TUAMOTU ARCHIPELAGO dazzling Matira Point, enjoy magnifi cent, expansive ocean views from your deluxe Rangiroa beachfront or overwater bungalow. The Tuamotus, Tahiti’s “strand of Observe the abundant marine life on a pearls” and the largest chain of islands in reef excursion, dine in one of the island’s the world, are a remote, picture-perfect gourmet restaurants for the exotic fl avors oasis of the South Seas. Comprised of of fresh local seafood prepared with French Polynesian fl air, or enjoy the more than 110 miles of tiny islet motus resort’s wide array of watersports and two encircling dozens of pristine coral atolls, white-sand beaches. This resort option Rangiroa—“vast sky” in the local includes breakfast daily and round-trip air language—offers magnifi cent, unobstructed between Tahiti and Bora Bora. vistas in every direction. Its seemingly The Post-Program Option is at additional cost.