New Caledonia
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Top 10 things to do in New Caledonia

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Start your adventure in the capital city Nouméa

1. Stroll through the colonial-style lanes of Noumea city and window shop in designer boutiques, before filling up on fine French cuisine


2. Take a multi-day hike along Grande Terre’s mountain spine, horse-ride through the Deep South or meet cowboys in the western plains


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The Kanak people are the native people of New Caledonia

3. Immerse yourself in local culture when you stay in a Kanak village. Dance in a hula skirt, examine tribal carvings and taste traditional ‘bougna,’ cooked in a pit oven


4. Scuba dive over the world’s second largest barrier reef and marvel at the soft corals, underground caves and magnificent Needle of Prony


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Spend time with the cattle herders

5. Drive the length of Grande Terre, from the beaches and cowboys of the western plains to the cliffs and waterfalls of the east coast


6. Experience a full range of watersports; surf world-class breaks, sail with the trade winds, hook a sailfish or kitesurf to tiny islets


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The iconic and spectacular views of Isle des Pines

7. Island-hop to Ile des Pins and explore underwater tunnels, wander beneath the pine trees and put the day’s first footprints on tide-washed sands


8. Experience more of Ile des Pins when you visit its crumbling convict prison, set foot in dark caves and glide across sheltered waters


9. Escape to the Loyalty Islands of Lifou, Mare and Ouvea for sunken pools and secluded beaches, snow-white churches and tribal culture


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Mouli Beach, Ouvea - one of the world's finest beaches

10. Stroll along Ouvea’s achingly long beach, dive into the turquoise lagoon and kayak out to the tiny Pleiades islets.