Cols des Trois Pinus & Trois Cocotiers: Moorea’s Three Pines & Three Coconuts Hikes
The crystal-clear lagoons, vibrant coral reefs and incredible marine life might be what pulled you into booking a trip to Moorea in the first place. We loved every minute we spent in the water and it was hands down a world-class experience when we snorkelled all along the north coast! But there’s so much more to this island than what lies beneath the surface. Venture inland and you’ll discover an entirely different side of Moorea, where towering volcanic peaks, lush valleys and dramatic ridgelines create some of the most breathtaking scenery in French Polynesia.
Moorea is a volcanic island that formed roughly 1.8 million years ago, and its landscape has been dramatically reshaped by volcanic activity, massive flank collapses and millions of years of erosion. Today, the remnants of those ancient volcanic structures rise dramatically from the island’s lush interior, creating the steep cliffs, deep valleys and jagged peaks that make Moorea so incredibly photogenic.
For such a small island, there’s no shortage of ways to explore these mountains on foot. You can tackle challenging trails like Mount Rotui or Mou’a Puta, climb to the spectacular Magic Mountain viewpoint, or explore the famous trails around the Belvedere and Opunohu Valley.
But if you’re looking for something a little easier, there are two hikes you can conveniently do back-to-back from the same area: Les Trois Pinus (Three Pines) and Les Trois Cocotiers (Three Coconuts). Together, these trails take you through Moorea’s lush volcanic interior and lead to incredible viewpoints overlooking the surrounding valleys, dramatic mountain peaks and the shimmering turquoise coastline. It’s the perfect way to experience the other side of Moorea’s coin, in just half a day!
Before You Go
Before you embark on the hikes, I’ll give you the run down of what to expect and where to even go.
Where is the trailhead?
Both trails actually begin at the same point: the Belvedere Lookout. This makes doing them back-to-back very convenient, as you can just park your vehicle in the parking lot at the lookout and leave it there for the duration of both hikes. If you’re looking into how to get around Moorea, where to stay, or when to even visit, I’ve got that all covered in my complete Moorea travel guide.
Belvedere Lookout is one of the most beautiful and easily accessible (by car) viewpoints on the island. It’s only a 10-minute drive from the mouth of Opunohu Bay, and climbs steadily up the paved, mountain road. We made the journey to the viewpoint about 3 times during our week-long stay in Moorea.
How long did you take to complete these hikes?
We arrived at Belvedere Lookout at 6am in time for some sunrise colours and spent about a half an hour at the viewpoint getting some shots, from the ground and from the air, before we set off on the first hike. We managed to wrap up both hikes in time to go back to our Airbnb to shower and head out to lunch at 12pm. The Three Pines Trail took about 1.5 hours to complete and the Three Coconuts Trail took us almost 3 hours, including all the photo and videos we captured along the way and at the lookouts.
What time of day do you recommend going?
Finishing up the hikes before 11am meant that we indulged in the cooler morning temperatures, but it also meant that we got the extra dew and humidity. Both trails are well shaded and take you through heavily forested mountainous areas, but you’ll sweat instantly due to the humidity and lack of wind. The sun came out on the second hike, which honestly made us feel hotter and stickier, but it was also the more challenging of the two hikes, making us sweat more regardless.
I would still personally suggest doing these hikes in the morning, to a) beat the midday heat and b) beat the crowds. We were the only two on the Three Pines trail until we ventured back to the trailhead. But if you are staying on the island long enough to do both hikes on two separate days, then I actually would suggest trying to do Three Coconuts in the morning and Three Pines for sunset, as the view from the lookout facing west is gorgeous.
Most importantly, try to avoid going on a morning after a day of heavy rainfall, as tropical mountain trails can become slippery and muddy very quickly. Recent hikers have specifically flagged wet conditions as a concern on Three Coconuts.
What should we bring with us?
Wear proper shoes with traction rather than sandals/flipflops, as the many fallen leaves and dirt trail will get slippery when wet. There are some steeper and narrower sections to be weary of as well, so good grip on your shoes will make the hikes go easier.
The humidity makes these treks feel harder than the distance/elevation numbers suggest, so bring more water than you think you’ll need. Pack some electrolyte packets with you, especially to have during your break between the two treks.
We really didn’t have to worry about bugs in Moorea, or in French Polynesia in general. It truly is island paradise over here. But things can change, so pack some insect repellent with you just in case.
I’ll talk about each trail in just a sec, but if you’re the only group on the trails (or doing either of them in the dark), I would recommend downloading an offline map from AllTrails. Both Three Pines and Three Coconuts are not very well marked or super defined in the wild forest. We did take a few wrong turns, and had to be more prudent of what was the actual trail, especially on Three Pines Pass as we were the only ones on the trail at the time.
Hiking the Three Pines & Three Coconuts Trails in Moorea
Now that I’ve given you a bit of a rundown on what to know before you go, here’s what you can expect to see and experience on these two Opunohu Valley hikes!
If you arrive at Belvedere Lookout early morning like we did, you’ll be greeted by wild chickens crowing in the trees and on the road. They’re funny characters, bringing real life versions of Heihei to your own Moana experience. We even saw a couple of them on the trail, one more curious guy at Three Coconuts Lookout later on!
If you hear rustling in the bushes along the trails, it’s most likely one of these friendly chickens and nothing to be spooked about. Okay, now onto the hiking details!
1. Three Pines Lookout (Col des Trois Pinus)
- Distance: 2.9 km (1.9 miles)
- Elevation Gain: 145 m (475 ft)
- Time Needed: 1-1.5 hours
- Level of Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
It’s a fairly easy hike given those stats, but you’ll still want to take care of your footing as the terrain isn’t very wide or smooth.
The trail isn’t the most well marked either, especially since it’s a forested area where large openings can show quite a few trodden paths ahead. There are some small display signs along the way that give some information about the flora and fauna in the area, which offer a nice little reading break as well as a bit of a demarcation for where the trail is. The good thing is that it’s a short hike, so if you deviate from the path a little and trace back your steps when you realize it, it shouldn’t add too much time to your trek.
The first half of the trail is predominantly downhill, giving you an easy start. The way is paved with stone steps before it reaches a flatter trail through the woods heading east, after which you’ll start making your way uphill.
Once you start approaching the final uphill switchback, the trail narrows on a sharp hairpin and there is a short scramble (requiring the use of your hands only if you feel uncomfortable on your footing) with exposed roots to watch out for. Don’t worry though, it shouldn’t be daunting as there’s very little height difference if you slip. That’s the great thing about these two trails: there are no crazy heights to be weary of.
We reached the summit of the trail and finally understood why it was called Three Pines. There were three pine threes standing tall and equidistant from each other, framing the view of Mount Rotui right in front of us, and the two off on the left side that support the rope swing were framing Mount Mou’aroa (Great Mountain in Tahitian), also known as Shark’s Tooth based on its very remarkable peak.
You know I definitely swung myself on that swing, especially since we were the only ones here for the entire duration of our stay at the lookout. But it was harder than it looks, to get on it and swing some distance, and my sweaty legs weren’t doing me any favours! Hopefully you have better luck than I did.
The bowl shaped wall of the ancient volcanic caldera was to our backs, with clouds brushing against the sharp ridges. Although the view of Mount Rotui and the glimpses of Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay on each side of the mountain were the hero view of this lookout, peering over to the east side gave us more of Moorea’s landscapes than we could ask for.
2. Three Coconuts Lookout (Col des Trois Cocotiers)
- Distance: 6.4 km (4 miles)
- Elevation Gain: 290 m (950 ft)
- Time Needed: 2.5-3 hours
- Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Coming back to Belvedere Lookout, we took a quick power break to hydrate and get some electrolytes in us before setting off on les Trois Cocotiers. The trailhead for Three Coconuts Lookout is located opposite that of Three Pines, so just walk across the back of the parking lot to begin your trek.
It starts off nice and easy on a mostly flat path with even terrain, and about 15 minutes into the hike, you’ll come across a fork in the trail, with the right trail diverting to a quick viewpoint. It honestly isn’t too much of a reveal, and the vegetation is quite overgrown due to the lack of traffic, so you can skip this point and continue on if you prefer.
You’ll find this trek to be twice as long and twice as strenuous as the previous one. It was definitely hotter with the late morning sun out, although not as humid as when we did Three Pines! Add a little more fatigue and the heat, and maybe it would’ve been better to do this one first.
The trail seemed quite easy to follow, with a couple of areas where we accidentally deviated due to the trail not being super clear, but we managed to quickly backtrack. We crossed a small stream partway through the trek laid out with stepping stones, and right about at the halfway mark is when we met the short but thriving bamboo grove. The lighting shooting through the bamboo shoots painted a gorgeous scenery that reminded us of Japan.
A few more semi-steep sections—with some narrow edges around boulders that needed a bit of handwork—and we finally made it to the summit of the hike!
The trail continues from here if you wanted to summit Mount Mou’aroa which would be a crazy feat. Three Coconuts Lookout is actually situated on the saddle ridge line between Mount Mou’aroa and Mount Tohive’a, the latter being Moorea’s tallest mountain.
If you didn’t know this, all these mountains that you see here, are actually the remnants of the island’s volcanic crater. We managed to get some aerial shots of the surrounding peaks and valleys, and it’s just crazy how these formations came to be.
Three Pines vs. Three Coconuts: Which Should You Hike?
If you have half a day to spare, my recommendation is simple: do both! Since the trails start from the same general area, they’re easy to combine into one outing and each offers a different perspective of Moorea’s incredible interior.
But if you only have the time or energy for one, here’s what I would choose.
Choose Three Pines for a Shorter, More Beginner-Friendly Hike
If you’re looking for the easier option, Three Pines is the hike I would recommend. It’s nice and short, with a relatively easy path for most of the way, except for that one small section near the end that needs a little more attention. But overall, it’s a great choice for beginner hikers.
The viewpoint is beautiful too as you can hopefully see from the photos, especially with the unique wooden swing hung between two of the pines trees! It’s a great spot to catch the sunset, with incredible views over Opunohu Valley, Mount Rotui and Mount Mou’aroa.
Choose Three Coconuts for the More Epic Views
If you have the energy and ability for a slightly more challenging hike, though, I would choose Three Coconuts.
The steeper sections require a little more effort than Three Pines, but we thought the reward was well worth it. The viewpoint gives you a completely different angle of Mount Rotui, while also looking back towards Mount Tohive’a and bringing you so much closer to Mount Mou’aroa. The scenery felt even more dramatic and immersive, giving you a better vantage over the turquoise bays and reefs. And as a lovely bonus, there’s that beautiful bamboo grove you walk through at the halfway mark!
So, while Three Pines is the better choice for a quick, beginner-friendly hike, Three Coconuts would be my pick if you can only do one and you’re up for a little more effort.
What Else to Do in Moorea
There is so much more to this island and these two hikes are only scratching the surface. I can’t stress enough how incredible it is to explore the bays and under the water’s surface, to taste Tahitian flavours steps away from white sand beaches and venture more into the depths of this volcanic paradise, on ATV’s or by foot.
Make sure to read up on my Moorea 7-day travel guide & itinerary for more! And if you’re here during the humpback whale season, don’t miss out on an opportunity to swim with them in the gorgeous bays!
