Why you should experience the WWII Guns in Faanui of Bora Bora.
The WWII Guns in Faanui, Bora Bora stand as a haunting echo of a world once at war, rusted giants overlooking a paradise they were built to defend.
Perched high above the island’s turquoise lagoon, these artillery cannons tell a story that feels almost impossible to reconcile with their setting. Beneath the shadow of Mount Otemanu, where hibiscus blooms and palms sway in the breeze, lie relics of an era when Bora Bora was not a honeymoon destination, but a military outpost. The guns, installed by the U.S. Navy during World War II as part of “Operation Bobcat,” once watched the horizon for enemy ships that never came. Today, they remain embedded in concrete bunkers, their massive barrels aimed forever at the sea, silent reminders of both human ingenuity and futility. From their hillside positions above Faanui Bay, the view is breathtaking: the lagoon’s shifting blues, the neighboring motus, and the endless Pacific beyond. Few visitors realize that this idyllic island, now synonymous with romance, once hummed with the sound of construction, engines, and soldiers’ boots. Standing before these relics, you feel the strange poetry of contrast, paradise and war intertwined, nature and history locked in quiet conversation.
What you didn’t know about the WWII Guns.
Behind the rusted steel and crumbling fortifications lies one of the most fascinating and overlooked chapters in Pacific history.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. military identified Bora Bora as a crucial refueling and supply base for operations across the South Pacific. In early 1942, nearly 5,000 American troops arrived on the island, a number that briefly outnumbered the local population. They transformed Bora Bora overnight: carving roads into the jungle, building an airstrip on Motu Mute (still used today), and installing a network of coastal defenses. Eight massive naval guns, originally designed for battleships, were mounted on strategic points around the island, four of them in Faanui, chosen for its commanding view of the lagoon’s northern entrance. The guns were never fired in combat, yet their presence reshaped the island forever. Locals were introduced to modern infrastructure for the first time, electricity, vehicles, refrigeration, all brought by the Americans. Many families still pass down stories of those years: how the soldiers shared chocolate and cigarettes, how dances and makeshift cinemas brought joy to long tropical nights, and how the war, for all its global devastation, brought Bora Bora its first brush with the modern world. When the Americans left in 1946, they dismantled most of their installations, but the Faanui guns were too massive, too anchored in the mountain to remove. And so, they remain, slowly reclaimed by vines and moss, their silence deeper with each passing decade.
How to fold the WWII Guns into your trip.
Visiting the WWII Guns in Faanui isn’t just about sightseeing, it’s about touching a forgotten layer of Bora Bora’s story.
Begin your journey from Vaitape, following the coastal road north toward the Faanui Valley. The route winds through small villages and fruit groves, offering glimpses of everyday island life untouched by tourism’s gloss. Once in Faanui, a narrow dirt road climbs steeply into the hills; from there, it’s best to continue on foot or by guided 4×4 tour, as the terrain becomes rugged and overgrown. The short hike rewards you with one of the most spectacular views on the island, the lagoon shimmering below like a sheet of glass, Mount Otemanu rising majestically beyond. The guns themselves are immense, their metal frames streaked with rust and time, surrounded by wild ferns and banyan roots curling over the old bunkers. Bring water and sturdy shoes, as the tropical heat can make the climb intense, but the payoff is unforgettable. For the best light, visit in the early morning or late afternoon, when the sun softens and the shadows stretch across the hillsides. If you listen closely, the jungle hums softly around you, as if guarding the memories of an age that once changed everything. After your visit, stop in the nearby village of Faanui to enjoy a quiet meal of grilled fish or tropical fruit under the palms, a moment of peace following a glimpse into history’s storm. In Bora Bora, beauty is everywhere, but at the WWII Guns in Faanui, you’ll discover something rarer: perspective, a reminder that even paradise has its scars, and that time, in its quiet way, heals them all.
Hear it from the Foresyte community.
“Honestly it’s the vibe shift that gets you. One second you’re in tropical honeymoon mode, next second you’re staring down a barrel built for battle. Jungle’s winning now though… swallowing it piece by piece.”
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