Why you should experience the WWII Guns in Bora Bora.
The WWII Guns of Bora Bora rise like ghosts above Faanui Bay — rusted sentinels from a time when paradise prepared for war.
Follow the trail up through dense jungle and you’ll emerge onto a ridge that feels suspended between history and horizon. The metal barrels sit half-swallowed by vines, their once-black steel now glowing orange with rust, the color of time itself. Below, the lagoon stretches out in impossible blues, serene and untouched — a stark contrast to what these weapons once guarded against. From this vantage point, the view is breathtaking: Mount Otemanu’s jagged peak on one side, the open Pacific on the other. The silence is heavy, not mournful but contemplative, as if the island remembers without bitterness. These guns never fired a single shot in combat, yet their presence tells a story — not of violence, but of vigilance. They mark the moment when Bora Bora became more than beauty; it became strategic, necessary, part of the world’s heartbeat at war.
What you didn’t know about the WWII Guns.
In 1942, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States established a secret military outpost on Bora Bora — Operation Bobcat — transforming the island into a defensive stronghold for the South Pacific.
Over 7,000 troops arrived with supplies, ships, and steel, carving roads through volcanic slopes and building airstrips, oil depots, and radar towers where palm trees once stood undisturbed. The massive coastal guns were installed high above Faanui Bay and other key points, positioned to defend the lagoon entrance against potential enemy fleets. Each emplacement was a feat of engineering, assembled from naval artillery transported across rough terrain with pulleys and manpower alone. But the war never reached Bora Bora. The guns never fired. When peace returned, the soldiers left, the jungle closed in, and the metal relics began to rust — quietly surrendering to nature. Yet their story endures. The base they built laid the foundation for the island’s first airport, and the roads they cut became the same ones visitors use today. The guns themselves remain where they were placed — unpolished, untouched, their weight now symbolic rather than strategic. They remind the island, and all who visit, that even paradise can carry the memory of resilience.
How to fold the WWII Guns into your trip.
The WWII Guns of Bora Bora aren’t just historical curiosities — they’re among the island’s most profound vantage points, both physically and emotionally.
Begin your journey in Faanui village, a quiet community on the northern side of the island where life moves at a gentle, local rhythm. From there, a narrow dirt track leads upward through the forest — steep but manageable for most travelers. The hike takes about 30 minutes, shaded by banyan trees and cooled by the ocean breeze drifting through the canopy. Bring water, sturdy shoes, and curiosity; this isn’t a manicured attraction, but an encounter with the raw history of the island. When you reach the top, pause. Walk slowly among the emplacements. Touch the concrete, feel the roughness of the steel — the texture of a world long gone. The panoramic view alone is worth the climb, but it’s the silence that stays with you. As the sun begins to lower, the lagoon glows in layers of turquoise and gold, and the guns, silhouetted against the sky, seem less like weapons and more like monuments — to endurance, to transformation, to the strange poetry of time. The WWII Guns at Faanui Bay are not about war; they’re about the quiet that follows it — the peace that remembers.
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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