Travel Guide Tiga

Located 30 km north of Maré, it is the smallest of the Loyalty Islands, at 12 km². The island has no accommodation facilities and you must be invited to stay there. Its origin is transmitted to us by an old Melanesian legend. One day, a brave little rat chased by the inhabitants of Lifou begged a turtle to take him to Maré. But the reptile, tired, stopped on the way and became Tiga, hence its half-submerged shell shape. The island families have given the territory some of its most brilliant graduates, foremost among whom is Jacques Iekawe, the first Melanesian prefect. And for birdwatchers, the island is home to nesting brown boobies and frigate birds. It is also possible to observe them in the evening when they head for the land.