Blue River Provincial Park

Not to be confused with Blue Lake Provincial Park in Ontario.

Blue River Provincial Park (French: Parc provincial de la Rivière Bleue) is a provincial park in South Province, Grand Terre, New Caledonia. It's the sui generis' most visited park, home to incredible mountain scenery, petroglyphs and the drowned tropical rainforest.

This provincial park is located a little over an hour from Nouméa on the eastern side of the southern tip of Grande Terre. The closest township is Yaté. The river is of course blue and the hills are made up of red earth. The flora and fauna of the area boasts carnivorous plants (Nepenthes vieillardii), wild orchids (Megastylis gigas), a 1,000 year old conifer tree (Agathis lanceolata), and it is home to the endangered Kagu bird (Rhynochetos jubatus) which is endemic to New Caledonia.

As a nature reserve camping is limited to provided huts which resemble a-frame cabins made from canvas.

Understand

Visitor information

• Park brochure (in French)
• Official tourism website (in English)
• Email: parcrivierebleue@province-sud.nc; phone: ☏ +687 43 61 24

Get in

The 1 park entrance (Entrée du Parc) is a 90-minute, 66-km drive from Noumea along the twisty and narrow but well maintained RP3. From the entrance, you can drive a further 5 km into the park on an unpaved road until 2 Pont Pérignon.

Cars are not permitted to proceed further in the park. From Pont Pérignon, you can continue by bus (400 F) up to Vieux Refuge, bicycle (rental available, electric or regular) or kayak.

Fees and permits

Park entry fees at 600/300 F for adults/children. The gate opens at 07:00, and no visitors are allowed to enter after 14:00.

See

• Look out for the cagou, a native bird found throughout New Caledonia. Unfortunately, they're endangered but this park is a haven for those cagous.

Do

• Kayak along the Rivière Blanche, between the drowned forest.
• Hiking. There are plenty of hiking trails throughout the 9,000-ha park, many of them leading to impressive mountain views.
• MTB – mountain biking is a popular activity in the park. There are a few trails around, and bikes can be rented.

Sleep

Lodging

• Le Camp des Kaoris (Next to park entrance). 25 basic A-frame huts of various sizes catering for 2 to 5 people. From 3,950 F. (updated Oct 2022)