View Our
Tonga Travel Guide & Slide Show



Basic Tonga Travel Facts

 Tongatapu is the main island and centre all of things Tongan. The capital, Nuku'alofa sits on a protrusion, looking north over the small motu islands surrounding the fringing reef, and south over a tranquil lagoon. The flat coral island is quite small, running about 30 km east to west and in most places less than 5km wide. The highlights are its impressive archaeological sites in the east, the south coast with its cove sandy beaches and blowholes, the stunning offshore coral atolls, several with small resorts, and the good scuba diving sites around the lagoon.

The Ha'apai Group, about 100km to the north, consists of over 60 low lying coral atolls. Only three have accommodation. The region is very traditional, bans camping and only a few guesthouses and small hotels operate here. The beaches and snorkelling, together with the traditional culture, make this a great place for relaxing on the beach and immersing with the local people.

Tonga's most popular attraction is the myriad of limestone islands and waterways that make up the Vava'u Group. Neiafu is the administrative and tourist centre of the group, with a few small resorts and guesthouses and lots of lively bars and restaurants overlooking the picturesque harbour (sailing season May-Oct). There are few lovely beaches around the group, notably on Kenutu and Mounu, but this is not the main attraction. The Vava'u group is a fantastic sailing spot and has several yacht charter companies and lots of moorings around the bays. Neiafu has a fully serviced marina. Game fishing and scuba diving are also highly rated, and this is one of the best spots in the South Pacific for snorkelling. If you visit between July and November, there's a good chance of spotting humpback whales.

In the far north of Tonga is isoltaed Niuas. Warmer than the southern islands and even more traditional, the Niuas has three islands, but only one with accommodation. If you make it this far, you'll find a few very warm guesthouses to make your stay an experience.


30-day visas granted on arrival
Tonga $ - ATM machines, EFTPOS and major Credit Cards accepted
12 hours ahead GMT
Electricity - 24volts AC - 3 pin plug (as Australia)
Tropical climate year round - Jan 25 ; July 21 - more humid Nov-April
Light clothing - jumper in evening necessary from May to November
Tongan and English language
24-hour money exchange at airport - no luggage storage
taxi from airport to Nuku'alofa town = T$25
No airport bus
Daily Flights to Ha'apai and Vava'u except Sundays
Weekly Ferry to Ha'apai and Vava'u
No services of any kind on Sunday


more information
tonga travel guide
This Picture Guide is brought to you by South Pacific Picture, the photographic division of South Pacific Travel Guides. This leading independent travel publisher is based in Fiji and aims to provide unbiased travel information to help potential holiday-makers plan their trip to the South Pacific. We do not sell individual hotels, tours or packages - we simply provide an overview to help you make the decision and provide links for you to make further enquiries and bookings. All the pictures in this website have been taken by us and try to show a true representation of our destinations. No picture has been staged - all were taken as presented.


One of our most useful holiday planning websites is our unique interactive picture maps showing pictures of beaches, scenic attractions and hotel locations from around the south pacific islands:

south pacific pictures :
cook islands accommodation pictures ; fiji islands hotel pictures ; samoa islands hotel pictures ;
tahiti islands hotel pictures ; tonga islands hotel pictures ; hawaii accommodation pictures ;


For a comprehensive hotel guide with over 2000 pictures:

south pacific hotels
cook islands hotels ; fiji hotels ; samoa hotels ; tahiti hotels ; tonga hotels ; hawaii hotels


 For more detailed maps showing towns and villages please visit:

south pacific maps :
cook island maps ; fiji maps ; samoa maps ; tahiti maps ; tonga maps ; hawaii maps ;


Or Search our companion guides:
South Pacific Travel Guides - comprehensive travel guide for the islands
South Pacific Resorts Search - listings of all resorts in the South Pacific
Beautiful Pacific - South Pacific Islands - travel agent offering personalized bookings

Our small team of researchers travel around the south pacific on a regular basis to update our guides and to ensure their accuracy. Please feel free to contribute your own travel experiences to pass on to fellow travellers.

If you haven't been able to find what you're looking for in our website, you might want to try the following specialist websites:

The definitive, most informative hotel guide to the South Pacific:


Search for South Pacific Resorts

Hawaii Resorts ; Fiji Resorts ; Cook Islands Resorts ; Tonga Resorts ;
Samoa Resorts ; Tahiti Resorts



Last Updated
23 March 2005
by


Pacific Travel Guides
PO Box 10146, Nadi Airport, Fiji

Contact Us


Travel Resources