This tiny island in the South Pacific probably isn’t at the top of your travel bucket list, but there are so many reasons to visit Tonga! I don’t think I could have found it on a map before we started exploring this as a 10-day island getaway. Now, I strongly believe it’s highly underrated.
Note: None of the content in this article is sponsored, I didn’t get any free accom, activities, or food for writing this post. I just want you to enjoy Tonga as much as I did!
Where is Tonga?
Tonga is a small group of islands in the South Pacific ocean, far east of Australia, northeast of New Zealand. This means it boasts the same crystal clear Pacific waters as its neighbours, like Fiji and the Cook Islands. It’s also accessible at a much lower price than destinations like Bora Bora or Tahiti in French Polynesia.
If I haven’t already convinced you, don’t worry, I’ve got more reasons to visit Tonga below. Keep on reading!
Why you need to visit Tonga
Here are all my favourite reasons to visit Tonga, one of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world!
You can swim with whales when you visit Tonga
Who doesn’t love whales? In my opinion, one of the best things to do in Tonga is to dive into the deep blue and spot some humpbacks.
You might even get lucky and see a baby like we did! Fortunately, this is nothing like swimming with dolphins in a pool where they’re trapped and trained to “kiss you on the cheek” for the perfect pic. No! The guides and people who visit Tonga adhere to ethical standards that ensure the whales’ safety.
You can read my assessment of whether it’s ethical to swim with whales here.
They were clearly just as interested in us as we were in them, because they stuck around for quite a while! If they’d wanted to get away, I’m pretty sure they could have beaten me in a swimming contest. So I’d say this is a pretty guilt-free animal tourism experience and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Photo courtesy of Sebastien Kennerknecht, who was on our boat with a pro camera
It has epic, unspoiled natural beauty
Need I say more than remote tropical Pacific Island? I think it pretty much speaks for itself. Here you’ll find impossibly blue water, unspoiled coral reef, rolling waves, blow holes, stunning beaches, thick lush jungles, and swimming holes within caves. There’s some beautiful exotic wildlife… and some pretty enormous spiders, but I guess nowhere is perfect.
You won’t find a McDonalds, Starbucks, or H&M when you visit Tonga. The coral is still healthy and intact, the greenery is lush and there is a lot of it, and the air is clean. It’s both literally and figureatively refreshing, and I sincerely hope it stays that way.
There are very few tourists
It wasn’t uncommon for us to have the whole beach to ourselves. Heck, sometimes we were the only people in the whole restaurant, whole road, whole boat, and whole hostel, too! Granted, we went at the end of the tourist season, but still.
It’s a low-key spot and has yet to be overrun by tourism, which is incredible. You’d never find yourself alone on the beach in Thailand, Fiji, or Spain. I felt like an explorer the whole time, and that’s really the ultimate goal of travelling, isn’t it?
We had this whole beach to ourselves
It's safe
Regardless of where you go, you always need to exercise a reasonable amount of caution. BUT Tonga is so laid back and everyone was so friendly that I never once felt uncomfortable on my own. Tonga isn’t a particularly wealthy country, but theft and violence are not major concerns. We found “Pride over money” written everywhere, which I found really charming.
The only true dangers are the water creatures: lionfish, swimming snakes, jellyfish. But even then, I don’t think any of them are likely to kill you. The wild doggos can be a little scary, like the ones that chased us on our bicycles, but I think they’re actually harmless if you don’t provoke them.
Chesney got stung by a jellyfish and a wasp on the same day and just kept snorkellin’
It has a rich history and culture
I’m not a big history person, but one thing that’s super interesting about the Kingdom of Tonga is that it’s the only country in the world that has never experienced colonization. The Brits kinda got to them in the end, and they’re now under “British protection…” but not rule.
Still a win! Slay, Tonga.
Culture wise, there are several interesting legends. Some of which other Pacific islands share, like Maui and his hook. Traditional dancing is slow and features intricate movements of the hands and face.
Fakaleiti is an old tradition that still applies today and is similar to fa’fafine in Samoa. In short, if a mother had only sons, she’d choose the youngest to be raised as a girl from birth to help with “women’s work.” Somehow, both trans-friendly and sexist. They’re treated as girls in every way throughout their entire lives and marry men. It’s a social norm and especially interesting for such a Christian country, where homosexual relationships are illegal.
Our Airbnb host told us an interesting story about someone who drew her when she was a young woman. She used to dance in traditional clothing for visitors who arrived by boat as part of a cultural welcoming. Some English dude drew her and the piece ended up in a museum years later. And then she happened to find it! She asked them if she could keep it and they were like “yeah, lol.” So now it hangs in her home. British Museum.. takes notes.
It's affordable
The flights will likely be your biggest expense, but if you’re visiting from New Zealand or Australia, you may find some good ones on sale for under $700 NZD ($420 USD) return.
Swimming with whales is another big expense, at 480 TOP ($200 USD), but extremely reasonable considering it’s whales.
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- Beaches: Free
- BBQ meal: 5 TOP = 3 NZD, 2 USD
- Local beer: 6 TOP = 4 NZD, 2.5 USD
- Hostel: 30 TOP/night = 20 NZD, 13 USD
- 4-star hotel: 350 TOP = 250 NZD, 150 USD
- Car rental: 60 TOP/day = 38 NZD, 25 USD
- Petrol (full tank): 40 TOP = 26 NZD, 17 USD
You can check off some "firsts" when you visit Tonga
If you’re anything like me, you like to collect experiences. Maybe it’s all the Pokemon I played as a kid, but I feel like I’ve gotta catch ’em all when it comes to unique activities. Firsts, biggests, smallests, oldests, tallests… no matter how arbitrary.
When you visit Tonga, you can tick a few of these off your list:
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- Have the first beer. The local beer’s slogan is “Have the first beer in the world, every day,” thanks to their proximity to the international date line.
- See the first sunrise. It’s in the same time zone as New Zealand but geographically a little further east, so we’ll count it.
- Catch [one of] the shortest flights. The flight from the capital of Nuku’alofa to its neighbouring island, Eua, will take you just 6 minutes.
- Try kava for the first time. This drink is available around most of the Pacific Islands, but if you’ve never tried it, now is your opportunity! Fair warning it might make you feel a little silly.
- See the only three-headed coconut tree. You read that right. A coconut tree with three heads! Looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.
A special coconut from the special 3-headed coconut tree
“The first beer in the world”
My first Kava
Everyone is really friendly
Yeah yeah yeah, I know, everyone always says this about everywhere. But I really mean it! People welcomed us into their homes, invited us to watch the rugby finals, and we even went to a community church feast on a tiny island near Va’vau.
Sunday feast, including a whole roast pig not pictured