Budget for Tonga

Hi

I am posting in the hope someone answers, but notice there isn't loads of activity on this board!! Anyway, fingers crossed...

Myself and a friend are hoping to go to Tonga from NZ at the end of August / beginning September, for two weeks. We can work out the cost of flights from Auckland and back, and have found a website showing cost of internal flights between islands, but are having a very hard time finding any information anywhere on some sort of daily budget. We would both like to know how much, roughly, we should be taking for a two week trip, where we would like to see some whales, maybe do a sea kayaking trip and basically just chill and explore. We are happy to stay in basic backpacker hostels and eat local food, but still aren't sure what we should budget for these even, having checked LP guidebook and various internet searches - info seems very limited!! Is it something we should perhaps save NZD$1,000 for 2 weeks (excluding flights) and just wing it once we're there? Or do we need more or less money? Is it easy to get boats between islands - say to save money on internal flights, which seem quite expensive?

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Bethen.

I could tour most of Tonga, the Hapaai, Vavau and Niua Islands included, all by local boats in 3 weeks.
This requires flexibility, time and some luck, but is definitely doable - except for getting to the Niuas which require extra luck.
The situation with internal transport in Tonga is very fluid and you will only find out what is actually available once there.

As for budget, if you really save by staying in the cheapest dorms, self-catering and taking public transport, you might even scrape by in US$20-30/person/day, not including inter-island transport and tours.

Luckily, most of Tonga's attractions are free.

Hi Laszlo - thanks for getting back to me, really useful info!!

So in two weeks you reckon we could do the main island plus one other (either Vavau or Hapaai) with local boats? It sounds doable.

With regards to the budget, that's given me some peace of mind. We are planning on staying in dorms and sampling the local food where possible, which will keep costs down.

If you have any particular recommendations for cheap accommodation, good food / places to eat and local attractions (walking, snorkelling, whales, kayaking, good beaches) it'd be great to hear!!

Thanks!

I strongly suggest that you buy a copy of LP's old, single-country Tonga guides, as those cover the country's attractions, especially walks and remote beaches, much better than the new combined Samoa-Tonga guides.

If you want good food and good places to eat, that will cost you. Cheap food means eating from bakeries, markets or street sellers, and that food will at best be fine, not really good.

Likewise, don't expect the really cheap places to be great. I may spell them wrongly now, but in the capital I stayed at Shela's GH, in Hapaai at a place known as Langilangi's GH (listed in LP by another name).

I much preferred Hapaai to Vavau.
The letter was far less scenic than I had expected, and much more touristy. Also, most of Vavau's attractions seem to be on smaller islands reqiuring extra boat rides or tours to reach. It was also Tonga's priciest area.
Hapaai is much more laid-back and its main 3-5 islands easier to get around. It was the country's cheapest region, too.

This is so great, thanks for taking the time to provide all this useful information!

I am hoping that we can do a whale watching / swimming trip - do you know which island it may be best to do this from?

I will definitely take a look online for the single country guide - I found the three/four country guide a bit basic and lacking in information to be honest. Bit annoying since I paid NZD$30 for it!!

I am not expecting the lap of luxury, and would prefer a more cultural experience, sampling the food the locals eat and I definitely don't mind cheaper hostels etc, have stayed in similar in Ghana and found it fine. So that's not a problem.

Thank you once again, this is really appreciated.

You can do the whale tour in Hapaai:

http://www.finsnflukes.com/whalewatching.htmhtm

You can find copies of the old LP Tonga guide on Amazon for less than a dollar - plus shipping.
It would be money well spent.
I carried both an old Tonga guide and the then latest Tonga-Samoa one, and ended up using only the former ca 95% of the time! ;-)

Hi Beth,

We were in Tonga in October and got by on $60 USD per day for food and accommodation. Whale watching cost $175 per person and a two-tank dive cost us $100 per person. If you dive, it's definitely worth doing one in Tonga. The water is some of the clearest we've ever seen.

In terms of places to sleep and things to do, have a look at our guide to Tonga. You may also be interested in the related articles, particularly the whale watching one. It was one of the most incredible things we've done!

You're going to have a great time!

Kia, Atlas and Boots

PS. Pack some seasickness pills just in case. The boat to Eu'a can get choppy, making even some of the locals sick!

Hi

Thank you both so much - this has been extremely useful! I will check out the links you have provided AtlasandBoots, and am definitely going to look for the Tonga LP!!

Thank you.

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You can also catch the local ferries if you are keen to experience how the locals get from island group to island group. There is a ferry that goes from Tongatapu to Ha'apai and Vavau weekly. is about $80TOP per person one way from memory. Typically...this changes from moment to moment though so best to confirm when you arrive The ferry leaves Tongatapu 6pm Tuesday nights arrive Haapai around 7-10am Wednesday morning and then to Vavau around wed lunch time arriving Wed night late. It then typically comes back to Hapaai thurs morning 4-8am and back to Tongatapu Thursday evening.

You can do whale watching/diving in both Vavau and Ha'apai. Costs range from company to company for whale watching from $175-$280. It is a once in a lifetime experience and just something you will never forget. Vavau is a bit busier than Ha'apai and more tourists there. Ha'apai is very remote and quiet. There is a whale watching place on Uoleva island in the Ha'apai group and various accommodation options on there too to suit any kind of budget - low end - high end.

Great post! Thanks to all of you for the precious tips!
I wanted to know : when you arrange an inter island trip with a local boat, how do you fix the price? Are you supposed to bargain? How long does the journey usually take?

Journey times obviously depend on distance.
Also obviously, you don't bargain on the inter-island boats (what an idea!). You pay the same fare everyone else does.

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