Going to Tonga at the end of September

Hi everyone,

I just recently posed a thread in the main section about how my family can't decide which island to go to. We've decided on pushing our holiday back two weeks (leaving on September 26th and staying a week) and that made me immediately consider Tonga for it's whale watching.

I guess my first question is, how much luck will we have so late into September? We are not really looking to do it with one of the companies, mainly for the price.

Considering that we would be limited to the Vava'u or Ha'apai Groups (am I right?) what else do these location have to offer? We're basically after:

Fairly quick and easy to get to from main airport
Nice (not budget and not top-end) beachfront accomodation
Relaxing, quiet beaches
Snorkelling
Surfing if possible
Hiking/walks
Traditional entertainment if possible

I really appreciate you reading this, or even replying :-) I'm off to do a lot of my own reading to try and answer some of these questions myself. Sorry for posting out of laziness but I figured it would be good to hear some suggestions specific to our situation.

Thanks again,

Virelai

Hello Virelai,

if you are really after seeing the whales, then late September is an excellent time and they are going to be around until late Ocotber. Sometimes you do get the chance to see the whales off the beach, but you will never see them as close as if you go out on a boat. Of course there is a price to pay if you go out with an operator, but if this is something you really want to experience, that's the only way to do it. Only licensed operators are allowed to conduct whale watching.

Some information on your other questions:
Fairly quick and easy to get to from main airport
Ha'apai is about a 30 minute plane ride from the main island of Tongatapu, Vava'u is about an hour away. The domestic airport is right beside international. You can just grab a taxi and drive over there.

Nice (not budget and not top-end) beachfront accomodation
I can only talk about Ha'apai here: Lovely beach accommodation in all price ranges is available on several islands.

Relaxing, quiet beaches
Unlike other islands, Ha'apai is still largely undiscovered by tourism (that's also why it is cheaper than other islands) and you mostly share the most gorgeous beaches with only a handful of other guests. Vava'u sees lots more tourists, hence you're not going to get quite that personal experience, but there are still nice beaches and accommodation.

Snorkelling
Excellent reefs for snorkelling, some accesible from the beach and some a bit more offshore that are teeming with fishlife.

Surfing if possible
Not much surf in Ha'apai or Vava'u as far as I am aware, for that you would have to stick to Tongatapu's Ha'atafu beach if you spend some days on the main island.

Hiking/walks
Most of the islands are fairly flat, but beach and island walks are possible of course. For real hiking 'Eua would certainly be the best place.

Traditional entertainment if possible
I'm not sure about tourist performances on the outer islands, but on Tongatapu they do organize traditional dances with food etc. The Tongans are very friendly and open people and if you ask locals you could most certainly take part in a Kava ceremony, church service, traditional weaving, fishing etc. no matter where.

Thank you for such a helpful response! :-)

Hi there,

I have been twice to Tonga and love both ha'apai and vava'u. They are very different, so you must choose according to what you feel like doing. Ha'apai is very quiet and it's nice to relax and dive. I suggest you to talk to Sally: http://www.matafonua.com/ But i guess the whales are easier to be spotted in vava'u because of the islands formation which are more sheltered and sometimes you can see them closer to the main island while ha'apai is more open ocean. In Ha'apai i dived with http://www.tonga-dive.com/ because i stayed in Matafonua, but if you choose to stay closer to the center I heard Fin and Flukes are excellent too.

In Vava'u I reccomend you to check with Portwine in Neiafu - not beach front but really nice place just renewed. Beachfront: http://www.mysticsands.net/ talk to Adriana Kjell they do pick ups.
In Vava 'u nothing is close to the airport which is in the middle of the island. It will always take 20-30 min to go everywhere from there because you are suppose to drive very slow...

Fairly quick and easy to get to from main airport
Nice (not budget and not top-end) beachfront accomodation
Relaxing, quiet beaches - it's nice to go on bike and discover the whole island, you can rent in Portwine or the Backpackers in Neaifu
Snorkelling: check with Paul and Karen http://www.divevavau.com

Surfing if possible
Hiking/walks - on your own, really doable in Vava'u not in Ha'apai because it's more flat
Traditional entertainment if possible - you will ask locally.