My lonely traveler experience of Tonga

Hi everyone,

As I think it might be useful to travelers going to Tonga (especially lonely travelers), here is a short review of my 10 day trip to Tonga (8 full days in Tonga).

I went to Tonga in Sept 2010 from NZ. I was 23 and traveled there on my own.

Tongatapu
I landed on a Saturday night in Tongatapu airport and the guy from Toni's guest house was here to pick me up. I had booked a dorm for 2 nights. Toni's guest house is a very good backpacker, clean and stuff. I met a couple from Czech. On Sunday I took Toni's island tour as I had read that there is not much to do on Sundays in Tonga. Toni is quite a character, he runs a very good tour of the island that goes through all the points of interest of Tongatapu. Tonga people are so friendly, kids will come to you so you take pictures of them etc. The fishing pigs are really fun.

Ha'apai
On Monday morning I took a plane to Lifuka. I stayed at Evaloni's guesthouse for 2 nights. The room was ok but the kitchen was very dirty, barely safe to use. I rented a bike to go to the very north end of Foa island, near Matafonua Lodge (which has an awesome location). It was a bit of a tough ride with a crappy bike, should be ok with a regular bike if you're in shape ;). You can swim wear just your swimsuit in this area as it is private. I rented snorkeling gear with the Happy Ha'apai Divers (right next to Matafonua Lodge) and enjoyed this great snorkeling spot around Foa.
On Tuesday I came back there at the back of the Happy Ha'apai Divers truck (they are awesome), I'm lucky I ran into them in Pangai this morning. I got back in the afternoon in some truck with 2 guys from Digicel (Tonga cell phones).
At night I hung out in Pangai with people I met on the plane. There is not much to do at night in Pangai if you're staying at a guesthouse.

I wouldn't recommend to a lonely traveler to go to Ha'apai unless you're staying at a resort or like very quiet places. I'm glad I decided to stay there for only 2 days. I'm not a nightlife addict or anything but I didn't get to meet people during these 2 days, maybe because I was staying at a quiet guest house.

Vava'u
On Wednesday I took a plane to Vava'u through Tongatapu, direct flight got canceled as I'm pretty sure I was the only one who booked it ^^. I had to wait for 4hrs in Tongatapu between the 2 flights so a taxi took me to 'Oholei Beach Resort but it was fully booked by a cruise ship...so the taxi took me to some random beach around the airport, not the best memory of this trip :D.
I finally arrived in Vava'u where I stayed until Monday morning. I stayed at the Adventure BackPacker which is a great backpacker with good bed/dorms and good location and nice view on the harbor. I met young people quickly and had a really good time in Vava'u.
I went whale watching with Dive Vava'u for 3 days, they are very good. Unfortunately we didnt get lucky for the first 2 days, but finally on the 3rd day we were able to swim with a whale and its calf for several minutes, great experience!
I also went snorkeling with 2 friends on an island I can't remember the name.
Vava'u has a good nightlife, if you want to go out there are several bars and restaurants. Make sure you don't miss the Fakalady show at Tonga Bob's on Wednesday night. There is also a yacht race in the harbor, they will let you hope on the boat if you bring beers ;D. There is a local dance show in a restaurant but I can't find the name.

I came back to Tongatapu on Monday morning.
Cathams Pacific is a very reliable company, all the flights were on time. I took 4 different planes with them. The Wolrd War II DC3 is definitely the best, if you're interested in aircrafts you have to take this one. It was also my first flight on a plane as small as their 8 seats Queen Air, a passenger sits next to the pilot!

My overall experience of Tonga is very good. People are very friendly and generous (I got offered a piece of cake in the street while waiting in Pangai ^^). I'm glad I didn't spend too much time in Ha'apai but I enjoyed it anyway. It made me realize I need to socialize a minimum whatever the place ^^. I really enjoyed Vava'u.
Remember this is all from the young lonely traveler's point of view.

If you have any comment or question, don't hesitate!
I'll try to come back once in a while.

François

Lovely report -Thanks for posting!

Thank you for the report! We need more updates of less-visited places and fewer "what should I do in Fiji, I'm too lazy to search the history" posts.

Thank you very much for sharing!

I'm going to Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati this summer (July/August 2011) and your post was very helpful. I'm a woman and I'll travel alone.

Would you give me an idea of prices (accommodation, food, bike rental, whale watching tours, etc)? It's like in the guide book, or they've changed a lot?

Did you have many encounters with aggressive dogs?

What was the water like (temperature, visibility)? You say the snorkeling was great: would you describe a bit of what you've seen?

Hi,

Accommodation was around 40T$ at Toni's guesthouse for a dorm (I was alone in the dorm, good deal).
20T$ for Evaloni's guesthouse but you don't want to go there ;).
Dorm bed at Vava'u backpacker is 30T$, if you want to meet people this is the place.
Food is about the same price as any rich country. I don't have any precise example.
Whalewatching pricing is the same everywhere in Vava'u, 150USD per day, whales or not. I spent 2 days on the boat only seeing whale tails from far away, but that's the game! Those were 2 very bad days for all the companies.

Dogs were fine, they are peaceful like everyone in Tonga.
The only aggressive animals are the pigs, when you get too close to the piglets :D.

The water was very clear, I could see really far. I din't really remember the temperature, but it wasn't extremly warm. Maybe 28°C. I haven't done a lot of snorkeling so I was easily impressed by anything I could see under water. I'm gonna have to let Fins'n'flukes answer this question, they are the experts !

Thank you very much for your helpful reply. Cheers.

ahhh this makes me want to go back! so toni's still around! cool. i stayed there in 1998 and grew quite fond of the place, incl the bright red cockroach that lived above the left shower. ;)

m