3 weeks in July - Samoa OR Tonga?

Hi there! I'm a Canadian currently in NZ for uni, and am trying to plan a July trip before heading back to Canada. I'm torn between Samoa and Tonga, because the flights to each are about the same price. I only want to go to one and not both I think, because of the extra expense of flying from one to the other. I'm a 24 yr old solo female traveler who has done a lot of travel and backpacking, but mostly the backpacking was in Europe and beach holidays in the Caribbean. I want to chill out on the beach, relax a ton, do some hiking, snorkelling, and experience some culture, mostly! I do like being social and meeting people, but I'm not a huge fan of the younger crowd/messy party scene, not much patience for it. But, I do have about 3 weeks to hang out - I'm tempted by Tonga because of the diversity it seems to offer with the island groups, but worried costs will rack up with traveling from one to the next. And for Samoa, worried I'll get bored with 3 weeks there? Any thoughts on which, from my description, you think might be better would be amazing. Also, does anyone have any experience directly comparing accommodation/meal costs from Tonga v Samoa? I get the idea that self-catering is quite rare for either, so feel the need to factor meal costs in, and I keep reading how the fales in Samoa seem to include meals.

Thanks so much for and advice, I've been reading so much but just feel like I'm getting more and more confused!

: )

I can only endorse your initial choice of Tonga.
You were correct that it offers more diversity, and I also found the people there much friendlier than in Samoa. Travel between the various island groups can be cheap if you go by boat rather than fly, with 3 weeks you could probably visit all 3 major groups by sea if you wish to. For accommodation and food, I found Tonga the 2nd cheapest country in the South Pacific after Fiji. Self-catering is not rare at all, and many budget guesthouses allow you access to a fridge and kitchen. Cheap cooked meals are also available - think pieces of barbecued chicken with rice, taro or chips... ;-) There are also many bakeries and cheap Chinese grocery stores.

I haven't been to Tonga so can't comment on it, but I don't recommend Samoa. The other travellers there (mostly Kiwis) were awesome, but the locals were unfriendly and charge fees for everything possible. The snorkelling was nothing to get excited about, nor were most of the beaches. Getting around is unpleasant if you're relying on public transportation, and expensive otherwise. There are some worthwhile things to see of course, but it was the only place in the South Pacific that disappointed me. The only reason I'd go back to Samoa is to catch a flight to American Samoa, but 3 weeks there is probably a bit much.

Hey, thank you both so much for the replies! I think I am def settled on Tonga. I don't think I've read a bad thing about it yet, whereas there does seem to be a lot of negativity out there about Samoa. Although the contrariness about it slightly appeals to me, I think I'd rather be safe than sorry. All this research has made me want to go NOW! And bbq chicken with rice or taro sounds delicious : )

Both are great places to experience culture, but I am backing Tonga for several reasons. I went to Samoa for 2 weeks and it was too much time there. The islands are bigger than the islands in Tonga but there are less islands in Samoa so you can easily see just about everything. Tonga is different because there are so many islands and groups of islands that you could really spend a lifetime exploring the entire kingdom. Also in Tonga, people seem to not care that you are a foreigner. They will almost always be friendly to you, but in Samoa some people feel the need to point and alert everyone else in the area that there is a "Palagi" nearby. Lots of drunks fighting in Samoa too. In saying all of this I did enjoy Samoa a lot and if you could you should visit both countries, but if I had to choose one or the other its Tonga all the way.

I agree Tonga wins it - I lived in Samoa for almost 4 years and although there are some great beaches on Upolu and Savai'i, you really need to rent a car or motorbike unless you want to spend lots of time on slow buses with no timetables. Car and bike rental in samoa is much more expensive than somewhere like the US or NZ (US120/day for an old car, $35 for a 100cc motorbike).
Samoa has great fale "resorts" in Aleipata, Namua, Manono and Savaii where you pay about $50 a night including food, but if you go to any of the non-fale beaches you pay about $10 just to get in. Theft & burglary is rampant in Samoa.
There is also cheap food and beer in Samoa if you eat BBQ and starchy veg or fish & chips, but I think Tonga has the better variety all round - better snorkelling, diving, more beaches, the whales, and more diversity generally. I'm going back there for 3 months in July.

All of this makes me very glad I chose Tonga! I can't wait, I fly out on July 3rd and have till the 26th. That said, do you folks have any advice on how much I should expect to spend while I'm there? Staying in hopefully clean but budget accommodation. I do like to experience eating the food from other cultures but I certainly don't plan on eating out 3 meals a day for 3 weeks. Any thoughts on expenses? Or tips? Thanks so much : )

Both places are interesting but I'm backing Tonga; I found it more interesting and diverse than Samoa.

Since you've already made your choice to go to Tonga, I probably shouldn't mention that we preferred Samoa!

With three weeks there, you'll be able to get off Tongatapu and visit some of the outer islands. Vava'u is nice, but not so cheap. We found public transport was difficult to arrange on all islands. On Tongatapu, buses seem to be timed to bring people into Nuku'alofa in the morning, then back out to the suburbs in the evening. They're not convenient for getting around the island on a more ad hoc basis, so we had to resort to taxis more than we'd like. You can see much of what Tongatapu has to offer in a few days.

Essential information: next to nothing is open on Sundays except churches. We found one bakery open on Sunday afternoon in the middle of nowhere on Tongatapu, but no other shops. We met a few travellers who were caught unawares by this and had no food to eat on Sunday and no way of getting food. So do yourself a favour and stock up beforehand. :-)

Thanks again, all!

@ Laszlo, thanks for the estimates. It is indeed dorm type accommodation i'm expecting, or whatever i can get close to good beaches on the Ha'apai islands, really. Thanks for the food info also, i'm happy to hear about the fruit and bakeries thing. Transport, i think i am just going to have to figure out when i get there.

I also was thinking it might be easiest to figure out my trajectory to hit Ha'apa, Va'vau, and Eua once i get there, just depending on ferry schedules. Thinking maybe it would be best to head off to the further islands asap, and then can explore the main island and Eua, seems safer to do to make sure i am back there for my departing flights... Maybe?

Also - i was of course planning on booking accommodation for when i get in, but do you think it's necessary to book it much in advance otherwise? I know it's the beginning of the high season there, but i just can't find much ferry timing info online, so thought i should wait until i know how and when i am getting somewhere before committing to accommodation : /

@ Woodnoggin (nice name lol!) thanks for the info also! Re: Samoa, everyone def has their own experiences in different places, they can be so different! Reading a LOT of feedback though, there was lot more negatives out there aout Samoa than about Tonga. That being said, if i am back in this part of the world again, i would certainly give Samoa a try. And, I shall be prepared for sundays, glad i am not landing on one!

.... I think i've read a ridiculous amount of the threads about Tonga now... And will probably end up reading them again!

I didn't book ANYTHING in advance in Tonga, or indeed in the entire South Pacific, and was never left without a roof over my head.

Haha that is so good to know!! I really don't want to over-plan this trip. Trying to be prepared, though.... Fine balance. : )

Thanks!

Just a quick accomodation tip: Tony's Guesthouse in Nuku'alofa. Tony himself is a peculiar little man, but it's a very friendly place and from what I rememeber it was ridiculously cheap.

Personally I'd prefer Samoa, but I only had one week in Tonga and was pretty much confined to Tongatapu. I guess getting out to the outer island groups will be awesome!

I second Tony's!

say Hi to Mone and Pita for me! :)

For a change, I don't recommend Toni's! ;-)
I spent there my first 2 nights, just to find that his place was several kms from the city, and for transport to downtown guests are pretty much dependent on his shuttles (not free) which only run a few times a day.

Several of us ended up moving to Sela's, which is much closer (walking distance) to the city center, offers a better range of accommodation (from dorm beds to rooms), is much friendlier (your host is a charming Tongan lady instead of a grumpy old Brit), and costs about the same as Toni's.

If you are planning to catch boats to the various outer islands, I think it is important to be in town to be able keep an eye on when ships are due to leave.

"We met a few travellers who were caught unawares by this and had no food to eat on Sunday and no way of getting food."

Those people must have been terminally dumb since there are a number of restaurants open Sundays in Nuku'lofa-ask any cab driver they can tell you.

FWIW-I don't like Sela's at all-the neighbourhood stinks like garbage fires-well so does all of Tongatapu.

Just a few additions re transportation etc.
I think it is a good idea you had about travelling to the "outer islands" first since 'Eua is much easier to reach (ferries go more often) and close to the main island.
The two bigger ferries (MV Otu Anga Ofa and MV Pulupaki) go to Ha'apai and Vava'u once a week, usually departing Tongatapu on a Monday and Tuesday, arriving in Ha'apai the following day, then continuing to Vava'u. However, there are no really fixed schedules and the times and days can change at short notice. If you talk to the locals though they will mostly be able to tell you when the boats depart. The price is about T$60-T$80 one way compared to flights between T$170-T$200.

Public transport is indeed not so great here, but on many islands you can get a taxi or rent a bike or scooter to explore the islands on your own terms. Depending on where you stay, you may have to travel a bit to get to a beach on Tongatapu and Vava'u. Ha'apai's beaches are very accessible from pretty much anywhere and there is good snorkelling off the beaches. It's very relaxed, too, and does not see a huge amount of tourists.

If you do come to Ha'apai, feel welcome to come and see us at the old Niua Kalo Beach Hotel on Lifuka, just North of Pangai . Would be nice to catch up for a beer :-)

Samoa is well set up for cycling with the coastal road around each of the two big islands being about 200kms. We prefer Savai'i because it has a network of Fale style accommodation set on great beaches with excellent snorkelling. It is also much less developed than Upolu and has a very laid-back atmosphere.
We are a bit prejudiced about this as we have a fleet of hire bikes set up for touring and offer both bare hires and full tours. See www.bikesamoa.com.

The distances imply that 8 days would be ample for 400kms around both, but numerous trips and heaps of feedback argue for allowing 10 days for Savaii and at least 7 for Upolu. There is so much to explore and see.
Do take your own mask and snorkel as the fale resorts don't always have them.

Do ask and explore to find the best snorkelling places - the resort owners don't always point them out.
Ross

Hi saswain.

Well, I just read your post and now I'd like to ask for your advice since I can see by the dates you've already travelled to Tonga fairly recently. My gf and I are Canadian and it sounds like we travel very similarly to you. We're just finishing our year working holiday in Australia and are wanting to hit Tonga before flying back to Canada. I'd say we're more into things like culture, food, hiking and diving. We're trying to budget our trip at the moment, both with regards to time and money. I'd like to go for at least 2 weeks but maybe longer if we can stretch the dollars. If you can give me some rough estimates and places you recommend it would be greatly appreciated!

Eric