Tonga!!

Hey Everyone,

I was just wondering if anyone has recently been to Tonga and can tell me how much a one way flight from TBU to Vava'u costs on either airline and if either airline is better than the other.

Also, does anyone have info on ferry schedules/costs for Vava'u back to the main island. I'm looking to do both.

I'll be in Tonga from sept.4-15.

Cheers,
Dave

Here's the boat schedule: http://www.olovaha.com/TimeTable.htm

I paid $464 Tonga return a month ago, this is standard.

I flew with Airlines Tonga. You have to book through Teta tours; the airline does not have online booking itself. Tickets are still paper which, whilst nostalgic, was a bit of a pain when I had to go to their offices and collect them. I'd tried to arrange to collect them at the airport on arrival in Tonga but these things rarely run smoothly. Teta tours had also neglected to pass my booking on to the airline so even though I had tickets (or the airline had lost me- who knows?), and there was no seat reserved for me on the flight. This apparently is normal, the airline were unfazed and I ended up squeezed on the flight- just be warned.

Chathams Pacific are very new, but do have online booking facilities so you can manage the booking yourself. I'd suggest trying this as it removes a bureaucracy level.

Which ever airline you choose, your flights are unlikely to leave on time and flights are very prone to being changed and cancelled. Do confirm your booking with the airline yourself, give them the number of your accommodation so they can notify you of changes and be prepared to chill when things go wrong- you're on Tonga time and somehow things always worked out! It's also worth making sure you ar back on Tongatapu 48 hours before your flight out of the country to give you flexibility if things do go pearshaped.

Having said all this, it's an amazing country, the people are wonderful and Vava'u is simply stunning. Have fun!