Why Tonga
A hundred and sixty-nine islands, thirty-six of them inhabited, in four groups. Tongatapu, in the south, holds the capital Nuku'alofa and the Ha'amonga'a Maui trilithon. Vava'u, in the north, is a maze of islets and sheltered bays, one of the finest anchorages in the Pacific. Ha'apai is flat, coral and almost deserted. The Niuas, in the far north, are isolated.
It is the only Pacific kingdom never colonised, and that shows in the relationship with visitors: you are welcomed rather than served.
May to October: dry, twenty-five degrees, the cool season. From November to April it is hot, humid, and it is cyclone season. Humpback whales come to calve from July to October.
Entry and stay
Requirements depend on nationality. Check yours with the local authorities before booking.
No duration is quoted here, for want of an official source verified at the time of writing — 22 September 2026.
Getting around
Nothing links the island groups except by plane or ferry. Domestic flights are few and prone to cancellation; the ferries between Tongatapu, Ha'apai and Vava'u take a night and depend on the sea.
On Tongatapu, local buses serve the island from Nuku'alofa, with no fixed timetable. Car hire requires a local permit, issued on the spot.
Driving is on the left.
Money
The pa'anga. Cash dominates almost everywhere; cash machines are concentrated in Nuku'alofa and Neiafu.
Drawing cash before heading to Ha'apai or the outer islands is not a precaution, it is a necessity.
Health
No vaccination required from Europe. Malaria is absent, dengue present in episodes.
Medical facilities are limited and a serious case goes to New Zealand. Insurance covering evacuation from the South Pacific is essential and costs more than elsewhere.
Before you go
Sunday is a constitutional day of rest. Shops, transport, activities and even most restaurants close; domestic flights do not fly. This is not a custom, it is law, and it applies to visitors.
Dress is a genuine issue: away from hotel beaches, shoulders and knees are covered, for men as for women, and swimming in a costume in a village is frowned upon.
Swimming with whales is regulated by licence and quota, from July to October. Unlicensed operators exist: checking beats regretting.
The Hunga Tonga volcano produced one of the most powerful eruptions on record in 2022, followed by a tsunami. The archipelago remains an active volcanic and seismic zone.