HEADS UP - Some links on Breeze Around The World are affiliate links. This means if you choose to make a purchase through one of the links I provided, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. These earning help me keep the blog going, thank you for your support!
UPDATED Aug 12th: I originally wrote this a few weeks before leaving for Tonga. I have since gone through and added photos from the trip as well as answered the questions I left for myself
I am in the midsts of planning a last minute trip to the kingdom of Tonga to swim with humpback whales. I seriously have to pinch myself every time I say it.Â
But planning this trip has not been easy! So I put together this guide for anyone looking for advice on how to plan a trip to Tonga. If you’re looking for a 2 week travel itinerary, I’ve also got one of those based on my own trip!
I did not have an easy time planning this trip. I got the idea to go to Tonga in April and my window of opportunity to travel there just 4 months later in July!Â
I knew Tonga would be worth the visit, but I couldn’t even point to where exactly it was on a map. I didn’t know anything about how many islands there are or where to fly into or how to travel between the island chains.Â
And then once I picked a general route I wanted to follow it was hard to get in contact with accommodation and travel services. This is not like planning a last minute trip to New York or Paris. This is a tiny island kingdom with only a handful of international flights a week. Â
So here I am, committed to going with plane tickets purchased but still not all the details sorted… and I leave in 3 weeks. I thought it would be interesting to write up a travel guide as I’m struggling through it, to capture all the questions I have and resources I’ve found, without the bias of hindsight.Â
This is the advice I wish I would have had while planning a trip to Tonga.
First off let me recommend to book your international flights LAST!
Some of the resorts in Tonga book up years booking in buffer days in advance. If you’re booking for this year it may be best to have flexible dates, that way you can see if the resorts have a cancelation you can get in on. I also recommend to your travel itinerary.Â
The only international airport in the Kingdom of Tonga is on the main island of Tongatapu.
If you’re coming from the States, Los Angeles is probably the best jumping off point. From LAX you can fly directly to Tongatapu.
Or for a more affordable option you can fly to Tahiti. I’ve flown LAX to Tahiti on Tahiti airlines, it was just an 8 hour flight and I had a great experience with the airline. From Tahiti you can connect onwards to Tongatapu.
Another possible route is to fly to Auckland, NZ first and then on to Tongatapu. I flew with Air New Zealand to the Kingdom and it was a short 2.5 hr flight!Â
Choice Paralysis
There are a couple dozen inhabited islands in the Kingdom of Tonga and 3 main island chains to visit. So how did you even begin to choose where to go?!Â
The isle groups are Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Vava’u. The only international airport is on the island of Tongatapu, so you’ll at least have to fly through there. I figured if we were already flying through there we misewell stop and enjoy the view.Â
Many people recommend experiencing each of the 3 main island chains. Personally, I felt like we didn’t have the time or the budget to do that. Not to mention the decision fatigue trying to plan and pick out our destinations just 3 months in advance. Â
We decided to stick around the Tongatapu island group for a few days. I truly didn’t think too hard about it, I just picked the first island I had heard good things about in this island chain: ‘Eua.Â
‘Eua is a short 3 hour ferry from Tongatapu or one of the world’s shortest flights at just 7 minutes. While it’s the closest to the main island, we did still manage to get stuck out there for an extra 5 days!
Back to trip planning. I decided after ‘Eua we would go on to either Ha’apai or Vava’u.
Should I go to Ha'apai or Vava'u?
I decided to spend the remainder of our trip in the Ha’apai group of islands because I figured, hey, between these 2 beautiful island chains, I can’t choose wrong.Â
Honestly, the clock was ticking for us on a lot of this and I didn’t want to agonize over which island chain would be better. I’d read countless articles about which chain has better water visibility, which chain has better whales, which chain is easier to navigate. I decided I’d let the hotel/hostel situation on each island decide for me.Â
I found cheaper and easier to get to accommodations on the islands of Lifuka and Foa in the Ha’apai chain. So you know what, I decided that’s where we’ll go.
I reached out to Matafonua Lodge on Foa because I had read about in on another travel blog (Never Ending Footsteps), as well as a few guest houses. I actually heard back from the Matafonua Lodge within the week and they had space for us – I was sold!Â
Word to the wise, do to the popularity of Matafonua Lodge they book out years in advance these days. They emailed me back saying they were booked 3 years out, but that they had a cluster of dates someone had just canceled available during the date range I gave them.Â
Because we hadn’t booked any flights yet, I was able to give them a big date range and then plan the trip around the availability they had for us. It worked like a charm!Â
After they emailed me the dates I could book, I didn’t hear anything from them for over a week. After a few panicky emails (on my end), I finally just called them to secure the dates. I had to pay for the international call but I got our dates secured!Â
When planning our trip to Tonga, phone calls were the most direct way to get in contact with the lodge and guesthouses. To help pull together my last minute trip I opted to pay for the international minutes to secure my booking. This was mostly out of worry on my end that these places would book up. If you’re not feeling as stressed, all these places did eventually respond via email or facebook.
Hardest Parts to "Book" in Tonga
Now for the bits I’ve struggled with and how to find success when planning!
Getting accurate information – due to limited internet access on some islands, constant changes due to weather and outdated information, it’s really hard to tell what is actually available to book. That’s why my biggest piece of advice is joining the Tonga Travel Forum on facebook! You can hear from recent travelers, get updates on what may or may not be operating and ask any questions you may have!
Airline Operators in Tonga
Ahhhh the airlines. If you read one sentence in this article let it be this: Lulutai airlines is the only domestic airline operating in 2025. I spent a long time on Chathams Pacific airlines website only to finally realize they stopped operating in Tonga years ago. I read tons of blog articles where the traveler took Real Tonga or Royal Tongan airline, neither of which have operated since 2020. If you are booking domestic flights, you’ll need to book with Lulutai.
I’ve also booked myself a buffer day on Tongatapu between my domestic and international flight because I’ve heard the domestic flights are often grounded or delayed.Â
POST – TRIP NOTE: Be sure to book flexible fares for your international flights! I met several people who missed or almost missed their international flights dispite having buffer days.Â
Ferry in Tonga
To be honest I still don’t think I’ve figured out the ferry. The Tonga pocket guide had lots of good advice about how to take the ferry and what to expect… but not how to book! I decided ferry transportation would be my partner Nate’s job.Â
Nate discovered the best way to get a hold of the ferry service is through their facebook. The departure times seem to change seasonally and with the weather, so for accurate information just contact the ferry service you’d like to use directly through their facebook.Â
Ferry services include Malau Shipping, Tofa Ramsay Shipping and Friendly Island Shipping Company.
 POST – TRIP NOTE: I spent way too much time worrying about the ferry! It’s a very casual operating systems, you just have to go in person to find out the schedules and buy tickets. You can try to find the schedule on facebook but it does change often
Accommodation
Once again I say… facebook! I sent out a lot (a lot) of emails to various guesthouses, hotels and hostels. I advise to send an email but also send a message on facebook! For my stay at Matafonua lodge I sent an email and then a follow up email before I heard back a week later.Â
Turns out they are booked 3 years out BUT had a few cancellations that worked with my date range. I ended up calling them and paying the international fee just to secure the dates. If you’re booking last minute like me I’d recommend starting with facebook messages as that was the most responsive platform.Â
Can You Swim With Whales in Tonga?
If you’re wanting to swim with humpback whales the season is technically June – October. However when I reached out to the whale tour operators they advised me not to come until late July at the earliest. Because I was flexible and last minute, I booked my trip for July 23 – Aug 7th because that’s when the main lodge (Matafonua) I wanted to stay at had a fale available.Â
I booked an AMAZING whale swim through Matafonua lodge but also with a tour provider on ‘Eua – Kikos Whale Swim. They are a local family operated whale tour provider AND they were so nice and responsive over email! When I asked for advice on where to stay on ‘Eua they quickly responded that we could stay with them in their guesthouse!
We’re choosing to swim 2 days to increase our chances of having a good encounter. I know people that are on less of a budget even book 5 or 6 days to increase their odds.
Steps for a Last Minute Trip to Tonga
So can you plan a trip to Tonga less than 6 months out? Yes! I’ve planned this whole trip less than 4 months before going. Here’s how I would recommend planning a last minute trip
- Commit to going!Â
- Choose roughly which dates you’d like but know you may have to move them to get the accommodation you want
- Decide which islands to visit and for how long (remember you probably can’t choose wrong)
- Secure your lodgingÂ
- Book domestic travel
- Book international travel (give yourself buffer days especially before you fly out)
I would focus on securing your accommodation as some of the nicer resorts and lodges can book up years in advance. Thankfully it seems like many of the guesthouses can be booked more last minute as I was able to book my guesthouses just 6 weeks in advance. In fact just today, 18 days before my trip I booked one night at a backpackers hostel in Tongatapu. The budget accommodation definitely had more openings for a last minute booking.
POST – TRIP NOTE: When we were actually in Tonga we were able to find lots of night of bookings at 1 hostels and 3 star hotels
FAQ's About Traveling in Tonga
My trip is in just over 2 weeks and there are still so many unknowns for me. Here’s some of the things I still had questions about that I have since come back and answered
- What if I miss my international flight because my domestic flight was delayed? You should absolutely buy flexible international flights. If you miss an international flight because of domestic delays you are responsible for buying a new ticket. The domestic airline (Lulatai) will move your domestic flights around free of charge – thank goodness – but your international ticket is not covered.Â
- How much cash should I bring and in what currency? TOP or is NZD okay? Most places are cash only! You will need TOP but you can get it at the airport! Aim to have a couple hundred TOP to start. Pulling money out from Bank of the South Pacific (BSP) will have a $12 TOP fee
- I’ve read that I don’t need a visa on a US passport…. Geez I hope that’s true. Correct! No pre-arrival visa needed, you can be in the country 30 days without one on the U.S. passport
- How much will food cost? Most restaurant meals are $20-$30 TOP (more at the resorts). The grocery stores are mostly full of processed foods and meats with little to no veggies, but the price is very reasonable! I found it very reasonable to budget in Tonga.Â
- What are grocery stores like? The grocery stores in Tonga have very scarce options in the store as most locals grow their own food, but if you get creative you can make some pretty good meals!Â
- Can we cook for ourselves? At the guesthouses you can use the stove and have access to a refrigerator. The resorts have a closed kitchen but you can refrigerate stuff if they have room. Â
- Will we be able to get around without renting a car? Yes! it was super easy to be in Tonga without a car. If you’re walking or biking places there are stray dogs but if you stand your ground they won’t bother you. We also got offered a rides a few times when walking. Â
Despite the unknowns, I’m so glad I was able to pull together a last minute trip. I can’t wait to actually go and make it happen!Â
Bree is a travel writer who specializes in backpacking guides and ocean based travel. She’s worked in marine based tourism in Alaska and in ocean outdoor education on Catalina Island. She is currently living with her partner in New Zealand where she is working and backpacking.
Ahoy! I’m Bree and I’ve started this blog to help you plan your next great outdoor adventure. With a background in marine science, I’ve got an aptitude for all things ocean, but you’ll find land based adventures here too! Everything you see here is based on my own travel experience and paid for myself. I hope you stick around!
I’m obsessed with all of this!!!
Comments are closed.