How to Swim with Whales in Tonga
- IDreamofMangoes
- 3 days ago
- 13 min read
In this guide for swimming with Humpback Whales in Tonga, I will provide you with all the inspiration and practical information you need to visit one of the tiniest and most beautiful countries in the world, and have the most magical wildlife experience you could ever have dreamed of!
Read on for all the details you will need to travel to Tonga's Humpback Highway during whale season, what you can expect when swimming with Humpbacks, how to get to Tonga, how to get around Tonga’s various islands, things to do in Tonga, what to wear, how much money to bring, what to eat and more!
Thousands of Humpback Whales migrate from Antarctica every year to mate, give birth and look after their calves in warmer, shallower seas from June to October.
There are seven major groups of whales (or ‘stocks’) that migrate north to various places across the world, but Tonga and Polynesia are the only places that offer regulated and ethical whale swimming experiences, where you can spend time in the water with the Humpbacks. Out of the two, Tonga is far less crowded (and the more affordable option, too).
Tonga really is the best place in the world to swim with Humpbacks- and it would be hard to find another wildlife experience that could ever compare to swimming side-by-side and eye-to-eye with these beautiful and graceful creatures.
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About Tonga
Tonga is a tiny nation in the South Pacific, south-east of Fiji and about 5 hours from Sydney by plane. It is thought that Tonga was the first Polynesian island to be settled, and to this day, it is the only Pacific nation never to be colonised.
Tonga is made up of 176 islands, all ruled under King Tupou VI from the main island of Tongatapu. They are deeply religious people, Christians, and it is basically illegal to do anything on Sundays (this will affect your travel, so keep that in mind).
The official languages are Tongan and English, and the currency is Pa’anga, currently 1GB = 3 TOP
When travelling to Tonga, you will quickly fall in love with Angafakatonga, or “the Tongan Way” which emphasises strong family and community values, respect for others, humility, hospitality, and nowadays - a fanatic love for Rugby!
RELATED POST: A Perfect 2-Week Itinerary for Tonga |
When to Travel to Tonga to Swim with Whales
Tonga is warm all year round, with temperatures staying between 26 and 31 degrees every month. However, the dry season has more cool breezes and the wet season is more humid.
Seasons of Tonga:
Dry Season - May to October
Wet Season - November to April
Cyclone Season - January & February
Whale Season/Peak Season - July to Mid-October*
In Ha’pai and Vava’u, the whales arrive in early to mid July, and they leave partway through October. The best accommodations in these island groups during this period will be booked 1-2 years ahead of time, so if you want the best chance of swimming with the whales whilst staying somwhere nice, you will need to plan your trip WAY ahead of time.
HOWEVER, there is another way around it for those who can't plan that far ahead, as the little island of Eua near the big island of Tongatapu sits on the main migratory path, making it one of the first places the whales arrive in June and the last place they leave in early November. This means Eua has an extended whale season compared to everywhere else.
We visited Tonga as a last-minute trip at the end of October, so for us, swimming with whales in Eua was the best option.
Choosing Eua as our whale swimming destination actually worked out really well for us. We spent the first few days of our two-week trip to Tonga on Eua, swimming with whales (there were still plenty around), and then we went to Ha’apai for the remainder of our time to stay at the INCREDIBLE Matafonua Lodge, and guess what? We had the entire resort to ourselves, as the whales had vacated Ha’apai two weeks prior, and so had all the other tourists.
So to summarise on when to travel to Tonga to swim with whales...
If you want a 100% chance of swimming with whales and don’t mind Tonga being a little busy, head over between late July and early October.
If, like us, you are happy to take a risk in exchange for tranquillity, head over in early July or Late October. (Whale behaviour changes every year; they don’t always arrive on the same date, so don’t blame me if you get unlucky and don’t see the whales!)
Travel Tips for Tonga (What to Pack, how to get there, how to get around)
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you purchase through this website, at no extra cost to you. I only link to products I use and love.
Packing List for Swimming with Whales in Tonga:
Tonga is quite an isolated place, so access to certain things can be very difficult - and you will need to bring all of your essentials from home. I always advocate packing light, and here is everything I packed for two weeks in Tonga - using only a carry-on backpack weighing 7kg.
Snorkel & Mask (you will be able to borrow this from your place of stay; we just prefer using our own)
Reef Safe Suncream
Mosquito Repellent
Travel sickness tablets
Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap, Razor
Hairbrush, Hairties
Moisturiser, Lip Balm
Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Floss
Quick-drying towel
Watershoes
Flipflops
Bikini
2 x Books
Playing Cards
Pen & Paper
Aeropress & Coffee
Sunglasses
Phone & Charger (same plug as Australia)
3 x Sundresses
Cargo Pants
Shorts
3 x T-shirts
PJ’s
5 x Underwear
Laundry Soap Bar
Passport
Australian Dollars
2 x Bank Cards
Film Camera & GoPro
How to Get to Tonga & Things to Know when you Arrive
It’s very likely you will be arriving in Tonga by plane, at the main airport on Tongatapu - Fua’amotu International Airport. This is a tiny airport which only has connections to Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand.
British Nationals do not need a visa for Tonga.
The best place to exchange your money into Pa’aanga is when you arrive. If you try to do it at your airport of departure or in a foreign exchange, you will get a terrible rate and lose hundreds of pounds. Believe me, I did it both ways - and the best way to get Pa'anga is to use the BSP ATM at Fua’amotu airport, which charges 12 TOP for the transaction, but gives you a good exchange rate. If you bank with ANZ, you may as well wait until you get to the main town of Nuku’alofa, as there is an ANZ ATM there with no withdrawal fee.
Since COVID and then the volcanic eruption in 2022, many businesses in Tonga are closed down, so there really aren’t a lot of places to stay. Booking.com and Airbnb are both active - but the standard isn’t great, and the price is very high for what you get, especially on Tongatapu. We stayed in multiple places, which I go into in more detail in my article: The Perfect 2-Week Itinerary for Tonga.
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Getting Around in Tonga
Taxi
Taxis are the most used form of transport, but they are expensive. It is a fixed rate of 70 TOP to get from the airport to Nuku’alofa (35 minutes away), or 150 TOP for a taxi to take you to various sites across the main island for the day. Taxis have a T at the beginning of their license plate, and you WILL need to negotiate.
Rental Car
Many people choose to rent a car in Tonga due to the price of taxis, but as we were only on the main island for a day or two, we didn’t need to. I imagine this is something you would have to arrange in advance.
Bus
Buses run Monday to Friday all day, and Saturday mornings, and the journey can be 1-2 TOP depending on the distance. They run from the airport to Nuku’alofa hourly, so this is a great way to save money when you first arrive. We landed in Tonga on a Saturday evening, so we had no choice but to take a taxi (we were overcharged, too).
Flight
Flight is the best way to get between Tonga's islands, and their national airline, Lulutai, is potentially the worst in the world. Their safety record is fine; they just cancel flights very regularly.
They use small 12-16 seater planes (we travelled on the Viking Twin Otter) which fly low, so you get amazing views of the islands. When flying domestically, it is best to check in 2 hours before, even though you just need to sit in the hall until the flight time, because if the plane reaches its weight capacity (with people and bags), they will just stop checking people in and put you on the next flight, which could be in 5 days! It is best to avoid the stress and be the first ones checked in.
Ferry
Ferries move between many of the Tongan Islands, but the schedules change each week, and it can be tricky to plan ahead. We hoped to get the ferry to and back from Eua, but we were told it wasn’t available on the outbound journey because of a public holiday, so instead of paying 35 TOP for a ferry ticket, we paid 800 TOP for a private boat (yes, ouch).
Once you’ve booked accommodation, you can ask the hotel owner to keep you in the loop on current ferry schedules, or check the Travel to Tonga Facebook Group, and this should help you plan your route more smartly to save money.
For travel insurance, I have put my trust in Safety Wing, and I use their 4-week rolling policy as it is affordable and covers almost every country. They have been great so far!
Where to Swim with Whales in Tonga
Tongatapu
PROs | CONs |
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Eua
PROs | CONs |
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Ha’apai
PROs | CONs |
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Vava’u
PROs | CONs |
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Our 2-week itinerary for Tonga:
2 Nights - Tongatapu
3 Nights - Eua
1 Night - Tongatapu
7 Nights - Ha’apai
1 Night - Tongatapu
I know this sounds like a lot of to-and-fro, but there is a reason. We needed to get the unreliable ferry from Tongatapu to Eua, and an even more unreliable airline was taking us from Tongatapu to Ha’apai.
Both the ferry and Lulutai proved their unreliability and let us down, so having all the buffer nights was VERY NEEDED. When you plan your trip to Tonga, expect delays and anticipate buffer days and downtime!
Our Experience Swimming with Whales in Eua
Where we Stayed
We chose to stay at Kiko’s place, because it was the cheapest on the island and we had heard good things about Kiko’s Whale Swims. Kiko was the first operator on Eua licensed to swim with whales (now there are four). He is a fisherman who was taught whale behaviour by a marine biologist 25 years ago. It is said that when he whistles, the whales just come!
Kiko’s place was very simple but completely fine for us, and we paid 100 TOP per night for two people, including breakfast. They do have Wifi, but it only works for simple things. We actually did our whale tour with Kiko’s grandson, Foa, who was also great.
Swimming with Humpback Whales
Whale swimming with Kiko is 700 TOP per person per day, which is very expensive, especially if you want to swim with whales on multiple days. That being said, if you have an amazing whale experience as we did, you can't really put a price on it!
For our whale swim, it was just me, Joe, and another tourist from Hong Kong. We headed down to the harbour at sunrise and went straight out on the boat, our eyes scanning the horizon for Humpbacks! It only took about 20 minutes to find our first group, although the whales didn't stay long. Sometimes, especially if it is a mother and calf, you can have a whole hour side by side in the water with them (that is the maximum allowed before you must get back in your boat and give the whales a break). We jumped in about 8 or 9 times over the course of the morning. My favourite interaction is in the video above! It was one of the most thrilling and magical things I have ever done! The weather was gorgeous, the water was clear, and the vibes were high! If we had the money, we probably would have done a second or third day. Lunch, water, and snacks were provided.
Other Things to Do on Eua
Eua is a very sleepy island with a laid-back feel, but we still managed to fill our three days there nicely. We discovered a small local restaurant called ‘Ami’s' that we visited a few times for delicious local food. Ami actually prepared us a picnic hamper of dressed lobster and chips to take to the beach on my birthday, which was a special treat! It was about a 20-minute walk from Kiko's to the beach outside Blue Water Retreat, and it is a lovely spot (sadly, the bar on site is for guests only). If you walk anywhere in Eua, people will offer you a lift, as with everywhere in Tonga the locals are very friendly and welcoming.
Kiko’s grandson also took us on a tour of the island. We sat on plastic chairs on the back of his pickup truck, which was fun, and we spent the day zig-zagging across Eua, stopping at all the interesting spots and beautiful lookouts. The island is magnificent, mostly covered by a National Park. We had heard that hiking was exceptional on Eua, but Foa had told us all the paths were overgrown, so while it was still possible to hike, we would need to organise it with an experienced guide.
Our Experience at Matafonua Lodge, Ha’apai
For our second week in Tonga, we chose to stay at Matafonua Lodge in Ha'apai, which is a group of islands, islets, reefs, and shoals in the central part of Tonga, with the best beaches and snorkelling in the country.
The flight from Tongatapu to the tiny Salote Pilolevu Lifuka Island Ha'apai Airport is around 45 minutes, and from there, your place of stay will normally arrange pick up.
There are quite a few lodges on Ha’apai these days, but the one with the legendary reputation is Matafonua Lodge on Foa Island (I have also heard amazing things about Kitesurf & Stay).
When we arrived at Matafonua, we were completely blown away. The beach they are perched on is the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life. The view quite literally brought me to tears.
Matafonua is not a luxury resort (You can stay at Sandy Beach Resort if you want more comfort) - but it is much more my style. Wooden beach fales on stilts, sandy pathways, bean bags, tunes on the radio and a little beach bar serving delicious meals. We spent our days exploring the coral reef, snorkelling and paddle-boarding, taking the canoes to the nearby uninhabited island to look for giant coconut crabs, scuba-diving, reading in the hammocks, and drinking beers and playing board games at sunset. During high season, kite-surfing and horse-riding are also options for things to do! Matafonua Lodge is normally booked 1-2 years in advance during whale season, but as the whales had left, so had the other tourists, and we had the place all to ourselves. Matafonua Lodge on Foa Island is now my number one paradise in the world. It is an incredibly special place, and we had one of the best weeks of our lives here.
Budget for Swimming with Whales in Tonga
Return flights from Sydney £350
Return flights Tongatapu to Ha’apai £200
Accommodation 70 - 500 TOP (£22 - £160) per night
Ferries 35 TOP (£11) each way
Whale Swimming 700 TOP (£220)
Kayaking, paddle boarding and snorkelling (all free at Matafonua)
Day Tour of Eua Island 150 TOP (£47)
Taxi Airport to Nuku’alofa 70 TOP (£22)
Meal at a small local restaurant 10 TOP (£3)
Meal at most other restaurants 40 TOP (£13)
Beer 10 TOP (£3)
Tonga is an amazing place, and I firmly believe it is one of the most underrated destinations in the world. Especially when you throw in swimming side-by-side with Humpback Whales and spending lazy days at the dreamlike Matafonua Lodge.
Yes, it is hard to get to, there isn't much tourist infrastructure, and things rarely happen on time (rustic is definitely the word I would use) - but that makes me love Tonga all the more - and I will be back!
Thank you for reading my post: Swimming with Whales in Tonga: The Ultimate Guide
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Happy Travels
xx
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