In a nutshell

Tonga lays claim to the status of a pure expression of Polynesian culture, as it was never colonised by the West. Let us discover the artistic and cultural roots of the island and admire its peculiar wild nature.

Main stops

Nuku'alofa, Royal Palace, Royal Tombs
Ancient Tonga, local culture and craftsmanship
Local cuisine and dances
Natural blowholes, Kolovai,flying foxes

The programme

We start our excursion discovering Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga where we can admire the Royal Palace, an extraordinary building whose components were shipped from New Zealand and assembled in Nuku’alofa in 1867, and the Royal Tombs, resting place of King George Tupou I and his descendants.
We then visit Ancient Tonga to savour the traditional life of the island thanks to craft demonstrations and learn more about the weaving of traditional tapa fabric and carpets.
In addition to a tour of the museum, there will also be a demonstration of local cuisine and a performance of local dances.
After leaving the Tongan National Centre, we head towards the western region of the island of Tongatapu to admire the imposing blowholes, where Pacific waves pass through natural eroded vents and spurt skywards reaching 30 metres high.
We then stop at Kolovai, where we can see flying foxes, the only terrestrial mammal native to Tonga with a wingspan of around one metre. Also known as fruit bats, these peculiar creatures are completely harmless and can be found hanging - apparently lifeless - from the Cauarina trees along the main road of the village of Kolovai.

Good to know

Transfers are on local buses which are basic with no air conditioning or speaker systems.
The toilets may be rather spartan.
We recommend wearing comfortable flat shoes and clothing suitable for the weather conditions.
We recommend that you book early because only a limited number of places are available.
We recommend asking permission before taking photos of the local population.
We recommend not standing under the trees during the visit to the colony of flying foxes.