Tonga Travel Guide

Tonga OVERVIEW

Here's a bit of etymology before we have Tonga under Opentravel's guide miscroscope. Do you happen to know that the word ‘taboo' is often traced to the Tongan word tabu (or tapu or kapu) and has specific religious associations? To find out what exactly a taboo is on Tonga would require a bit more of thorough research into the islands' culture and religion fabric. The exploration might be an exciting part of your holiday stay at the Friendly Islands, as Tonga is often dubbed, so we are not going to take the pleasure away from you and go into detail over the intricacies here. Mind you, make sure you know what you're doing when you decide to break the Tongan taboos.

Now, let's get down to Opentravel's travel business.

Scattered over 700,000 square kilometers of vast ocean expanse, the ancient Kingdom of Tonga is the oldest and last remaining Polynesian monarchy. Four main parts built up the country's immensely diverse body. There is the Tongatapu Group with the nation's administrative headquarters, the capital of Nukuʿalofa, the Ha'apai Group of coral islands, shoals and reefs occupying the central part of the country, the Vava'u Group with a chain of islands and a huge landlocked natural harbor, the Port of Refuge and the volcanic Niuas in the northern area of Tonga. If you add up all the surface area, you'll get about 700 square kilometers. Not much but with such scenic settings who cares about the size? You'll find Tonga's 176 islands boasting steep, active volcanoes and vibrant coral reefs, underground caverns and magnificent white sand beaches, tiny forested islets and crystal clear water with visibility exceeding 100 feet. Quite enough for a holiday of a lifetime, isn't it? Regarded as one of the world's best sailing destinations, this tranquil island groups offer myriad channels, deep waterways and secluded anchorages perfect for all the fun in the water that you could possibly imagine. If you're not into the water element you can give sea-kayaking, mountain biking, bushwalking, impressive game-fishing, surfing and even abseiling into caves a go here. And, of course, if all of these sound a bit too adrenaline-powered for you, there's always the good beaches to get some laidback doing-nothing treatment.

Because of the geographical location just east of the date line, some say Tonga is  the place where time begins, others claim that's exactly here that the time and life have come to a standstill. Check for yourself and you won't be let down with either one.