Vava’u
Tonga · 20 m
Description
Vava’u is the northern group and the one part of Tonga with a tourism industry of its own. Its sixty islands sit inside a drowned limestone plateau, so the water between them is deep, sheltered and almost windless, which is why the Port of Refuge at Neiafu fills every winter with yachts crossing the Pacific. The same geology gives the group its caves, Swallows’ Cave entered by dinghy and Mariner’s Cave entered by diving under the rock. Whale swimming operates from Neiafu from July, and the beaches at Ano and Kenutu are among the finest in the kingdom.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 7 days (optimal 5 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: July – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Swimming with humpback whales off Vava’u (July - October)
- Swallows’ Cave(Day trip)
- Port of Refuge Harbour
- Mariner’s Cave(Day trip)
- Island-hopping charter through Vava’u
- Mount Talau National Park
- Ano Beach
- Kenutu Island(Day trip)
- ’Ene’io Botanical Garden
- Neiafu waterfront market
- Nuku Island sandspit(Day trip)
- Hinakauea Beach(Day trip)
- Veimumuni Cave at Toula
- Utula’aina Point(Day trip)
- Hunga Lagoon(Day trip)
- Ovava tree at Tu’anekivale(Day trip)
- Falevai village(Day trip)
Getting there
- Airports:
- VAV
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry