These are the best places to travel this summer

Tonga

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2025

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Shop Book
Rugged shores of Nuku'alofa, Tonga.

©SCStock/Getty Images

Overview

Kiss the tourist hype goodbye – and say a warm Malo e lelei (hello!) to the Kingdom of Tonga. Resolutely sidestepping flashy resorts and packaged cruise-ship schtick, Tonga is unpolished, gritty and unfailingly authentic. Life here ticks along at its own informal pace: church-life is all pervasive, chickens and pigs have right-of-way, and there's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow. You don’t have to seek out a cultural experience in Tonga – it’s all around you!

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Hihifo’s Archaeological Sites

    Tonga

    Hihifo, the contiguous suburban area south of Pangai, hides some archaeological relics seemingly of more interest to rooting pigs than anyone else. Hidden…

  • Shirley Baker Monument & European Cemetery

    Tonga

    About 800m north of Pangai, the grave and monument of the imperious-looking Reverend Doctor Shirley Waldemar Baker (1836–1903), Tonga’s revered first…

  • Port-au-Prince Massacre Monument

    Tonga

    A few hundred metres north of the airport runway is a signed turn-off west to the beach where a monument commemorates the spot where the Port-au-Prince…

  • Southern Lifuka

    Tonga

    From Hihifo, the road continues south to Hulu’ipaongo Point, with its sweep of white beach and views south to Uoleva island. About 200m short of the point…

Advertisement
Advertisement