Tonga
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
Nuku'alofa: The Department of Immirgation is now located on Salote Rd, across from the bakery. As of March 2006 the UK High Commission will be closed.
Tanya Beynon, Tonga (Sep 05)
Travel Tips
I visited Tonga for three months in 1998 and thought I would mention that certain attire should be worn to churches. These clothes should cover your shoulders (no tank tops) and you should wear long pants/skirt. The Tongan people are very religious and have much respect for their churches, I think this is one major complaint they have about foreigners. In fact, women should always have their shoulders and legs covered unless you are at a beach and are a foreigner.
Michelle Skarpisek, Canada (May 01)
Moving About
Catching the ferry to Ha'apai or Vavau from Tongatapu: It is best to get there really early as we were there 1.30 hrs before depature at 1 am and the wharf was packed and they were only letting so many through the gate.
Joe Altham & Pam Mcdonald, New Zealand (Sep 05)
Tonga has a new domestic airline, as of June 2004. Peau Vava'u Air has replaced Royal Tongan Airlines, which is out of business now. The contact for booking flights to and from Vava'u and Ha'apai is: sales@pacifictravelmarketing.afe.to or phone (+676) 28305 In addition you can now fly on Polynesian airlines to and from Pago Pago and Apia to/from Vava'u direct. This new service began on November 12, 2004.
Sandra Gros (Nov 04)
I strongly recommend that anyone with the time take at least one journey on the MV 'Olovaha. This is the perfect way to spend some time with the local Tongans, most of whom are friendly and curious. The journey between Ha'apai and Vava'u is only about 4 or 5 hours, so for those who do not want to take a longer trip, this journey is perfect.
Hitesh Makwana, UK (Feb 02)
The Ikale ferry now travels from Nuku'alofa to 'Eua (eastbound) in just about one and a half hours thanks to a new turbo diesel engine. The ride is still very, very rough but fun if you don't get seasick too easy.
Mathias Ulmer, Germany (Sep 01)
Scams & Warnings
When we flew into the domestic airport in Tongatapu, we hired a taxi to take us to the international airport, which is basically next door (we wanted to check our luggage so we would be free while we waited for our evening flight out). The driver claimed that he had just heard that the international flights were quite delayed, so he wanted to give us an island tour in the meantime; however, he would drive us to the airline office first to confirm the flight schedule. Needless to say, the office was in town (a T$25 taxi ride) and of course the flight was not delayed. We certainly did not take the island tour with him, and we had intended to go into town anyways, so it wasn't a problem; however, I resented the ploy, and I can imagine that this scam could get a few people into serious trouble.
Marisa, Canada (Oct 05)
Taxis - women by themselves - I had quite a few "eager" taxi drivers asking if I was married and telling me that I could never have too many boyfriends/husbands ... asked Tongan friends about this - they said to find out the fare beforehand (its set per km by law like 1.50 pa' anga per 2 km or something) and sit in the back seat - sitting in the front is considered a come on - (apparently)
Renee Farrar, New Zealand, (Mar 03)
Having travelled extensively in other parts of the world, I found Tonga so refreshingly free of the usual scams and tourist traps - a real pleasure to travel in. People seemed really honest, very helpful and friendly. Even those professions traditionally associated with tourist harassment in other parts of the world - namely, taxi drivers and souvenir sellers - were on the whole very pleasant and honest. When out shopping, haggling is not an acceptable practice in Tonga. Tongans are very proud people and you might offend their pride by trying to haggle, essentially insinuating that their wares are inferior and not worth the quoted price. All items in the market have a clearly labelled price tag: the price is the same whether you are a palangi (European) or a Tongan, and was relatively fixed from marker to market. Tipping also seems to be unwelcome. One explanation I was given for this was that Tongans see a tip as a gift, which Tongan society then obliges them to return. Even a small tip may be difficult for a Tongan to return, so please don't do it.
Markella Mikkelsen (Nov 02)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
Lokupo Beach is an ideal place for camping! Even though the track to the beach is a steep climb down, it is definately worth putting in the effort. We didn't see a soul durng the two days we camped there. Lokupo and Veifefe track are now connected as a loop track.
Birgit Weischedel, New Zealand (July 02)
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