Tokelau: Getting there & around

Tokelau has no airport, so flying is not an option, and there are no safe harbours to dock in, so getting here by sea is hard work too! A regular cargo ship, the MV Tokelau , travels from Apia in Samoa every two or three weeks; the trip takes around 36 hours to reach Fakaofo. Ships anchors offshore while passengers and cargo are transferred via small boats and dinghies - a truly hair-raising experience if seas are heavy. In addition, larger, slightly more comfortable passenger/cargo vessels travel the same route approximately monthly. Book via TALO.

Yachties will find Tokelau a challenge - there are no harbours, anchoring offshore is difficult and the low-lying atolls are easy to miss. And to top it off, you'll need to get a visitor permit from TALO in Apia before sailing off to Tokelau.

For safety reasons, modern Tokelauans are forbidden to travel independently between the three atolls. The MV Tokelau or other ships from Apia are the only means of inter-atoll travel. Travelling between islands within an atoll is easily accomplished by aluminium dinghy or the more-traditional kanava outrigger canoe, the preferred choice on Atafu. Walking is the best (indeed, the only) way to get around on land.