 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tonga Holidays Hotels & Resorts Beautiful Pacific |
Beautiful Tonga resorts and holidays is a dedicated south pacific islands travel company with unbeatable knowledge and efficient tonga travel consultants. We offer great deals and holiday packages from our hand picked accommodation selections.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 Tonga Holiday Specials Contact Us UK: 0208 123 8622 USA: 619 618 0229 Oz: 02 8005 1232 NZ: 09 889 0909 Fiji: 672 2600 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Tongatapu is the main island in Tonga. It's a large yet flat coral island, over 250 sq. km in size and uplifted on its southern side with almost 20 metre high coastal cliffs. Tongatapu has several nice beaches, wild coastal scenery and some of the most extensive archaeological sites in Polynesia. Nukualofa is the capital about 30 minutes from the airport. The most unique attraction is the Royal Palace in the heart of downtown. Although not open to the public, you get a good view from the waterfront of the colonial wooden building which was built in 1867. If you want to get close to Royalty, attend the Centenary Church on Sunday - this is where the King and Queen worship. Nukualofa Town  The capital Nuku'alofa on the north shore of the island is the main centre with half the islands population. The majority of hotels and guest houses on Tongatapu are based in or around town. Nuku'alofa Town is the capital of Tonga, sitting on an narrow isthmus facing the outer island and offshore islands to the north, and the inner turquoise lagoon to the south. With a population of just 30,000, it is a quiet, sprawling and functional town with few tourist attractions except for the Royal Palace and bustling market, few shops and lots of accommodation mostly aimed at business people and Tongans visiting from their new-found homes overseas.
Tongatapu Island  Outside of Nuku'alofa, the flat land is almost entirely covered in plantations. A confusing patchwork of roads meander around the entire island with small villages and plantations strung out along the roadside but in few places are there coastal views. The eastern half of Tongatapu is less developed with miles of deserted white sandy beaches, limestone coves and deep caves along its coast. The ancient settlement of Lapaha is scattered in relics - large royal tombs (langi) shaped like a elongated pyramid line the road. On the northern tip of the island is the impressive trilithon of Ha'amonga 'a Maui believed to have been erected in the 13th century. At the western tip of the island at the village of Kolovai, large Casurina trees line the road for almost a kilometre. At dusk, these trees are alive with flying foxes. Beyond Kolovai, are two lovely beaches, Masi'ata and Ha'atafa. Both are of slightly coarse white sand and stretch for more than a kilometre and there a several small budget beach resorts. Snorkelling is good off Ha'atafu and there's also good surfing offshore.
The southern coastline is more wild. At Hufangalupe there's a lovely coastal walk along high sea cliffs with an impressive natural coral bridge you can walk over. Another attractive coastal walk is from the Tongan Wildlife Centre (small bird park and botanical garden), half way along the south coast. The coastline here is uplifted with sharp jagged rocks and are lots of small white sand cove beaches between. Still further west, at the village of Houma, are the hugely impressive blowholes. Come at high tide on a windy day and walk along the coastal path to see a long succession of blowholes. There are almost 100 in all, the largest plumes reaching up to 30 metres high. Tongatapu Lagoon  Whist the main island of Tongatapu has some lovely scenic attractions and historical sites, the most appealing tourist attraction is the wonderful collection of 20 coral islands within the main lagoon directly offshore from Nukualofa. These islands are picture postcard images and can be reached within 30 minutes by small boat from Nuku'alofa Harbour. These islands are very similar to the popular Mamanuca Group in Fiji but are far less commercial with few tourists making it feel like a undiscovered haven. The majority of islands remain entirely uninhabited and only a couple have accommodation including the gorgeous Fafa Island Resort being Tonga's nicest resort. Guests here have access to great snorkelling, game fishing and secluded beaches. Also worth considering is the budget Royal Sunset Resort on Atata Island. Pangaimotu Island can be visited on a day trip and has basic accommodation for backpackers. The island has good snorkelling and is entirely circled by a sandy beach taking about half an hour to walk around.
Boat trips to the uninhabited coral islands and to the stunning Nuku Island (location of the original UK Shipwrecked television series), can be arranged from Nuku'alofa or from Fafa Island Resort and cost about T$150 for the boat for four hours. Don't miss the exquisite sand bank which makes a picturesque picnic location in the middle of the lagoon. These islands are not to be missed and its fine white sand beaches and turquoise lagoons are the archetypical dream vision of the South Pacific where the only footprints will be yours, the birds and the crabs. Back to Tonga Holiday Guide |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
visit our interactive south pacific picture maps and hotel finder - the perfect tool for visualizing your destination before going: Company Profile Pacific Islands Travel References © Copyright 2003 - 2008 all content: text, design, images and photographs Beautiful Pacific - South Pacific Holiday Specialists PO Box 10146 Nadi Airport Fiji Islands Contact Us |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
