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Guide to Nuku Alofa, Tonga
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Nuku Alofa
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Nuku AlofaNuku Alofa
Roughly 200 miles from Fiji and a considerably long distance from Australia, the group of island known as Tonga sit comfortably and relatively undisturbed by the biggest guns in the tourism industry. The capital of the...um...country?...sits on a landmass likely equitable to the circumference of London, but here in the Pacific, Western Civilization is all but non-existent; only in visitors will you find traces of European roots or those within lands of the Americas. Such seclusion from the "real world" can be quite unusual for many, though such peaceful locations appear so unworldly that delight comes to mind when describing tourists', travelers', and trekkers' reactions to their first experiences with remote lands. It is true that Nuku Alofa and the rest Tonga is affiliated with a larger power for the express purpose of protection in the event that global unease should escalate to even more worrisome proportions, and in turn it has opened much of its coastline, towns, and villages to foreigners looking for a place in the region to park their boats and planes. The network of islands still has a ways to go before it becomes the next Bahamas, which by all intents and purposes seems an impractical scenario for Tonga, considering the King's adamancy for preserving the islands' Polynesian heritage and cultural tradition. One of the most exciting benefits to visiting Nuku Alofa is that you'll not only be presented with a series of beautifully kept beaches, some of the friendliest people within the South Pacific, and lots of interesting culinary choices, but you'll also encounter what is today the easternmost sovereign nation in the world. This might not seem quite so extraordinary on the face of things, but when you've seen a sunrise marking a new day that the whole globe has yet to encounter, you'll then realize why Tonga is the premier destination that it is.
When to go:
Temperate, Temperate, Temperate. Beautiful weather is the name of the game in the South Pacific; most locations within the region have only to experience a few torrential rainstorms throughout the year, effectively placing them amongst the choicest tropical islands in the world. The compromise one makes when traveling to Nuku Alofa is mainly having to undergo fairly rigorous rerouting patterns, particularly at high season when airports around the world are at their busiest. Sure, this little anecdote would've been better suited for the next segment, but we felt the need to prep you.
Getting there and around:
One of the hardest parts of a trip to Nuku Alofa is journey itself. Flights consume many hours of the day, and you'll be lucky to find a way to get to the Tongan capital via one stopover, nevermind a direct connection. Flying to a major Australian airport is key to keeping one's irritation to a minimum, but nevertheless, a comfy seat aboard a decent-sized jetliner will do one good to avoid cramps and extreme levels of boredom. So you've arrived in Nuku Alofa, and you've made it all the way from the flight gate to the terminal gate, and you're wondering where to go from there. Well, if you're interested in going it alone in a land you've never seen, car rentals are available, though it is surprise how, even on a small island such as Tongatapu, one can lose track of the correct route so quickly. Our suggestion: Keep the number to a few of the capital's taxi services close at hand.
Attractions:
If the most-traveled island in the archipelago doesn't do it for you in terms of solitude, there are plenty of other choices to get some genuine alone time. Visit the Lifuka Group for a bit of R&R inside a mountainous landscape teeming with exotic wildlife; Take a motorboat ride up to the cluster of small oceanic protrusions known as the Vava'u Group; Lie on the sun-drenched sands of Tafahi and Niuatoputapu. Enjoy Tonga.
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