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Tonga Beach Holidays
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South Pacific Beach Holidays
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South Pacific Honeymoons
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Tonga beach holidays are very low key - in fact, there are only half a dozen dedicated beach resorts throughout the islands.
Tongatapu
The most popular beach on the main island of Tongatapu is at Ha'atafu on the western tip of the island. Here the slightly coarse sand stretches for almost a mile and makes a great place for strolling. Swimming and snorkelling are good and there's excellent off shore surfing. However, on the southern coast are some gorgeous cove beaches with natural swimming pools, although the reef is very close to shore which rules out snorkelling. You'll need your own transport to get here as its some way off the main road. There are a few isolated beaches on the eastern side of Tongatapu which are nice to visit but difficult to find. Nuku'alofa, the capital, does not have a beach.
Some of the best beaches in Tonga lie a few miles off the main island, most of which are visible from Nuku'alofa Town. Fafa Island has a gorgeous palm fringed beach and can arrange for day cruises to the uninhabited islands within the lagoon where you'll find deserted beaches and sandbanks with excellent snorkelling. A similar gorgeous beach surrounds Pangaimotu Island where there's a budget resort. Both resorts can organize day trips to uninhabited islands with secluded white sandy beaches and excellent snorkelling.
A couple of beaches can be found on the large island of Eua off the south-eastern coast of Tongatapu. These include Tufuvai Beach, on the east coast near the wharf and Ha''aluma Beach on the south east coast. Both have dangerous currents and are not advisable for swimming.
Haapai
The beaches on Lifuka and neighbouring Foa Island (connected by land bridge) in the Ha'apai Group are some of the most accessible in the country. The island is small and flat and although the only way to get about is by push bike, the road follows the coast making the beaches easy to find. Unfortunately tourism is very low key - just a handful of budget guest houses in Pangai Village on Lifuka a beach front budget resort on the east coast, and a more up-market resort on Foa Island.
The beach at the northern point of Foa Island is the pick of the bunch with fine white sand and excellent swimming and is the location of the only holiday resort in the Haapai Group, Sandy Beach Resort. The southern point of Lifuka too has a nice swimming beach and it is possible to wade a mile or so across the reef at low tide to Uoleva Island which has a gorgeous white sand beach. On the east coast of Lifuka, the beach stretches for almost two miles and is great for beachcombing, although this is the windy side of the island and currents can make swimming difficult. Several picturesque beaches can be found to the south and north of Pangai Village although there is no decent beach in the village itself.
Vavau
The popular tourist destination of Vava'u has some lovely beaches, but to get to them you'll need to join a boat tour, hire a kayak or stay on an island resort. The main island of Vava'u where most of the accommodation is has only a two nice beaches, and these are both in isolated spots in the north east of the island, about a 30-minute drive from Neifu Town. To the south of Neiafu, joined by a land-bridge, is the Tongan Beach Resort on Pangaimotu Island and sits alongside a picturesque beach with coarse sand overlooking the channell to Neiafu Harbour. The easiest way to get to the best beaches on the offshore islands is to join a day cruise or charter a yacht. Some of the best sites include the plam fringed beach at Port Maurelle Bay, the gorgeous fine white sand at Euakafa Island and the tiny uninhabited island of Nuku. There are literally hundreds of secluded beaches amongst the islands so finding one for yourself for the day should't be difficult. Of the few uninhabited island beach resorts in the Vavau Group, the most picturesque beach is at Blue Lagoon Resort on Foeata Island.
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