5. Report

The ancient Kingdom of Tonga is the only Pacific nation never brought under foreign rule. Though sprinkled over 700.000 square km of ocean between Fiji and Samoa, the total land area of the kingdom is only 691 square km.
Tonga stands out for its living Polynesian culture, which can be traced from the Ha´amonga trilithon on the northeastern Tongatapu through the ancient royal tombs of Mu`a to the Royal Palace in donwtown Nuku`alofa. The country`s most charming town is Neiafu, which faces Vava`us magnificent harbour, Port of Refuge. It is one of the three most picturesque towns (along with Levuka in Fiji and Gizo in the Solomons) in the South Pacific.
Tonga`s foremost natural feature are small islands, ringed by white sand beaches, whiles others have tropical forests, sea level caves, and dramatic limestone cliffs with breathtaking vistas. You can see flying foxes and a lot of marine animals, even Humpback whales, which come to Ha`apai and Vava`u to mate and calve in July until October.
The name Tonga means south. It is refreshingly cooler and less humit here than on islands closer to the equator. December to April is the hot, rainy season with especially high humidity in Januar to March. June to August can be cool enough to occassionally necessitate a sweater.
Tonga gets an average of two tropical hurricanes a year, usually between November and April.
Tonga is divided into four main parts: the Tongatapu Group in the south, with the capital Nuku`alofa; the Ha`apai Group, a archipelago of low coral islands and soaring volcanoes in the center; the Vava`u Group, with it´s immense landlocked harbour; and in the north, the isolated , volcanic Niuas.
More than a 100 km of open sea separate Tongatapu and Ha`apai, another 100 km between Ha`apai and Vava`u. In all, Tonga comprises 170 islands, 42 of them are inhabited.
As well as fanastic and protected sailing, Tonga offers you outstanding diving and snorkeling, a lot of incredibly islands invite exploration, and the most romantic way to see them is on a sailing trip with us and a different tropical island every evening.