Tonga

PDF  Tonga is an island state in the South Pacific. The time zone is 13 hours ahead of Central Europe. Tonga is made up of 169 separate islands and atolls, of which only 36 are inhabited. The kingdom of Tonga offers not only fine sandy beaches but a wealth of varied fauna und flora both on land and underwater. Whether you indulge in extended, informative hikes through undisturbed nature, "whale watching", cave diving or simply enjoying the tradition and culture of the islands, you are certain to be fascinated by Tonga. Tonga has around 101.000 inhabitants, who are 98% Polynesian. The official languages are Tongalese and English.

Flights to Tonga and internal flights:

You would be well advised to include generous time allowances in planning (especially where international connections are concerned), since long delays and even cancellations occur from time to time. The largest groups of islands are Tongatapu, Eua, Ha'apai and Vava'u. Tonga has both steep vulanic and flat coral islands. Some of the vulcanos are still active; the island of Falcon in the Vava'u group is an underwater vulcano that occasionally erupts. Nuku'alofa on the island of Tongatapu has a harbour ringed by palm trees and protected by a coral reef. The flat island has a large lagoon but no rivers and is surrounded by many smaller islands. On Tongatapu the blow holes are a fascinating photographic experience. They are formed when breakers smash onto the reef and water is forced through subterranean channels to errupt from the surface with incredible force. The fountains can be seen along the whole coastline. The forested island of Eua is mountainous with high cliffs and beautiful beaches. There are also excellent beaches on the Ha'apai islands. The hilly Vava'u islands are thickly forested and are covered with a network of canals, bays and sandy beaches - the epitome of the South Sea island paradise