UPDATED FEB 2020. You know that here at The Katie Show Blog I’m all about extraordinary travel experiences and, well, it doesn’t get much more extraordinary than this. Last week I was fortunate enough to visit the Kingdom of Tonga and swim alongside some giants of the sea. It was an experience that I will treasure forever. I think I picked the best place to go with for the trip so I’m sharing it all with you today in this guide on how to swim with whales in Tonga. It has my solo female traveler stamp of approval too.
How To Swim With Whales In Tonga If You Want An Authentic Experience
Disclaimer
There are affiliate links included in this post. This means at no extra cost to you, I earn a commission if you book through the link.
The basics
Location: ‘Eua, Tonga
Good for: Solo travelers, couples, friends
Style: Budget
What to bring:
- GoPro
- Floaty selfie stick (I use the GoPole Evo
) - Water bottle with a filter if you don’t want to use bottled water
- Travel journal
)
if you don’t want to use bottled water
A GoPro with a floaty selfie stick is a must have when you swim with whales in Tonga
Where to go
Many of the islands offer opportunities to swim alongside these graceful giants.
Vava’u, Tongatapu, and Ha’apai are some of the popular islands and offer a lot of options as far as tour operators go.
I opted for a more local experience for this trip and visited the island of ‘Eua, which is what I’m sharing here.
Best time of year to swim with whales
July to October is when the Humpback whales migrate to the warm, calm waters around Tonga to give birth to their cute babies.
How to get to ‘Eua from Tongatapu
The Fuaʻamotu International Airport in Nuku’alofa on the main island of Tongatapu and this is where you will fly into.
From there you can either take a ferry or plane to ‘Eua, or the other islands for that matter.
Depending on how it all lines up, you might need to stay on the main island at least overnight. I did a quick search on Booking.com and found a nice motel to stay at for the night, then took the first flight the next morning.
Make sure you stop at Marco’s Pizza while you are on the main island
I chose to take the plane because the flight to ‘Eua is one of the shortest commercial flights in the world and the novelty of taking a 7-minute flight was just too much to resist.
Real Tonga is the airline that services the islands and you can make your booking online here.
If you want to take the Ferry, which is the cheaper option of the two, just check with your accommodation for the current schedule and then you can just show up and get a ticket at the port on the day – take cash.
What is it like to swim with whales
Scared yet excited. Intimidated yet comfortable. Nervous yet calm. Satisfied yet wanting more.
My emotions were so contradictory while swimming with the whales. Even with the rollercoaster of emotions, it was an incredible experience that I will never, ever forget.
Since they are wild animals, it will be a different experience each time you get in the water.
I did three whale swim tours while I was there and sometimes the whales would leave as soon as we were in the water, sometimes they would stick around, and my last swim had the magical moment of 4 whales staying with us for what seemed like ages, even showing off their little baby!
No matter what happened, each time was magical and it was incredibly humbling to swim alongside something so huge.
Kiko’s Whale Swim tour in ‘Eua
I booked my whale swim experience with a local whale whisperer, Kiko. To sum him up, he’s a legend. Here’s a photo of him.
The man, the legend, Kiko
Kiko is one of the only local whale swim operators in all the islands and this was a big reason why I wanted to take a tour with him.
He took us out on the boat and, as we cruised along the water, our small group of tourist eyes would scan the top of the ocean, eagerly looking for our first whale sighting.
Seeing them, even from the boat, had everyone smiling and, though we were ready to jump in, Kiko told us to wait. First, he waits to check their behavior before giving the go-ahead to jump in the water. It’s safety first for guests and the whales.
While you swim, Kiko watches on from the boat and his son Nua gets in the water with you to keep the small group together.
You would think it was just another day in the office but Kiko and his son share the same excitement as the guests, if not more, which makes the experience even more special.
Nua getting the boat ready for the tour
Where to stay in ‘Eua
Just a few weeks before my visit, Kiko had opened up a guesthouse which is where I stayed while I was on ‘Eua.
Say goodbye to any sort of luxury style accommodation because there are no resorts or boutique hotels on ‘Eua. That’s the beauty of it too.
I love nice hotels, but it was refreshing to be able to visit somewhere that hasn’t been overrun by big business. Instead, you get an authentic stay in an authentic place.
While it might not be a luxury accommodation, it’s everything you need and very affordable.
The rooms were clean, the beds were comfortable and the doors had locks so you can keep your valuables secure.
There is one shower and toilet which the guests share, however, Kiko is currently doing some renovations to add on extra rooms and facilities.
The only downside is that it doesn’t have is WiFi. If you need to stay connected, make sure you buy a sim card on the main island before you visit. If not, just enjoy being disconnected from it all in this quiet piece of paradise – that’s what I did.
Add a personal touch to your stay
If you want to add more meaning to your stay and take a look behind the scenes to see what it’s like to work at this guest house, get a copy of my latest book “Your Vacation, My Office
.”
It profiles people who work in the travel industry around the world and features Amelia who is the housekeeper at Kiko’s. You’ll learn about an average day in her office, what she loves about Tonga, and what it’s really like to work with travelers.
Where to eat in ‘Eua
Breakfast is usually coffee and toast, lunch is sandwiches, and there are awesome chicken and fish dinner options for 15-20 TOP (about 7-9USD).
I had dinner there every night and they were big meals and very delicious.
If you don’t want to buy dinner at the guesthouse, you can visit the convenience store down the road for basics.
Winner winner chicken dinner- so good!
The family guesthouse
The best part about the guesthouse is the people.
I feel very lucky that I was able to get to know them during my stay. Each day I would ask lots of questions to learn about Tonga and their lives and they always made time to sit and chat.
They were so friendly and always up for a joke – I’ve never laughed so hard in my life.
I like to think that everywhere I travel I leave a little piece of my heart and fill the gap with a memory of the place I visit. But in Tonga, I didn’t just leave a piece of my heart, this beautiful family stole the whole thing.
Other guides to help you plan your trip to Tonga:
For more information:
You can see more and book your whale swim using Kiko’s Whale Swim Facebook Page here.
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