Things to See in Tonga

It would be a major feat to spend any time in Tonga without having a cultural experience, but a visit to the Tongan National Centre is a good spot to start. The museum contains historical artefacts and cultural items still in use today.

The Mu'a area contains the richest concentration of archaeological remnants in Tonga. There are 28 royal stone tombs (langi) in the area (15 of which are monumental), built with enormous limestone slabs carried by canoes either from nearby Pangaimotu, Motutapu and other parts of Tongatapu, or possibly from as far away as Ha'apai or even Futuna.

These blowholes ('Mapu'a 'a Vaca' means 'Chief's Whistles') stretch for 5km (3mi) along the south shore of Tongatapu. They are best viewed on a windy day at high (but not too high) tide, when the maximum amount of water is forced up through natural vents in the coral limestone, forming geyser-like fountains of seawater up to 30m (98ft) high.