Neiafu (Vava’u) - Activities, Attractions & Shopping
Bike, car and kayak hire are offered by several companies.
Scuba diving and instruction is offered by 2 dive centers.
Kart Safaris on the main island, Zego Tours of the islands, kite-boarding at Mounu Island and a semi-submarine tour can all be organized.
Hikes
The view from the top of Mt. Talau is not to be missed. Great for gaining some top-down perspective! Hike to the top from the trailhead takes about 5-10 minutes. Can be slippery when wet. Hand-rails on parts of the trail. Trailhead is about a 15-20 minute walk up-hill from town.
The fresh-water caves in Toula present a view of the eastern islands & local kids can often be found swimming there. Toula village is about a 25-minute walk from town.
Euakafa Island has great photo-ops from the top, where you’ll also find a tomb! Good snorkel reef as well.
Whale Watching: Humpback whales migrate here from Antarctica between June and October. There are several companies offering Whale Watching tours. Swimming with whales can be dangerous if you get in with the wrong one so use a trained and licensed operator. Be sure to obtain and follow the local guidelines when interacting with the whales. Make contact with any other vessel present in the area and show common courtesy.
Tongan Feasts: A great way to experience Tongan food, dancing, kava, handicrafts & string bands. There are numerous Feasts to choose from ranging from on the beach to a fusion-experience at one of the resorts. As a suggestion, feel free to bring your own drinks to the Beach Feasts as there may not be refreshments for purchase available and well-water may have giardia or other organisms in it.
Barnacle Beach, Falevia, Kapa Island holds one on Friday or Saturday at 6pm and Hinakauea Beach, Pangaimotu, holds one on Thursdays. Bookings can be made via VHF net.
A trip to the Swallows and Mariners Cave:
One of the most interesting places in Vava’u is Swallow’s Cave, near the Port Maurelle anchorage. It is best to explore the cave in the late afternoon when the sun shines directly into it. The distance from the anchorage to the cave is quite far if you don’t have a powerful outboard. Above the water, the cave is approx. 40 feet high, 40 feet wide and goes back about 100 feet from the entrance. Dinghies go right inside and tie up to the rocks inside the cave. The water in the cave is crystal clear, the sunlight streams in from the cave entrance and there are thousands of fish swimming inside.
Many tour operators will add this to any itinerary if you ask.
Mariners Cave has a hidden entrance 6 feet under the water. To enter you need to be able to dive down 2m and swim for 4m into the dark cave mouth before coming up into the high ceilinged cave. If you can dive under a hull with a keel of 2m and a beam of 4m you should be able to do this. A little scary first time around but it helps to have someone with brightly colored fins to swim ahead of you. There is enough light coming in through the water at the cave mouth to see inside the cave and exiting the cave is easy because of the light coming in from the outside.
Last updated: December 2019
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Related to following destinations: Neiafu (Vava'u), Tonga
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Cruisers should be aware. On September 10th, 2019, the co-owner of the hideaway bar in neiafu physically attacked a customer at their establishment. During a conversation, she choked and tackled my wife. My wife now has bruises all over and is suffering neck and back pain from being tackled to the deck. We have reported the incident to the police, but thought the cruising community should know.
This was not a Tongan, but an expat who owns a business. This should not be a reflection of neiafu or the people here. The community is wonderful and this is an incident not at all to do with the people of neiafu
Brief updates from Royce Reid:
Wanted to briefly update a couple of things regarding Tonga.
The check-in in Vava’u was fast and simple. They told us how to extend our boat permit from 4 months to 12. the Customs guy also said there is a proposal under consideration to extend the cruising permit from 12 months to at least 18 months.
The immigration people were friendly and fast and told us where to go to extend our 30-day entry visas. We hauled out in Vava’u at the boatyard there and it was fast efficient and friendly.
We also got a quote for the bottom job and it was almost half price VS. New Zealand. they have also opened a chandlery there. If they don’t have it on hand they can order it tax-free from NZ and it arrives fast with fed ex ( within 7 days we were told ) or cheap by boat.
But takes three weeks. We replaced flares and brought interior paint and some nuts and bolts. Not a huge shop but it has the necessities and arranges for specifics! All in all, it was an awesome easy experience and that’s not even commenting on how amazing the cruising there is!
Royce Reid.
I had arrived Saturday (the 3rd of Nov.) at 1530 local time and managed to get cleared. I was told by the Customs agent that they stay on a stand-by basis every Saturday till 1600.
I managed to call when we were 30 miles away raising awareness of our arrival, and also contacted Vava’u Radio on VHF Ch 26 twice before arriving.
Posted on behalf of Clare Sudlow:
Vava’u Bluewater Festival
Calling all South Pacific Cruisers! – Don’t miss the 2016 Vava’u Blue Water Festival! A fun-filled week in Vava’u, Tonga from October 1st- 8th.
Enjoy the friendliest of welcomes & a week of local festivities, parades, informative talks & parties centered around a mid-week fun cruisers race day.
For full info visit: http://www.vavau.to/bluewaterfestival