Located 240 km north of Tongatapu (the site of Nuku'alofa, capital of Tonga), the 50-odd islands of the Vava'u group are just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, and just west of the International Dateline (see map). The hilly terrain is lush with tropical vegetation, providing both shade and food. Vava'u's waters teem with life. For millenia reefs have been built on ancient volcanoes by a riotous assembly of spectacular corals, which shelter and provide a colourful backdrop for the multitudes of iridescent fish. Sea turtles, dolphins and humpback whales frequent this warm sea. Soaring in the sky above are exotic tropical birds as well as the Polynesian fruit bats known as Flying Fox.

Inhabited since at least 500 BC, these coral islands offer a rich cultural history. Tonga is unique in the South Pacific, the only Polynesian country never to have been under colonial rule. There are no flashy destination resorts or fast food franchises. Tonga is a progressive nation with a proud and dignified people.