Ancient Tonga — Attraction in Tongatapu

A bit tricky to find if you organise it yourself - the taxi driver needed guidance from the GPS and even then dropped me off at the wrong entrance, however once there I had an amazing experience. I was the only solo traveller that had shown up for that afternoon but was joined by a large group of German tourists after a while. The German tourists required a translator and the explaining back and forth was a slow process, so two of the girls opted to pull me aside and give me my own guided experience instead. They were absolutely lovely, and SO funny. Omg I've never met nicer people. They were around about my age and we talked about more than just ancient Tongan traditions - though of course I still partook in all the activities and made my own Lu, coconut cream, kava, tiny bit of tapa cloth, etc. It started to rain heavily towards the end of the two hours and I was stranded for another hour with no way to get back to my accommodation as the taxis weren't arriving. However the girls made me feel right at home until the rain cleared. The girls were super informative and knowledgeable in all the traditions and medicinal uses for the local flora, I honestly learned so much and would...

If you're looking for something authentic and culturally engaging, go to Ancient Tonga. Jessica and her mother run a very professional and successful business show-casing Tongan culture of 'old' - how to make tapa cloth, how to make food for the umu, showing us the many varieties of plants for both medicinal purposes and personal cleansers, how kava is made and used plus helping us understand Tongan attire of the ta'ovalas and falas. You get all this and a lovely lunch which you help prepare before the tour. Steep in culture, rich in knowledge. First time there and looking forward to bringing my students back for next year's tour. They even customise tours if there is something specific you want to experience. Thank-you to Ancient Tonga for a great tour. See you next year. Malo 'aupito! Makerita & Alison (Marist...

One of the best culture tours I've been on. It is really enjoyable to have a tour that covers so many different aspects of the Tongan Culture. From their food, plants, medicine, their beautiful Tapa making and weaving skills. We also learnt about their different dress codes and tasted Kava, smelt different fragrant leaves and touched the Tapa bark before and after it is pounded. I was amazed at what I learnt. Because the guide spoke English so well we asked all those questions you want to but are to shy to. Like why do they decorate their graves with quilts and what's the customs of weddings. If you are looking for a quality tour make sure you go to Ancient Tonga and don't get it mixed up with any other tour provider because you will get...