Pua-ko-Fanongo-Talanoa / Flying Foxes — Attraction in Tongatapu

The insular flying fox, also known as the Pacific flying fox or Peka, is a bat species found across the South Pacific Islands including Tonga. Flying foxes in Tonga are the official property of the King, so no one but royalty can legally hunt or harm them in any way. In Kolovai there is a population of around 100 (this is a loose estimate) at the back of a cemetery on the corner of Ma'ungatapu Rd. There the bats hang in two large ironwood trees. They were easily visible at 4pm on a sunny July afternoon, flying between the two trees and swooping overhead like Dracula. We really enjoyed watching them. Be prepared for a...

The Flying Fox sanctuary is not a sanctuary in the traditional sense, as there is no official park that they reside in. Instead, they simply reside in trees in the west of Tongatapu Island. This group of flying foxes were residing in some ironwood trees at the back of a cemetery. Their sounds are very loud, and they look dramatic when they glide from tree to tree. Recommended for...

A sizable population of flying fox or Peka, were found in Ha'avakatolo, Tongatapu Island, where they reside in ironwood trees near a cemetery. This is a bat species native to the South Pacific Islands. The bats were easily visible nestling in the trees in the late afternoon. They made clearly audible sounds, not unlike flocks of birds returning to their nests at...