Every 7-night trip includes:

• 7 nights' ocean-front accommodation in Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu

• Airport meet-and-greet, plus all airport and boat transfers

• A welcome dinner with your group

• 5 full days swimming with humpback whales (weather permitting)

• Breakfast daily, plus morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea on the water

• A 24/7 personal concierge

• A bone-carving workshop with a local master carver

• Wetsuit, snorkelling gear and windproof jacket

• Whale photography coaching

International flights to Tongatapu, travel insurance, dinners other than the welcome dinner, and personal spending. We suggest bringing about 400–500 Tongan pa'anga (TOP) per person for meals out and extras.

In Nuku'alofa, on Tongatapu, Tonga's main island. Guests stay at an ocean-front hotel within walking distance of the town centre.

Vava'u is Tonga's best-known whale swim destination and has more licensed boats. Under Tonga's whale swimming regulations, only one boat may put swimmers in the water with a pod at a time, and other boats must wait at least 100 metres away. Fewer boats on Tongatapu means less waiting for your turn. You also fly straight into Tongatapu, with no domestic connecting flight.

Fly into Fua'amotu International Airport (TBU) on Tongatapu. There are direct flights from Sydney, Auckland and Nadi. We meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel - a seamless holiday!

Humpback whales are in Tongan waters from about July to October. Our 2027 trips run Tuesday to Tuesday, departing weekly from 27 July to 5 October. Current dates and availability are on our Tours page.

No more than 8 guests per boat. Tonga's regulations allow up to 4 swimmers plus a trained local guide in the water with a pod at once, so guests swim in small groups and take turns; it allows one group to have a break as it could sometimes go for hours!

We work with a licensed Tongan charter operator, and every trip runs under Tonga's whale swimming regulations. In practice that means:

• The operator is licensed, and each vessel holds seaworthiness certification from the Marine Division of Tonga's transport ministry surveyed before each season

• Boats carrying six or more passengers have at least two crew, including the skipper; our skipper has Master Class 1

• Every boat carries a first aid kit and a crew member trained in first aid

• No more than 4 swimmers are in the water with a pod at a time, with a guide alongside them

• Boats around Tongatapu keep in radio contact, so nearby operators can respond quickly if a boat needs help

No diving certification is needed. Scuba isn't allowed with whales in Tonga, so you swim with a mask, snorkel and fins. You should be comfortable swimming in open ocean in a wetsuit.

Sunday is a legal day of rest in Tonga, so there is no whale swimming. Our team can offer options to help you optimise your stay in Tonga

Your trip leader is your personal concierge for the whole stay and can be reached at any time. Such as restaurant bookings, or assistance in private arrangements

At the end of the week, you carve your own whale tail from cow bone, taught by a local master carver. You take it home as a keepsake.