Eua

Tonga

'Eua

This is Tongatapu's sister island, eight minutes away by plane and three to four hours by boat. It's 87 sq km with a population of some 4,393 people descended from evacuees from Ata in the 19th century when that island was plundered for labour by Peruvian vessels. There are also decendants from Niuafo'ou which was evacuated following a volcanic eruption.

No roads run around Eua, for it is quite rugged with tracks through the forest to the eastern coast which is lined by cliffs ranging from 33 to 133 metres in height dropping to caves and chasms gouged by strong wave action.

The west coast is more accessible with cliffs only seven to ten metres high, broken in several places by beaches, one of which, near the village of Ohonua, is two kilometres long protected by a fringing reef up to 65m in width.

Tufuvai Beach has a lovely white sand beach and its reef makes a great swimming pool at high tide. The ruins of 'Anokula Palace on the top of 120m (393ft) cliffs give you a view of the whole island. Birds and flying foxes hitch a ride on thermal currents around the cliffs.

Central 'Eua harbours myriad caves and sinkholes, and bush tracks crisscross the area. 'Eua's best beach is on the south coast at Ha'aluma, and it has the best beach camping on the island. Many people fly to 'Eua from Tongatapu and take the ferry back to Nuku'alofa, as the ferry trip to 'Eua can be very rough.

'Eua National Park is Tonga's premier location to experience nature. Large scale tourism does not exist on 'Eua - it's a quiet, peaceful, mostly undeveloped location. It's easy to get there as a ferry leaves most days from Nuku'alofa and takes about two hours - or enjoy one of the shortest passenger flights in the world and take 8 minutes for the trip.

There is only one guest house on Eua, so visitors are advised to book accommodation ahead of time.

Visit Eua

Take three days - to walk one of the best full-day treks in the Pacific through Tonga's largest tract of native forest. Local guides will lead you to lookouts high over the forest, where tropic birds and frigate birds soar past you.

As you walk through the National Park down an escarpment to the Lokupo beach listen to the noisy call of the 'koki' - the red breasted musk parrot - found only on 'Eua. The park is a bird watchers paradise.

Have a picnic on the deserted beach looking out over the sparkling ocean. Or take a less demanding hike and learn the Southern Legends as you walk through rock gardens watched by wild horses.

Local guides will recount the history of the island. Experience daily life on 'Eua, meet some of the local people and watch 'tapa' cloth being made -the guides can introduce you to their community.

Accommodation on 'Eua comprises a few simple guest houses - all graciously hosted as they are small family-run businesses

Between June and November humpback whales swim past 'Eua en route to their breeding grounds in Vava'u and you can even watch these magnificent creatures from the beach.

Divers can also explore the underwater marine caves on the northern shoreline - the 'Cathedral cave' lives up to its name, carved into a natural sepulchre and filled with fish and coral with the bright colours of a stained glass window.

Don't miss: A trek through 'Eua National Park to Lokupo Beach or the Rock Gardens; The 'Eua Village Tour; Diving the deep marine caves