Foa Island, Ha’apai, Tonga: Beach Paradise in the South Pacific

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It’s early days in my exploration of the South Pacific, but I reckon I’ve already stumbled upon one of the best beaches in the region. The northern tip of Foa Island, in the Ha’apai island group in the Kingdom of Tonga, is the perfect spot to relax for a few days, do some water activities and eat great food. Are you planning a trip to Foa Island? This post should be useful!

Getting to Foa Island

You can reach Lifuka, the main island in Ha’apai, on a 40 minute flight or 12 hour ferry from Tongatapu (the main island in Tonga). We opted to fly — not a cheap option but the views were stunning!

Once you land you’ll be whisked off to your accommodation (organise this in advance). There are around 10 places to stay in Ha’apai spread over three islands. Foa island is connected to Lifuka Island by a bridge so it’s a simple car transfer.

READ MORE: Check out my post about the flight from Tongatapu to Ha’apai

The Beach

The northern end of Foa Island is where you’ll find the main stretch of beach. It curves around the edge of the island, with one side being windy and the other relatively sheltered. The best section of beach is between the two resorts which are a five minute walk apart.

Before we booked I’d read that Foa Island was home to one of the best swimming beaches in the South Pacific (although it was on the resort’s website). I’d say it’s pretty accurate! This beach has huge sections with a perfect sandy bottom, so you won’t need to worry about stepping on sharp rocks or coral. The water is clear and a beautiful blue colour and is the perfect depth for swimming.

The sand outside of the water is pretty good too. You’ll have it mostly to yourself too as there won’t be many other tourists around. It looks different with the changing tides — we loved it at low tide when small sandbars emerged.

READ MORE: Check out my post about Muri Beach, Rarotonga, my favourite South Pacific beach so far!

Where to Stay

There are two resorts on Foa Island, both at the northern tip of the island. They are a short walk apart and are owned by the same people. We stayed at Matafonua Lodge, the cheaper of the two. The wooden beach huts were basic but you don’t need anything flash in places like this.

The beach is just in front of the restaurant — we spent heaps of time hanging out there relaxing on the comfortable chairs.

Sandy Beach Resort is a short walk away along the beach. It’s a bit more upmarket and its rooms have aircon and private bathrooms — Matafonua’s rooms have neither.

Eating and Drinking

Both resorts have restaurants and they’re great value considering the lack of other options nearby. We ate delicious communal dinners of grilled fish and the lunch and snack options are good too (the pizza is popular).

It’s a social atmosphere, with guests gathering together for dinner and breakfast. The restaurant is a great spot for a drink too — try some local Tongan beer! We also ate at Sandy Beach Resort which had similar food. We preferred the atmosphere and outlook at Matafonua though.

Things to Do on Foa Island

Whale tours are big business in Tonga and Foa Island is no different. You’ll likely see whales and even get to swim with them. We visited Foa Island right at the end of whale season and decided to skip the tours as we’d heard it was becoming a bit hit or miss in terms of whale sightings (probably not a great idea with a two year old child in tow either).

You can snorkel near Matafonua Lodge — lots of life in there apparently! There’s also a sailing boat you can use as well as kayaks. There isn’t too much else to do on Foa Island, maybe try and visit nearby Uoleva Island on a day trip (that island looks just as beautiful as Foa Island and we considered staying there too).

Are you planning a trip to Tonga? Have I convinced you to add Foa Island to your plans? Let me know in the comments below!

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Jon Algie

A travel blogger from New Zealand who hates talking about himself in the third person and has no imagination when it comes to naming websites.

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