'Eua Island

'Eua is the second largest island of the Tongatapu group. It is a rugged and mountainous place that includes Tonga's largest areas of natural bush land and rainforest. 'Eua is excellent for hiking, climbing and abseiling. Tufuvai Beach is a nice beach with white sand and a reef that provides great swimming and snorkeling at high tide. 'Eua's best beach is at Ha'aluma, on the island's southern coast. There you can also camp on the beach.

The remains of 'Anokula Palace sit atop 120 m (393 feet) high cliffs and offer marvelous views of the entire island. Birds and flying foxes use the thermal currents around the cliffs to stay at altitude without too much effort. At the center of the island are several myriad caves and sinkholes. 'Eua is crisscrossed by a network of bush tracks and unmarked hiking trails.

You can get to 'Eua Island by air or ferry from Nuku'alofa. The ferry trip to 'Eua can be very rough though.