Visiting Vava'u by yacht

When to come, the whale season rules and the anchorages on a seven-day Vava'u charter.

Picture made with AI. It shows the place but is not a photograph.

Seasons

When to come

Season	Months	Daily high	Monthly rain
Peak	June to October	24.3 to 25.2 °C	61 to 109 mm
Shoulder	May, November	25.9 to 26.0 °C	111 to 119 mm
Off season	December to April	26.7 to 27.5 °C	171 to 244 mm

Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis through Open-Meteo, 1991 to 2020, grid point 11 km south of Neiafu. Season bands are our own estimate.

Whales

Whale season rules

Tonga Tourism says the whales arrive from July to October and asks visitors to book only licensed whale operators. vavau.to publishes these rules for vessels in the Vava'u group.

All vesselsStay outside 300 m of a sighted whale. If you are inside 300 m, slow to 4 knots until you are 300 m away

Caution zone100 to 300 m from a whale. Only licensed operators may enter

OperatorsNo more than two licensed vessels in the caution zone at one time. They monitor VHF channel 74

SwimmersNo more than four clients plus one guide may swim with a group of whales

vavau.to, whale watching rules and exclusion zone diagram. Tonga Tourism, whale watching page.

At anchor

Anchorages on a seven-day charter

TWW Yachts sets out a seven-day Vava'u charter itinerary. These are its anchorages and stops.

Swallows Cave, Kapa Island

A sea cavern that guests enter by tender or swim into.

Mariner's Cave

A cavern entered through an underwater tunnel, with an anchorage off a deserted islet.

Kenutu Island

The eastern edge of the archipelago, with a sheltered bay.

Hunga Lagoon

An almost enclosed lagoon with a narrow gap in the reef.

Nuku Island

A small island of white sand and palms with shallows around it.

TWW Yachts, Tonga: Vava'u yacht charter itinerary, 7 days.

Climate

Noonsite describes a hot, humid, rainy season from December to April and a cool, dry season from June to October. It says Neiafu harbour is very well protected and has fewer cyclones than Fiji.

Getting here

Tonga Customs lists Lupepau'u Vava'u International Airport (VAV) as a port of entry for Vava'u. The Logistics Cluster says Neiafu is the administrative centre of the Vava'u group.

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