Why choose Tonga for our honeymoon destination? We love to travel ‘off the beaten path’, meaning to destinations that have not yet been changed by the mass tourism industry. That way you get the most authentic experience from the local culture and the nature remains mostly unspoiled. The Kingdom of Tonga definitely fits this description, it’s not been ruined by mass-tourism and there’s lots of colorful culture, friendly smiling people and uninhabited islands left to explore. It makes for a perfect honeymoon destination for those who value complete privacy, seclusion and are not bothered by a more “rugged romance”, as Tonga has no big five star hotels, just simple beach chalets on some of the world’s most spectacular beaches!
Another reason for choosing Tonga was to see the humpback whales that come to this area around a certain time of year to give birth to their calves. Mother humpback whales can be seen nursing their young and frolicking in the shallow waters. Currently Tonga is the only place on earth where it’s allowed to swim and snorkel with whales, if you’re lucky to get that close. Humpback whales can often be seen breaching out from the ocean resulting in HUGE splashes and amazed spectators. The male whales sing beautiful songs which we heard when snorkeling. It was truly magical.
The island we stayed on called Mounu Island was very private, secluded and romantic. It took us well over two days to reach our honeymoon chalet from our home in Riyadh! We had a traditional Tongan chalet with our own private beach. At times we were the only people staying on the island, which is entirely owned by the resort. We fell asleep to the sound of the waves and woke up listening to birds singing on our porch. Our days went by with snorkeling, kayaking, reading books and walking on the beach looking for seashells. One morning a mother and calf humpback whale were breaching right next to our beach.
Here are some pictures from these beautiful Pacific Islands..
Male singer whale..
Whale mom breeching! I was lucky to catch it on camera. After a while the baby and the mother came up at the same time.

View from our Tongan chalet.

Like a post card!

Mom and baby on the go.

Snorkeling on our private beach.

Private beach and honeymoon chalet, paradise :)

Notice the little newborn calf next to the mother? So cute!
We went on a few boat trips to search for the whales for a chance to swim and dive with them. It was incredible how many whales we saw in just a few hours, whales were literally everywhere!! They didn’t seem to mind the boats or humans at all and thankfully all the tour operators were respectful of the animals. I got a chance to snorkel right next to one mother and calf. You don’t realize how big they are until you feel like a tiny ant next to them. Even the fins seem like airplane wings underwater. When the mother whale moved her fin I felt a big gush of water like a whirlpool. These animals are humongous, yet so beautiful and graceful in their movements underwater, it’s like watching a ballet. Truly breathtaking.


OMG! Amazing pics! I really want to go there! I´m sure you had a truly fantastic holiday :-)
Welcome back! The pics are gorgeous.
Thanks!
The place was truly amazing!
now im starting to miss home [australia].. awesome photos!
That looks beautiful masha’allah!
mashallah, so beautiful !
how i wish to be there some day ^^
hope you visit more and more amazing places in the world (:
Oh wow ! You went to my little Island for your honeymoon that’s amazing ! Recently moved here to Riyadh, KSA 3 months ago and started reading your blogs. I too am a RN. Love them. Recently read your Jeddah review and my friends and I are planning to visit at the end of the month a. Love these updates! Learning heaps from them .