Young Pioneer Tours
Least Visited Countries Part 3
***Due to the fickle nature of flights and airlines in the least visited part of the world, the final dates and itinerary for this tour are not fully confirmed. When we have the final flights schedules we will adjust accordingly. Do not book flights to and from this tour until we confirm***
This year we couldn’t stop at 9 out of 11 countries in the Pacific, so this specially designed add on takes you from Fiji to visit Samoa, albeit briefly, and Tonga, so we can tick off all 11 countries in one go.
From Suva, in Fiji, we’ll be flying to Apia, capital city of Samoa, where we have just enough time for a walking tour and a taste of the local cuisine, a night out and a Samoan bed.
The next morning we’ll be off early on our charter flight which first crosses the international date line to one day ahead on a stop in American Samoa, before immediately flying back to the day before and arriving into the Kingdom of Tonga, the last stop on this mammoth adventure.
We’ll pack a lot in in Tonga, from the wooden Royal Palace to the tombs of Tongan kings from yesteryear, to shipwrecks on the island of Pangaimotu to a night of Tongan food and dancing on the beach in a huge limestone cave.
**This tour is capped at 6 people because that is the maximum for our charter flight to Tonga, so book up early to avoid disappointment
Thursday 12th January – Suva/Apia
- Whether you were already part of our Part 2 group or are meeting us in Fiji, we head out after breakfast to catch the 10am flight to Apia, capital city of Samoa, arriving at 16.10
- Samoa only became independent from New Zealand in 1962 and then changed its name from Western Samoa to simply Samoa in 1997
- Tonight we make the most of our only evening in Samoa, heading straight out for a quick walking tour of the sights of Apia, including catching one of Apia’s amazingly unique public buses, walking along the sea wall and seeing the Immaculate Conception of Mary Cathedral
- It’s thirsty work visiting a cathedral, so we head to the Vailima Brewery for a tour of Samoa’s main brewery, samples will be had
- Back into town for dinner and to check out the nightlife of Apia
- Overnight in Apia
Friday 13th January – Nuku’alofa
- After breakfast we’ll be saying goodbye to Samoa as we head to the airport for our very own charter flight from Apia via Pago Pago in American Samoa to Nuku’alofa, capital city of our last stop, the Kingdom of Tonga!
- For those interested in this kind of thing, we’ll be crossing the international dateline and back, so we arrive into American Samoa on the 15th of January before flying back to the 16th in Tonga!
- After checking into our hotel and having a quick lunch we will be heading out on a city tour taking in the Royal Palace, it may be made of wood and somewhat crumbling but it’s still the official residence of the King!
- Visit the town of Mu’a, the previous capital of Tonga, here we can see the numerous tombs of Tongan kings
- Dinner of local fare before a few drinks
- Overnight in Nuku’alofa
Saturday 14th January – Nuku’alofa
- In the morning we first head to the Tongan National Culture Centre, here we can see exhibitions on the kingdom’s history as well as locals engaging in traditional artforms like tapa making
- Next we take a boat out to Pangaimotu Island, there will be snorkelling opportunities and the most impressive sight is a shipwreck that the local kids have turned into a makeshift diving platform
- We’ll walk around the island and grab lunch there before taking a mid-afternoon boat back to the main island
- Head back to the hotel to freshen up and then we go out for our final night of this unique trip, for a Tongan dinner and traditional Tongan performance set inside a cave!
- After dinner we hit the town for a Friday night in Nuku’alofa, what better night for a pub crawl
- Overnight in Nuku’alofa
Sunday 15th January
- End of tour with YPT able to assist with onward travel (there is an early morning or late afternoon flight to Nadi, Fiji and an evening flight to Auckland) or extra activities in Tonga if you want to extend your trip
Tour Extensions
Want to extend your YPT adventure? Join one of our great tour extensions
