I Finally Went to Tonga to Swim With Whales… After 41 Years of Dreaming About It

After 41 years of dreaming about it, I finally made it to Tonga to swim with humpback whales! 🐋🇹🇴 This is the story of my long-awaited trip to Tonga, including the journey from Australia, a tiny 7-minute flight to ʻEua, island life, Tongan food, plenty of animals, some serious travel chaos… and, of course, swimming with whales. The whales didn't always cooperate, but day three turned into one of the most incredible days of my life. Getting into the water with these enormous animals and seeing them up close was something I will never forget. The trip wasn't completely smooth sailing, though. There were cancelled ferries, broken boats, questionable amounts of peanut butter, a surprisingly difficult search for beans, and a moment when we weren't even sure how we were going to get off the island! 😅 I also share my thoughts on the ethics of swimming with whales in Tonga and the rules in place to minimise disturbance to the animals. And just when you think the adventure is over… I'm not actually on the plane home. 👀 That's a story for next time! Have you ever travelled somewhere specifically to swim with whales? If so, where was it, and what was the experience like? 🐋 Thanks so much for watching! ❤️ 00:00 Finally going to Tonga after 41 years of dreaming 00:47 The long journey to Tonga 01:18 Arriving in Tonga 02:00 The world's shortest commercial flight? 02:30 Flying to ʻEua 02:45 Straight to the port! 04:21 Island life and sunset walks 05:16 Getting ready to swim with whales 05:52 The whales don't want to play 06:16 Day 3: The best day 07:24 Whales! 09:50 Best day ever 10:35 Tongan food and an underground umu 11:24 A Tongan kava ceremony 11:35 Wind, waves and more whale swims 12:19 Peanut butter noodles 😭 12:34 Sunday on ʻEua 13:20 The vegan food problem 14:10 The best whale-swimming day 14:49 Is swimming with whales ethical? 15:45 Sunday church 16:24 How does all this fit in here?! 17:14 Last sightseeing before departure 18:40 We don't know how we're getting off the island 19:19 The boat is fixed! 19:29 Finally… beans! 20:09 My last day in Tonga 20:29 Our driver kidnaps us 😂 20:53 I'm NOT on that plane… 21:06 Have you ever swum with whales? ☕ Support my channel Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/jana.vanana 🛠 VanLife Gear (affiliate link) Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com.au/shop/janava... 📷 Follow my journey Instagram: @jana_vanana #Tonga #SwimmingWithWhales #WhaleSwimming #HumpbackWhales #TongaTravel #TravelVlog #Eua #WhaleWatching #SoloTravel #TongaAdventure