Desert Island Hermit Experience on Tonga

Public definition states that a ‘Hermit is a person who lives in seclusion from society, usually for religious reasons’. Well, this is us! But minus the religious bit. Only maybe if you consider that introducing travellers to a form of purity, bareness, detachment from materialism, and societal pressures is a religion!

And this desert island hermit experience is offering that: more comfort than our survival experience and less luxury than the glamping experience, we give you an island with a basic hut (a roof over your head and a floor for clean feet). To assist you through your desert island hermit experience, you will be supplied with some food staples, an oil light, some fishing gear, and a few tools to make fire as well as work in the bush. We add to that a heavy pinch of silence, a fair bit of wild life, and the best TV program ever: sunrise and sunset over the ocean and star tracking. We also provide a radio to call us, if you feel lonely or scared.

Tonga is not just a country in the South Pacific; it is one of the last Kingdoms in the world. Made of 174 islands, of which only 36 are inhabited by 100,000 people, it stays true to its traditions and is proud of having never been colonised. As the Tongans say, it's the last True Pacific islands, and this private island experience will surely make you fall in love.

Min age —

Adults only

Physical condition —

Must be in good health both physical and mental. We can ask you to undertake a medical or psychological test.

This hermit experience requires you to —

Withstand heat, fresh nights. You need to be mentally strong and determined to undertake this lonely experience. You have to be able to cope with challenging weather conditions. Eating and sleeping will not be your main problem but you have to be ready to be cope with little or primitive conditions. Accepting that hygiene is limited in important. Being a hermit is to accept to lose yourself into other worlds.

Day 1 Nuku’alofa

From Fua’motu International Airport. we head into town and settle in our hotel. Then we head off for a meal together, a briefing and a medical check. When the evening comes, we train you on how to use the safety equipment and the radio followed by a session of Questions and Answers with your Guide. One last drink, one last good night on a mattress.

Day 2 Desert island

After breakfast, it’s time to bid farewell on phone and social media to your loved ones. We collect your valuables, including your mobile phone, check your personal equipment (limited to a minimum). And we head to our boat. On the way to the island we do a couple of discovery stops for leisure and acclimatisation. At our island, we will introduce you to all secrets and give you a good run down, check with you the safety equipment again, and remind you the dos and donts of the your hermit island. We part from each other.

Day 3-12 Hermit Experience Desert island

You do your best to enjoy this paradise setting, not eat the food in two days and make sure you don't burn in the hot sun. Lose your flip-flops and start using your fishing gear! The hammock is stretched in the best possible location.

Day 13 Nuku’alofa

We come to pick you up during the day. Back to the hotel for a good shower. If necessary a medical check, otherwise we go straight for a culture dinner. And a good celebration of your achievement.

Day 14

Breakfast, and fly out.

Weather / Local conditions

The Tongan climate is very nice. It comprises mostly of 2 seasons: a Rainy Season from December to April, during which it is quite muggy and temperatures rise above 32°C (89.6°F). And a much cooler period called Dry Season from May to November where temperatures rarely go above 27°C (80.6°F). The sunshine is moderate but can be very intense and the average humidity can is around 75%. We travel to Tonga outside of the Cyclone season (Mostly January to March). But heavy rains and cloudy days are common early and late in the year. During the dry season, nights can be fresh and the ocean cool.

Terrain

Made of 174 islands in 4 archipelagos Tonga is not a very mountainous country. Central and Southern islands are ‘flatter’ than the northern archipelagos. To the exception of a couple of straight of the water volcanoes that make the rule. We will be using the most southern or the middle archipelago (purely for safety reasons). On our islands there is enough vegetation, sea life (fish, crustaceans, etc.) and land life (pigs, rodents, reptiles, birds) to survive on. Our highest island is 25m above sea level. Daily tides change significantly the shape of the island. This is also the case during seasons where sand banks, waves or current form in new places.

Food

While in Nuku’alofa: meals at the hotel restaurants and neighbouring restaurants. Made of traditional local food or international dishes (good variety of chinese, korean, japanese, italian, indian, european cuisine). We try introduce you as much as possible to the traditional tongan cuisine, mostly made of raw or cooked sea food, root crops and fresh fruits and coconut milk.

While on Hermit Island, you will be provided with staples (rice, pasta, flour, beans), fruits and veggies - until they go off. This could be supplemented by your own skills to forage in the bush for coconut, cucumbers, etc or fish the crystal waters. There is sufficient food supplied to last your entire experience, but you still have to manage it. This includes fresh water to drink or wash.

Transport

What to expect

Expect :

to have a lot of calm: This is very much for those wishing to escape stress, relax and go back to basics;
to not have much to do;
to start thinking like people in the middle age, when life was run by sunrise and sunset;
to organise your life around simple receptive daily tasks: food preparation, water collection, observation, building things;
to be scared at night;
to have anything you do very weather dependent;
to have access to safety 24/7;
to be provided with basic accommodation structure (roof and floor) and some tools (mosquitoe net, utensils, bush knife, etc).

Safety and security

Safety and security is paramount to our business.

We prepare for risks by minimising our exposure to them and by being very knowledgeable about our area but also by using trusted and competent local teams.

The Kingdom of Tonga is a very calm place. There are hardly any political risks. Some human risks like in any other place around the world. The only real dangers come from the sea (sharks, sea snake, stone fish, etc.), the weather (unforeseen storm), the 'unpredictable' (earthquake, tsunami, etc.) but also human attitudes (pub brawl, etc.). You will be briefed on all the above upon arrival and how we manage them.

But honestly the biggest security challenges are the ones inherent to trying to do what you will do. Challenges are not only in surviving daily, but more importantly, in managing the remoteness and loneliness.

Tonga Hermit

7 of 10

Nuku'alofa

14 Days

2 pax

Hermit Island Experience

Tonga Hermit Island Experience Involves

10%

10%

10%

80%

Highlights of this Hermit Island Experience

Who can go on This Hermit Island?

Schedule of the Tonga Hermit Island Experience

Some Pictures From the Hermit Island

Accommodation and Location

While in town in Nuku'alofa

While on Hermit Island

Tonga Archipelago

Good to Know About This Hermit Experience

Remark

Departure Dates & Booking of the Tonga Hermit

2023 Dates

2024 Dates

What's Included In This Hermit Adventure?

Inclusions

Exclusions

More Info About Tonga Islans Hermit?

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