A driver will be waiting at Salote Pilolevu Airport in Ha'apai to escort you to The Resort at Billy's Place. Please ensure that you send us your full flight itinerary so we may arrange transport at the appropriate time. Your guides will visit the resort this afternoon to welcome you and discuss the schedule of events for the next few days.

Today is an opportunity to acclimatize and, for those travellers arriving from far-away places, to recover from jet lag. Your guides present a 45-minute orientation talk commencing 9:30 a.m. at The Resort at Billy's Place. It is important that all participants attend this informative talk. Following the briefing there is an optional guided walking tour of Pangai township and environs. This is your last opportunity to visit the bank and purchase items for the trip.

Transport will depart early this morning (exact time is tide-dependent) from The Resort at Billy's Place to our launching site approximately five kilometres north of Pangai. Here, the guides will give a safety briefing before departing for the first of nine days of kayaking. Today we paddle along the leeward shores of Lifuka and Uoleva Islands skirting pristine reefs and beaches. Tonight and tomorrow night's camp will be on the southern end of Uoleva Island, rated by Outside Magazine as one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world. Here too is a magnificent coral ledge smothered in soft corals - a snorkeller's dream.

Weather permitting, we paddle out across deeper waters, where we are most likely to sight whales, to Luangahu Island, a tiny uninhabited island visited only by local fishermen. Here, we can spend the remainder of the day snorkelling and beach combing for fragments of ancient whale bone from Tonga's far gone whaling days.

Base camping two nights on Luangahu allows us to fully enjoy the remoteness of this perfect South Pacific Island. For the energetic, the guides can arrange an optional afternoon paddle to a nearby island with a lighthouse. The many offshore reefs are wonderful spots for snorkelling while towing the kayaks.

Today's destination is eastward across a wide body of deep water to Felemea Village on Uiha Island for a re-supply of fresh water. While paddling in Ha'apai we may be fortunate enough to sight turtles, dolphins, and humpback whales, the latter of which migrate annually (June through October) to Tonga's warm sheltered waters to breed and calve. The view from our campsite on the southern end of the island gives a preview of the remote southern islands that we will visit tomorrow.

Our paddle plan today is south along the inside of a fringing reef across shallow aqua waters to Uanukuhahaki Island for two days of snorkelling, beach combing, and more paddling.

We have snorkelled for hours on end in the south of the archipelago and witnessed green sea turtles nesting on Uanuku, one of our favourite islands in the Lifuka Group. This remote uninhabited island is definitely not in the guidebooks! An optional paddle in empty kayaks to a nearby island with nothing on it but sand and shells enhances one's sense of the remoteness of this very special area.

Retracing our paddle strokes, we return today to Uiha Island and stroll through the quaint outer island fishing village of Felemea to work up appetites for tonight's authentic Tongan feast. Local fare typically consists of roast suckling pork complemented by fresh root vegetables, octopus, reef fish, vegetarian dishes, and tropical fruits such as papaya in coconut milk, all steamed in an underground oven or 'umu. This gastronomic delight is followed by a traditional Tongan song and dance performance.

This morning we commence our return journey, paddling northward up the archipelago. Following a rest stop on the charming uninhabited island of Tatafa, we cross Ava Vaha'a Fonua channel to the lee shore of Uoleva Island, where we are welcomed at picturesque Diana's Resort. The expansive area of green grass here is a welcome change after days of camping on sandy beaches, making a comfortable base camp for the night. This evening, we join together in a farewell dinner at DianaÕs Resort.

On this final day of paddling, we paddle north along Uoleva and Lifuka Islands back to Holopeka Village where we started our journey nine days ago. From here, we transfer back to The Resort at Billy's Place and fresh water showers!