Whale World at Tonga Island

During mid of every year, some 500 humpback whales arrive in the shallow waters off Tonga's Ha'apai Islands to mate and calf, transforming the archipelago into an oversize nursery until September. The Ha'apai are one of the only places in the world where you can snorkel with the 50-foot-long mammals. Some local travel agencies organize the exciting trip and let you get very close to the whales farm.

Just don't expect a Sea World encounter. It is done with the absolute strictest guidelines about behavior around the whales. There is no contact. When not ogling underwater family dynamics and reefs of hard and soft corals, you will be kayaking between islands, which professional writer Paul Theroux once called "The Perfect area of paddling a kayak - possibly the best in the Pacific ..".

For the second half of the trip, clients board a catamaran bound for even more remote reefs and islets. Lodging range from a village homestay to a bunk on the rowboat to over-water chalets; Tongan buffets root vegetables, fresh octopus, and suckling pig are nightly affairs to be served.