'Eua National Park

'Eua National Park covers the heart of the island and protects one of Tonga's last remnants of native lowland rainforest. The park is criss-crossed by a network of trails that range from short walks to the clifftop lookouts on the east coast to full-day routes through the interior. The east-coast cliffs — where the limestone has been eroded into dramatic terraces and sea stacks — are the park's most spectacular feature, with views stretching to the horizon over the South Pacific.

The forest itself is worth lingering in. 'Eua has several bird species found nowhere else in Tonga, including the blue-crowned lorikeet and Polynesian whistler. The trails are generally well-marked but can be slippery after rain, and the vegetation is thick enough that it's easy to lose the path. A local guide (bookable through the island's guesthouses) is worthwhile for the longer routes. The park has no entry fee and no facilities.

things to do sight park
A story
'Eua's forest is one of only two places in the world where the Tongan megapode (a ground-dwelling mound-building bird) still survives in the wild. The birds build enormous mounds of volcanic soil and forest debris — sometimes metres high — in which they lay their eggs and use the heat of decomposition to incubate them. They are shy and not often seen, but the mounds are unmissable on the forest trails.