Swallows Cave

A sea cave on the western coast of Vava'u accessible by boat, kayak, or swimming from a moored vessel. The entrance is a low arch at the waterline that opens into a large cavern rising 30 metres, lit from above by a natural skylight that floods the interior with shafts of filtered sunlight. The cave is large enough for a small boat to enter in calm conditions.

The cave is named for the Pacific swiftlets (a type of swift) that nest in their hundreds on the cave walls; the noise of their calls reverberates off the limestone. Snorkelling is excellent inside and around the cave entrance — the water is gin-clear. Most whale-watching and day-trip boats include Swallows Cave in their itinerary. It can also be reached by kayak from the main island in a day's paddle, though conditions need to be calm.

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A story
Swallows Cave is accessible only by water — you enter by swimming or paddling through a low arch at sea level into a cathedral-sized cavern that opens upward 30 metres to a hidden skylight. The cave takes its name from the tiny Polynesian swiftlets that nest on the walls and whose nests are considered a delicacy in parts of Asia. The late-morning light through the skylight turns the water inside an unearthly turquoise.