The aim of our small company is to provide a friendly, professional service to travelers seeking adventure and contact with a Polynesian culture in a pristine, tropical environment. Guiding, instructing and organizing tours is only part of our job. We are also actively committed to protecting Tonga's unique culture and pristine environment and to sharing these special aspects of Tonga in a safe, responsible manner (through the dissemination of our Minimum Impact Guidelines). Reservations are advised, as we keep our group size to a maximum of twelve. We welcome participants of all ages and abilities, families, group bookings, and any pre-trip questions.

Originally from the west coast of Canada, the travel itch led Doug and Sharon Spence to explore the South Pacific by sea kayak when they discovered the Vava'u Islands in 1988. Captivated by the natural beauty of this island paradise and the friendliness of its natives, they now spend eight months a year organizing and guiding adventure tours in the Kingdom of Tonga. World citizens, they divide the remainder of the year between exploring new destinations and their other home, New Zealand's South Island.

Natives of Vava'u, Tonga, 'Epeli and Valeti Lavaki have been shareholders in Friendly Islands Kayak Company since its inception in 1991. 'Epeli's (alias the Tongan Cowboy) charisma, sense of humour, and intimate knowledge of his homeland's culture and natural environment never fail to win the hearts of his guests. 'Epeli knows just about every reef in the island group, is well travelled, and verbally fluent in the English language.

An indigenous guide and a western guide jointly lead all of our trips. The native guide lends invaluable local knowledge and cultural flavour to the experience, while the western guide offers outdoor safety and risk management skills, thereby ensuring our guests' safety, comfort and enjoyment. Positive guest feedback is confirmation that this balance of leadership is a key ingredient in the success of our trips.

Friendly Faces of Friendly Islands Kayak Company
Doug & Sharon Spence and 'Epeli Lavaki (left to right)

Each year we welcome kayakers to Tonga from far-flung corners of the world including Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and England. Friendly Islands Kayak Company is the only licensed sea kayak operator based in the Kingdom of Tonga. Should you decide to visit Tonga it is unlikely that you will encounter other paddlers in the islands.

The relatively high cost of air travel to smaller island nations quite often means that you are travelling to a remote area with few tourists, a relatively pristine natural environment and untouched culture. One often has to pay more for a quality experience.

Beach camping in the Ha'apai Islands

The concept of kayaking is still new to many people who may have visions of paddling in small unstable kayaks typically used on river trips. In contrast, we use very stable top quality two person kayaks (and single kayaks for experienced paddlers) especially designed for the ocean environment. No previous kayaking experience is required; all persons adapt very quickly to the paddling skills taught by our professional guides. Our primary concern on tour is for our guests' safety, comfort and enjoyment. After many seasons of operation in Tonga, we continue to advocate safety in every regard.

Clubs, special interest groups, companies, organizations and families are showing increasing interest in Tonga as a kayak holiday destination.

We organize exclusive family or group trips depending on the availability of guides. Children of all ages are accepted provided they feel comfortable on the water. Vava'u, with its sheltered waterways and favorable climate, is the ideal place for young people to develop their paddling skills. Our family trips (one or more families) are exclusive departures (i.e. we do not normally mix adults with children). In this way, the paddle plan may be structured according to the children's unique needs and abilities. In consultation with the parents, our guides can modify such factors as paddling distances, degree of challenge, and number of camping nights on a given island. We have found day paddles from base camps (i.e. two or more nights on one island) to be particularly convenient for families. We offer a 15% discount to one family and a 20% discount to two or more families, providing the trip is booked directly as opposed to through an agent or wholesaler.

"Whales! How can you beat paddling alongside a mother and her calf; watching the calf swim underwater beside your kayak; watching them breach; seeing their awesome size; a highlight to a wonderful day of paddling and snorkelling in Tonga. If this was a day trip what would eight days be like?"
David Lomas, New Zealand

"Three whale sightings, close up with spinner dolphins, a spontaneous kava ceremony, kayak surfing, beautiful uninhabited islands in Ha'apai, fantastic guides. Hey, what more could we ask for?"
Steve Gordon, New Zealand

Accessing remote reefs by kayak