Anahulu Cave - The Underground Swimming Pool
Anahulu Cave - The Underground Swimming Pool
Anahulu Cave - The Underground Swimming Pool
4.5
About
These are limestone caves with fresh water to swim in. Situated in the village of Haveluliku on the Eastern Side of Tonga and only about a 30 minute drive from Nuku'alofa it's a must see.A tour of the cave ( including a swim) plus drop off and pick up can be organized by email or contact Teta Office in Nuku'alofa, TongaAnahulu Beach is just infront of the entrance of the cave and is great for snorkeling and swimming.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.5
273 reviews
Excellent
143
Very good
92
Average
25
Poor
4
Terrible
9
Gill
29 contributions
Feb 2020 ⢠Friends
We came here by private car close to sunset & didnât want to go into the caves. The caves were closed but the caretaker said heâd charge 3 of us (Palangis) to go in but not our Tongan friend. We just went to the beach for free! Beautiful white sand, gorgeous shells & hermit crabs. Definitely a nice small beach & protected area to swim in. Stayed until after dark.
Written March 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gods Crestion Is Beautiful
We are Stewards In This World to preserve so our children can enjoy as well
We are glad you had a great time
Malo
Tomasi
Written March 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Greg S
Gulf Breeze, FL437 contributions
Apr 2015 ⢠Solo
It costs approximately $5 US but well worth the it! Parking included.
You are taken to the cave entrance which is facing the beach. No one is permitted on The beach as it is sacred ground; family are buried there.
The cave is lighted with fluorescent tubes on the walls powered by an outside gasoline generator. A path leads to the bottom of the stalactite ( limestone formations formed from the ceiling) cave. At the bottom is a pool in which you can swim. Water is cold and clear.
I went in alone and it was a but spooky but really KOOL! As I was getting out of the pool and drying off; THE LIGHTS WENT OUT!!!! Here I was 200 ft underground in total darkness! Luckily, I had a small flashlight on my key ring and I was able to find my way out... So, take a flash light!!
The owner Himalaya was very embarrassed; his son thought the cave empty and turned off the generator. In order to make it up to me his son took me on a guided tour of the cave and showed me rooms I had not seen. When we emerged, Himalaya gave me a coconut to drink and we chatted for a while.. Very nice family!
This one of the highlights of my 6 months in the South Pacific.
You are taken to the cave entrance which is facing the beach. No one is permitted on The beach as it is sacred ground; family are buried there.
The cave is lighted with fluorescent tubes on the walls powered by an outside gasoline generator. A path leads to the bottom of the stalactite ( limestone formations formed from the ceiling) cave. At the bottom is a pool in which you can swim. Water is cold and clear.
I went in alone and it was a but spooky but really KOOL! As I was getting out of the pool and drying off; THE LIGHTS WENT OUT!!!! Here I was 200 ft underground in total darkness! Luckily, I had a small flashlight on my key ring and I was able to find my way out... So, take a flash light!!
The owner Himalaya was very embarrassed; his son thought the cave empty and turned off the generator. In order to make it up to me his son took me on a guided tour of the cave and showed me rooms I had not seen. When we emerged, Himalaya gave me a coconut to drink and we chatted for a while.. Very nice family!
This one of the highlights of my 6 months in the South Pacific.
Written May 18, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jokertrekker
Carate Brianza, Italy84 contributions
Dec 2015 ⢠Friends
Something quite unique in Tongatapu. A freshwater pool in a cave. The local boys did some stunning dives from the rocks into the pool. The water feels cool at first but is not cold. Most enjoyable. The walk to the pool is 50m or so and quite easy. The cave is quite well lit and worth the trouble to have a look at.
Written December 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Malo Aupito Champ thanks again for the positive review we still have a lot of things to keep improving we can't rest on our laurels so to speak and we have to keep up the maintenance and tp keep the vicinity clean ...Just a reminder our Canteen Kitaa's Kitchen sells bottles of water ..Malo Aupito !!!
Written January 4, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Handysmith
Ryde, Australia316 contributions
Jan 2020
We are a mature couple in 60's and my wife planned to change into her swimming costume at the location but they did not have a place to change expecting her to undress inside the cave in front of other younger people already in the cave. Later after we exited we found a Ladies toilet which we should have been told about on arrival as my wife never got to use the swimming pool.
The mens toilet had no door and was very dirty.
I still went in changing in the cave but feeling uncomfortable. Then on entering the swim area it was busy with lots of local teenagers so only stayed near the pool entry as the teenagers were diving off the stalagmites into the pool. I would have like to swim around but felt intimidated by the teenager activity and unwelcome for invading their local space so left disappointed.
This could have been an excellent memorable positive experience for us if the staff had been attentive and settled the local teenagers down (who probably use this for free).
I informed our driver and guide of the situation to help them improve for future visitors but doubt anything will change.
The mens toilet had no door and was very dirty.
I still went in changing in the cave but feeling uncomfortable. Then on entering the swim area it was busy with lots of local teenagers so only stayed near the pool entry as the teenagers were diving off the stalagmites into the pool. I would have like to swim around but felt intimidated by the teenager activity and unwelcome for invading their local space so left disappointed.
This could have been an excellent memorable positive experience for us if the staff had been attentive and settled the local teenagers down (who probably use this for free).
I informed our driver and guide of the situation to help them improve for future visitors but doubt anything will change.
Written January 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
God Is Good
Thank you for choosing Tonga as your destination we are grateful you visited us
We have no excuses we have looked after these issues u pointed hopefully we wont get anymore complaints about our facilities
God Be With Yous Everyday
Written January 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JennaP17
Brisbane, Australia2 contributions
Feb 2018 ⢠Family
My family and in laws (6 people total) took a trip out to the cave to visit for the 1st time. Excited to have this experience, turned into the worst day and we will never go back there again. It is dark and difficult to navigate - the 'safety' ropes will not help if you slip or fall and I was cut on the hand from grabbing the rusty pole where the ropes connected. Sensible shoes is a must!! It's incredibly slippery. All of this was easily forgettable once we made it to the water - really clear, really cold water! We had taken a couple of bags with us and left them close to us on the rocks. One of us went to get a phone to take photos and then realised his wallet had been STOLEN!!! Two of the local boys had come into the cave with us to turn the lights on etc and one of them was jumping from all the crazy spots inside the cave while the other was sitting close to our bags on the stairs. Realising AFTER the fact that the jumping show was just a distraction for his mate to STEAL THE WALLET!!! We then had to quickly get out of the water and up out of the cave so fast. The thief denied stealing the wallet at first but after a little while he confessed he stole it and had hidden it under the car. This act is extremely BAD FOR YOUR BUSINESS and tourism of the area. We were looking forward to hitting the nice beach after the cave but we will never go back there due to the thieving criminals who want to STEAL things that do not belong to them. And after all of this, we were not refunded even $1 of our money spent to go into the cave. Avoid this place completely!!!!!!! I have a photo of the thief which I'll attach as soon as I can.
Written April 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What we will say wont change what happened before but we to get to the bottom of this and we are sorry that this had happened.
We are still in investigation who was the culprit , was it our staff or boys who happened to be from local villages surrounding the cave . Pls attach the foto of the culprit of the person that stole the wallet I want to take them to the authorities myself personally for what they did.
I apologies for what happened I hope tourists , friends and family will still come to this unique tourist site in Tongatapu .
We have put in procedures to stop this very bad behavior so it wont happen again
Written April 25, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Marty H
1 contribution
These caves were amazing, when we drove in we were met by a local guide who offered to take us on a special tour for 15 top, 5 more then the usual 10 top entry fee.
We were pretty wary but thought why not? So glad we did! He gave us torches and guided us through the caves till we were 60 metres under the ocean floor, the air was hot and not the easiest to breath but the crystal clear pools were breathtaking and awesome to swim in. I do not suggest doing this unless you are a good swimmer and can handle a bit of climbing and tight spaces as he took us probably a kilometre into the cave, but it was so much better then the first 'swimming pool' which most tourists are usually taken too.
This is a must thing to see and do in tonga if you are up for it, utterly spectacular!
We were pretty wary but thought why not? So glad we did! He gave us torches and guided us through the caves till we were 60 metres under the ocean floor, the air was hot and not the easiest to breath but the crystal clear pools were breathtaking and awesome to swim in. I do not suggest doing this unless you are a good swimmer and can handle a bit of climbing and tight spaces as he took us probably a kilometre into the cave, but it was so much better then the first 'swimming pool' which most tourists are usually taken too.
This is a must thing to see and do in tonga if you are up for it, utterly spectacular!
Written July 6, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jeff p
Dartmouth, UK4 contributions
Mar 2014 ⢠Couples
Not a well kept site with litter. The lighting inside the cave was not working.Over priced at $10 each
Written March 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lord MacDuff
Scotland, UK711 contributions
Feb 2020
We were staying at the Tanoa Dateline Hotel and through their in-house tour company Hibiscuss Tours, we took a $120 top per person, 5 hour guided tour around the island. The tour included Captain Cook landing, Terraced Tombs, , Village fishing pigs, Haâamonga (Stonehenge), Natural Land bridge, Abel Tasman Landing, Flying Fox colony, Tsunami Rock, Blow holes, Three headed coconut palm tree but we didnât go to the Anahulu Cave (didnât want to!) which was also included. Sake was a good guide though some more history would have been welcome. Lunch was BBQ chicken bought at someoneâs house and eaten on a roadside table later on. Tropical refreshments was a bottle of water. Sake did offer answers to all our questions on Island life and his commentary and thoughts were much appreciated. The van we went around in was a tad tired and dirty as were most of the sites that we visited â not his fault obviously, merely a reflection on Tongan standards
Written April 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Teta T
I don't want to take the credit for Hibiscus Tours they are a up n coming good tour operator ..all we can say is think for the review n thank you for choosing Tonga to be your holiday destination. God Bless +++
Written April 3, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
lolasewa2913
Auckland, New Zealand34 contributions
Aug 2019 ⢠Friends
I do not know why people are saying this is expensive. $15 per person, This is an attraction and your paying for an experience so its well worth it! And remember your in Tonga dont go expecting something lavish. It is a cave so yes it is dark, wet, slippery and you do have to navigate around. If you are unable to move unassisted i do not recommend going in. The water is clear and very cold perfect on a hot day.
The only downsides are the local kids constantly jumping into the water. BUT I must say it is incredible how high and close to the rocks these boys jump/dive.
On a lucky day you will get the cave all to yourselves.
The only downsides are the local kids constantly jumping into the water. BUT I must say it is incredible how high and close to the rocks these boys jump/dive.
On a lucky day you will get the cave all to yourselves.
Written August 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Malo e lelei n thank you for choosing Tonga as an holiday destination
We are thankful that u chose Anahulu Cave to visit and pay for your entry fee to help pay for our staff
we still have a lot of work to do hopefully by the end of the year we can do improvement to railings inside
Pls not peoples it is slippery n dark in some areas pls take care when entering
We take the good n not so good reviews we try to improve our services every day here @ Anahulu Cave
God Bless Everyone !!!
Written August 13, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Iryna
Tauranga, New Zealand354 contributions
Sep 2018 ⢠Couples
We first went into the local Catholic Church up on the main road. The resident priest encouraged us to go down to the caves and rattled up a gratis guide for us. So off we went equipped with torches. The entry point has a very low ceiling so keep your head down. But where you can look up to view the hundreds of nesting bats. Some paths are a tad slippery so donât wear jandals, only sneakers, and hang onto the ropes.
The fresh water grotto at the end is spectacular. Great for a swim. If the tide is right the ocean lagoon is also excellent for a dip.
The fresh water grotto at the end is spectacular. Great for a swim. If the tide is right the ocean lagoon is also excellent for a dip.
Written October 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are very glad yous had a great time God Bless !!!
Written November 10, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SusieQ22Australia
Australia71 contributions
The cave sounds fabulous and a great experience. Can I take a 2 year old and 4 year old in? They love the water and can swim a bit - still learning. Parents can swim very well and are used to supervising them in the water. How long do people usually spend there?
MattBGreen
Sydney, Australia211 contributions
If each parent takes responsibility for one child then just be careful as the path in is a bit uneven in spots. Lighting was ok all the way in. Getting in and out of the pool might need a little bit of working together. My wife and I spent about 15mins in the pool, it was experience that we went in for. One tip maybe put floaties on the kids for some extra safety. The water is fresh water and beautiful temperature.
Lowie H
1 contribution
Is this place ok to visit if your 6 months pregnant?
Teta T
Nuku'alofa, Tonga58 contributions
maybe its not ok with the entrance u have to bend down sorry I dont want to coz any problems with your pregancy ...if u are travelling with other people u can take a look first but to be on the safe side u might just go to Anahulu Beach which is just 50 meters while your friends go in for a dip ..Come back when your child is 8 years or so and swim in the Cave ..malo
Jill H
Auckland, New Zealand48 contributions
Can you walk in on bare feet or do you need to wear shoes? Is it clear where it's safe to dive in off the rocks?
Huluana
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Pls wear sturdy shoes coz it could be slippery .. Local people walk in barefoot but the are used to it also with jumping off the rocks if you're doing bombs that's ok ..leave the diving in head first to the locals they're used to it....
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Frequently Asked Questions about Anahulu Cave - The Underground Swimming Pool
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Anahulu Cave - The Underground Swimming Pool:
- 3-Hour Tongatapu East Coast and Anahulu Cave Tour (From $71.80)
- Nuku'alofa Shore Excursion: PRIVATE VIP fully flexible mainland tour (From $856.46)
- Solo Traveller Tonga 3.5 Hour Island Tour (From $170.10)
- Tonga Holiday V Island Tours - Fixed Prices BEST VALUE (From $270.89)
- Shore Excursion: Half-Day Anahulu Cave and Cultural Tour (From $73.85)
- Hotels near Anahulu Cave - The Underground Swimming Pool:
- (9.03 mi) Fafa Island Resort
- (8.15 mi) Olini Lodge
- (8.26 mi) Seaview Lodge & Restaurant
- (7.63 mi) Waterfront Lodge
- (7.53 mi) Tanoa International Dateline Hotel
- Restaurants near Anahulu Cave - The Underground Swimming Pool:
- (7.87 mi) Friends Cafe
- (7.88 mi) Cafe Escape
- (7.86 mi) the TOP Restaurant & Lounge
- (6.86 mi) Waterfront Restaurant
- (8.66 mi) Little Italy Hotel & Restaurant
Anahulu Cave - The Underground Swimming Pool Information
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