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When it comes to encountering whales in the wild, most of us are content to glimpse them through binoculars on a whale-spotting cruise or from a vantage point onshore.

But more adventurous nature lovers are heading for the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga, where you can actually swim with some of the world's largest mammals.

Whaleswim Adventures, tel: (64-9) 372 7073, run six-, seven- and nine-day tours that feature opportunities to swim with humpback whales off the island of Vaka'eitu, near Vava'u in Tonga's north. To minimize environmental impact, each tour has a limit of 12 people, of whom only four (plus a qualified marine researcher-cum-guide) are allowed in the water at any one time.

Between July and October every year, humpbacks migrate from Antarctica to the 171-island archipelago to give birth and nurse their calves—and Whaleswim tours make straight for the nurseries. "It's a truly life-changing experience to watch a young, 12-m calf suckling its 40-m mother just meters away," says Rae Gill, Whaleswim's tour director. "The trust these wild animals have in us is humbling in itself. I know of no other wild animals that allow this." Tours start from $1,752.

• Graham Holliday
• Don't just take photographs... swim with the world's largest mammals