Click to Start
Western Samoa Travel Gallery



Click to Start
American Samoa Travel Gallery


Other South Pacific Travel Galleries


Samoa Travel Facts

The main Samoa travel destination is Upolu Island with its picturesque capital Apia overlooking the harbour and tropical hills. Apia has an excellent selection of hotels and restaurants making this a popular base for sightseeing. Mountains, traditional villages and gorgeous beaches are found along the entire southern coastline with refreshing waterfalls in the interior. You can stay in a traditional beach fale (bungalow) with open sides in many spots around the island, particularly on the south coast. It takes about 4 hours to drive around Upolu.

The largest island is neighbouring Savai'i, an hour by ferry from West Upolu or a 15 minute flight from Apia. Savai'i has an even more traditional village society and has some beautiful natural attractions including blowholes, virgin forests canopy walks, some lovely beaches and active volcanoes (the last eruption was in 1911) making this an appealing touring destination. There are fewer hotels on Savai'i but there are a dozen or so beach fales around the coast.

Tourism is low key and you won't find any of the large international hotels here. You'll find plenty of small beach bungalows (fales) with thatch roofs, some quite luxurious but others very basic. Surfing is excellent and scuba diving good in places although sailing is limited as there are not many islands in the group. This is the cheapest destination for travelling in the South Pacific making it the ideal choice for backpackers and discerning travellers wanting to escape the more commercial South Pacific neighbours


Apia & Upolu Island
 Apia is the main centre of Samoa and where most tourists stay at the beginning and end of their trip. Apia is set along a beautiful harbour setting with many fine restaurants and bars, and a good variation in hotels and tours. The fish market in the early morning is a colourful place to visit. Other markets include the flea market where handcrafts and cheap clothes are sold and the fruit and vegetable market near the bus stand. The Samoa Museum is another good place to spend a few hours.

The north east coast of Upolu has a rugged coastline with few beaches. The north east coast is particularly scenic with high rain forest mountains and beautiful bays. The stunning view of Mt. Fao from Le Mafa Pass. Central Upolu is a mix of rejuvenated rainforest and cleared plantations of coconut trees and cattle grazing.

The south east coast of Upolu has several stunning beach locations, some with good swimming and snorkelling and views of several small offshore islands. Basic beach fale accommodation is provided at most beach locations and offers the chance to relax in pristine locations whilst being looked after by local villagers. This picture of lalomanu Beach was taken before the devastating tsunami which hit the south coast of Upolu in September 2009 killing over 100 people.

Sopoaga Falls in south Upolu rarely dries up. This picture taken in the heart of the so called dry season is testimony to year round rainfall although in the hotter more humid summer months from December to April the waterfall is raging.

The finest white sand beaches in Samoa are found around the south west coast between Saanapu and Salamumu. This area is quite remote and backed by virgin rainforest. A boardwalk across the mangrove forests at Saanapu enables first hand experience of these tranquil eco-systems. Kayak tours are a popular alternative for exploring these rich habitats.

Manono Island is a laid back island off the west coast of Upolu, accessable by small boat from the Mulifanua Wharf. Manono has no cars and no dogs, an attractive coastal walk, several fishing villages and an ancient star mound and other historical points of interest. A little further west is the island of Apolima located midway between Upolu and Savaii. Apolima is a collapsed volcanic crater, in which a small village is located. Boat access is tricky and there is no organized accommodation on island.


Savaii Island
 The main town on Savaii is Saleologa on the south east coast. It is a quiet backwater with a small market, a few restaurants and shops but little accommodation. Although Savaii is the largest Samoan Island and the third largest Polynesian island after New Zealand and Hawaii, life here remains traditional. The east coast of Savai'i has some of the most beautiful villages in Samoa. The beaches are nice although lacking privacy and are great places to watch the locals fishing and playing at sunset.

Savaii is a dormant volcanic island. The last eruption lasted from 1905 to 1911 when huge volumes of lava trickled from inconspicuous Mt. Matavanu towards the coast, burying villages and filling in the lagoon - the stark black lava fields are one of the islands major tourist attractions. The coastline of Savaii is a mix of white sand beaches with turquoise lagoons and black rocky outcrops.

The gorgeous white sand beaches of Manase on the north coast of Savaii is a popular travel destination with a handful of beach fales and bungalows from budget to luxury. Swimming in the lagoon is excellent with some good snorkelling and offshore scuba diving.

The famed blowholes at Alofaaga on the south coast of Savaii are at their most spectacular at high tide. In places gushing to over 80 feet, this string of blowholes makes an eerie deafening noise and is a place to sit back and admire nature. Set inland from the southern coastal highway, Afu Aau waterfall is set in virgin rain forest and has a great swimming pool. Further inland along a walking trail is the ancient mound of Tia Seu, reputed the largest ancient structure in Polynesia. There are some excellent surfing reefs off the south coast and several lovely beach fale accommodation.


American Samoa
 American Samoa lies about 150km east of Upolu Island (daily flights take about 50 minutes). Tutuila is the main island, a high volcanic island offering three regions of rain forest, from the coast to the high mountains. Much of the island is protected as US National Parks and Reserves and the island offers some of the most accessible tracks in the south pacific. Unfortunately few are marked trails so a guide is preferable to show you around. Pago Pago, the main town in American Samoa on the island of Tutuila, sits at the base of Mt Matafao. Although the town itself has no attractions, the deep water harbour makes an excellent setting for visiting yachts from May to October when the cyclone season has finished. The east coast of Tutuila has some stunning coastal scenery and several pleasanr beaches. The beach at Pyramid Island is a fine example and there is good swimming in the lagoon. Tisa's Barefoot beach restaurant is set on this splendid beach backed by tropical rain forest and the beach alongside the eastern village of Tula offers great beach combing. The secluded and often wild coastline of west Tutuila offers breathtaking coastal scenery. Lowland forests, secluded beaches, blowholes, sliding rocks and archaelogical sites are a few of the attrcations in the vicinity. Most of the north coast of Tutuila is inaccessible with rugged coastlines. The south west coast of Tutuila is the most traditional region with small villages, several interesting archaelogical sights, beautiful forest walks and tracks leading to secluded waterfalls.

Aunuu Island sits off the coast from Tutuila, the main island in American Samoa Three other islands lie about 70 miles to the east of Tutuila which make up the Manu'a Group. These islands offer splendid beaches, coastal cliffs and important archaelogical sites.


View Our
Samoa Travel Guide

This Hotel Picture Guide is brought to you by South Pacific Picture, the photographic division of Pacific Travel Guides. This leading independent travel publisher is based in Fiji and aims to provide unbiased travel information to help potential holiday-makers plan their trip to the South Pacific. We do not sell individual hotels, tours or packages - we simply provide an overview to help you make the decision and provide links for you to make further enquiries and bookings. All the pictures in this website have been taken by us and try to show a true representation of our destinations. No picture has been staged - all were taken as presented.

 Our small team of researchers travel around the south pacific on a regular basis to update our guides and to ensure their accuracy. Please feel free to contribute your own travel experiences to pass on to fellow travellers.

If you haven't been able to find what you're looking for in our website, you might want to try the following specialist websites:

The definitive, most informative hotel guide to the South Pacific:


South Pacific Resorts
Fiji Resorts ; Cook Island Resorts ; Samoa Resorts ; Tonga Resorts ; Vanuatu Resorts ; New Caledonia Resorts ; Tahiti Resorts ; Hawaii Resorts


One of our most useful holiday planning websites is our unique interactive picture maps showing pictures of beaches, scenic attractions and hotel locations from around the south pacific islands:


South Pacific Pictures
Fiji Island Hotels ; Cook Islands Hotels ; Samoa Islands Hotels ; Tonga Islands Hotels ; Tahiti Islands Hotels ; New Caledonia Hotels ; Vanuatu Island Hotels ; Hawaii Accommodation ; Australia Accommodation


 Last Updated
08 January 2010
by


Pacific Travel Guides
PO Box 10146, Nadi Airport, Fiji

Contact Us


Travel Resources