Samoa Travel Guide American & Western Samoa Islands

samoa islands hospitality traditional life accommodation scenery

Samoa travel is about exploring, stunning beaches and above all else, a traditional and extremely friendly and genuine culture. This is the real South Pacific dream - and those travellers' that are put off of tired of the commercial aspects of Fiji, Cook Islands and Tahiti will find the Samoan Islands to be a nothng but delightful. This is the place to experience off the beaten travel, a little adventure and no crowds. Western Samoa Traditional Western Samoa has the broadest holiday appeal with gorgeous beaches, lots of stunning waterfalls, volcanic craters and lava tubes, rain forest canopy walks, blowholes and some lovely Polynesian villages with a truly laid back atmosphere. With so many scenic wonders, Samoa has a well developed tourist infrastructure. Upolu is the main island with the capital town of Apia, although it is smaller than neighbouring Savai'i, just 10 miles to the west. Both islands are volcanic in nature and covered in tropical rainforest, with lots of volcanic peaks rising in the interiors, the highest point on Upolu being Mt. Fito at 1158m and on Savai'i, My. Silisili rises to 1880m. American Samoa Neighbouring America Samoa, has been a dependent State of the USA since 1899. Its largest island of Tutuila lies just 60 miles to the south east of Upolu, and is considerably smaller in size than either Upolu or Savaii. It has a surprisingly limited tourist infrastructure catering mostly to businessmen, locals visiting from abroad and the occasional eco-tourist enthusiast seeking out its rich tropical rain forest and archaeological sites. Tutuila boasts the beautiful harbour setting of its capital Pago Pago Town and a wild and beautiful coastline with virgin rain forest. There are three stunning islands in the Manu'a Group, 60 miles further east, with high sea cliffs and gorgeous beaches, and even more remote are the tiny Rose Atoll and Swains Island.

Compared to its South Pacific neighbours of Fiji, the Cook Islands and Tahiti, life is extremely traditional and lack commercial tourism or large international hotels. There are just a handful of small beach resorts along the south and west coast of Upolu and you'll find plenty of quaint beach bungalows (fales) all around the islands, each one with thatch roofs and coconut fronds as walls, and most operated by local families on traditional village land. Apia Town is the main centre of tourism and makes a good base for exploring Upolu and is the departure point for travellers to both Savai'i and Tutuila. This is where travellers spend at least their first few nights and there are several fine hotels and plenty of budget inns for accommodation. Overall, this is the ideal choice for both matured discerning travellers and young backpackers wanting to escape the more commercial South Pacific neighbours and experience a traditional culture, secluded beaches, stunning coastal scenery and lush tropical rain forests.