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Travel between the Samoa Islands is very straightforward - there are just two large islands to explore in Independent Samoa - Upolu and Savaii - and these are connected by a 20-minute scenic flight (five flights per day, Apia to Salelologa, South-East Savaii) or a 45-minute ferry crossing (4 ferries per day - Mulifanua, West Upolu to Salelologa, South-East Savaii).
To visit Manono Island, it's a 20-minute local ferry ride from the west coast of Upolu and these go on demand or by arrangement.
There are six to eight flights each day between Apia and Pago Pago on American Samoa (35-minute flight), and two daily flights between Pago Pago and Ofu and Ta'u islands in the Manu'a Group (30-minute flight). There are also weekly ferries between Apia and Pago Pago, taking about 8 hours one way.
Once on an island, travelling around is a little less straight-forward. Public buses on Upolu and Savaii are uncomfortable and unreliable and are worth experiencing only for amusing sights and the local characters you might meet on-board. Car hire is more popular and there are several good companies based in Apia - call in at the Travellers' Lounge for the best deals. If you plan to travel to Savaii, it's worth hiring a car in Apia and taking it across by ferry. The other extremely popular alternative is to ride the Green Turtle Tours. This comfortable 15-seater tourist bus enables travellers to hop-on and hop-off as many times as they like for a fixed fee per island. The Green Turtle Bus circles both Upolu and Savai'i each day, stopping at the main tourist attractions and at the accredited Green Turtle Beach Fales en-route.
Getting around American Samoa is more difficult - public buses are cheap but service only the main routes between Pago Pago and the airport on a regular basis. Unfortunately there are no tours on American Samoa so to get to the best sights around the island you will need to hire a car.
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