This post is written by our host blogger nomadiciv@.
The Independent State of Samoa, known as Western Samoa is a little country in Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean. Western Samoa comprises two small islands: Savaii and Upolu, which makes your exploration relatively easy.
This place is a true imitation of paradise. The landscape is green and untamed, roads are good, ferries go on time, accommodation goes together with dinner and breakfast, and coconuts are sold by the road. These white sand beaches with palm trees and turquoise water have only one small catch – you have to pay all the time for everything. The money goes to local community. Want to have a quick swim in lovely beach? Pay five tala to locals. Did you stop to take a picture of the cliff near a village? Five tala each. But when you will be watching kitschy sunset waiting for a dinner with a local Valima beer you will forgive them :)
Do you want to know the prices in Samoa? Check out our Samoa budget guide.
Places from the photo journey on the map
A fresh green nature all around. It is necessary to say that we visited Samoa in rainy season.
Arrival at Samoa airport. You will be surprised by a small airport hall in Apia. In the manner of Havaii there are musicians welcoming you at the airport.
The capital of Western Samoa is actually a small town but with all amenities. There is a huge cathedral in the centre and a lot of shops. There is a great information centre with an exposition of local culture.
The Baha'i House of Worship of Samoa is located on the hill just few kilometres away from Apia. The House is surrounded by a magical garden. We just walked around for an hour.
There are 10 Bahai temples around the world in US, Australia, Uganda, Germany, Panama, Samoa, India, Izrael, Cambodia and Chile.
Kitchy sunset at the southern coast of Upolu island.
A fala is a typical type of accommodation in Samoa. They have a wooden structure and the walls made of palm leaves. They are located on the beach, so you get a beautiful view of the sea. Small lizards are your every day guests.
When you stay in a fala, you get a mattress, a sheet and a mosquito net. Luckily there is a plug for electricity, so you can charge all your devices or plan your further travels :)
Samoa is full of churches. Every village has its own church – at least one. The architects were very inventive, so we stopped in almost every village to look at them.
When you come across the nice beach you can stay there in a fala when you pay a small fee to the local community.
Savaii island is wild and remote. There is a volcano Mt. Manavatu. The most recent eruptions occurred between 1905 and 1911 with lava flowing towards the island's coastline. Today you can walk on the lava fields. There is no problem to find them, they are just along the main road.
One of the lava flows destroyed the church in nearby village. Local ladies will show you around for 5 tala per person.
This is just a random cave that we visited by the road. We had to pay 5 tala per person to get a guide with a torch for a minute “guided tour”. You can go instead to Paia dwarf cave that offers a real adventure.
In the western corner of the Savaii island there is an attraction in the treetops. The bridge is not very reliable so I did cross it only once. The view from the top is good, but you can decide if it is worth 20 talas.
Falealupo is a community at the most western promontory of Samoa. We called it for ourselves a paradise beach. Turquoise water, fine-grained sand, palm trees. Peace and solitude.
The place was a paradise in a daylight. During the night I feared unjustified for our lives. Well, unjustified. The locals were just walking by forth and back during the night, probably to their clubroom.
There are coral reefs around the whole Samoa. As a result the waves break up on them and form a huge wall of sea water in distance.
The food was always delicious. Usually served with local fruit and local blossoms, either frangipani or hibiscus.
You can buy all these plants in a pot and plant them at home. Here they grow in bushes and they are gorgeous.
The real must-seen in Samoa. Watch out for the high-tide times, because it occurs only during the high tide.
Strong waves are pushed through a series of lava tubes, causing rip-roaring, geyser-like explosions that shoot dozens of metres into the air. The local in fala will collect the entrance fee and offer you an old guy to drop a coconut into the coming wave to burst up to the sky. In the period of the maximal high tide forms a really amazing spectacle.
The place is really beautiful. Freshwater. A place for a weekend picnic and another attraction where you pay an entrance fee to a sleeping collector.
Don't hesitate to stop and buy one. The price is 2 tala.
Colorful buses that play local music and stop at every corner are so typical of Samoa.
The best of the best according to the guide. This beach was totally destroyed by the tsunami in 2006. According to the locals there was nothing left after the tsunami...no falas, no trees, even no sand.
Lalomanu beach is also one of the best places for snorkeling in Samoa.
This is the reason why many tourists come to Samoa. It is surrounded by a large and beautiful garden with changing rooms, toilet and falas to stay during the day. This place was amazing and not expensive at all.
To Sua is a deep abyss interconnected with the sea around. In high tide you can jump from the ladder to the water, in low tide you can swim in to the sea.
You can park in local’s garden for a fee and walk few hundred meters to the waterfall. The nature around was amazing, unbelievable green.
Locals were playing cricket near the road and the ball hit our car. Luckily no damage was caused.
Places from the photo journey on the map
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