American Samoa

Imagine blue skies and a tropical climate. Come to the South Pacific and you shall receive. American Samoa is an unorganised, unincorporated territory of the United States and part of the Samoan Islands chain. The Samoan Islands are west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga, and 500 km south of Tokelau. To the west are the islands of the Wallis and Futuna Group.

The largest and most populated island is Tutuila and the Manu’a islands, which include Rose Atoll and Swains Island, are also part of the territory. The climate here is humid & tropical, any time, every day of the year. The rainy season occurs between October and April.

Pago Pago on the island of Tutuila is the major city in American Samoa but isn’t exactly paradise; here you’ll find more of an industrial city. Once you get out of Pago Pago you’ll find the rest of the island undeveloped.

You’ll likely want to bring your snorkel gear and make your way to the Manu’a Islands and visit Ofu, the most spectacular of the Manu’a Islands. Here you’ll find a 2.5-mile pristine white sand beach. Grab your snorkel gear and get wet, but keep in mind the waters are part of the National Park of American Samoa as you’ll find many spectacular fish and over 100 types of coral.

You’ll also want to visit Ta’u, the largest island in the Manu’a Group as well as the easternmost volcanic Samoan island. The southeast half of the island, including the rainforest on top of Lata Mountain, the southern shore, and associated coral reefs are all part of the National Park of American Samoa. The park includes the sacred site of Saua, said to be the birthplace of the Polynesian people.

Getting to American Samoa

Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) has flights from Honolulu, Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines. You may also get here on Air New Zealand and Air Pacific from other nations in the South Pacific and North America. To enter American Samoa, US citizens must have proof of their citizenship and citizens from other nations require a passport.

To travel around Samoa, Samoa Air and Polynesian Airlines operate routes between Pago Pago and other destinations in American (and independent) Samoa including Ofu, Ta’u, Apia, and Savai’i.