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| Tropical paradise |
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| As one would expect, we had to walk down roll-up airline stairs; Photo: Talenei |
This is where you need to understand Samoans. Their culture is family-based. Their concept of immediate family is broad (aunties, nieces, nephews, cousins) and their families are big. And, families (whole families) were picking up family members at the airport.
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| It's busy no matter how late; Photo: Corganinc |
I looked around and finally spotted a man with a Sadie’s by the Sea sign. I knew we were staying there, so I asked him if we were supposed to go with him.
As he was trying to figure that out, we were approached by two people (that we never saw again) who represented OTBP and told us our driver was on the way. Finally, Driver Lou arrived and ferried us to the hotel. It was dark, so we couldn’t see enough to get an impression of the island.
We found out a few things as we drove. I had made arrangements with OTBP for guided trips on our two pre-tour days in Pago Pago ...
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| ... one for snorkeling ... |
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| ... and one for birding |
Lou would be our guide for both, although he didn’t seem to have much information about what we would be doing. More on that later.
He got us checked in and we settled into to our room.
Located in Utulei, Sadie’s by the Sea is one of just a few tourist hotels on Tutuila. It is set on a lagoon and has a private beach, pool and the on-site Goat Island Café.
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| Sadie's by the Sea |
The hotel is named in “honor” of Sadie Thompson, a fictional character created by W. Somerset Maugham in his 1921 short story "Rain." Allegedly based on a real person Maugham met while traveling to American Samoa in 1916, Sadie is a free-spirited prostitute on the run from Honolulu who clashes with a strict missionary. The character was portrayed on screen by Gloria Swanson in 1928, Joan Crawford in 1932 and Rita Hayworth in 1953.
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| Interesting local heroine |
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| Pago Pago with Sadie's front and center |
We stayed there for much of the trip (leaving to travel to another island and then coming back) and, honestly, it wasn’t bad for a remote island. The upside was that the Goat Island Café was really, really good with lots of options.
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| We ate most of our meals at the Goat Island Cafe, so that was a relief |
The lagoon was billed as a good place to snorkel.
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| Sadie's lagoon |
But, the evening we arrived was breezy and a bit rainy.
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| Turns out, those breezes turned into significant wind during the day |
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| And, that significant wind created significant waves |
Weather affected every part of our tour.
The Plan
Before I give you any more information about what we saw and did (and how the weather affected it) in American Samoa, let me show you the planned itinerary for our visit there …
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| What did OTBP have planned? |
June 10: Arrive in Pago Pago, on Tutuila, after flying from Honolulu and settle into our hotel, Sadie’s by the Sea
June 11: Guided morning snorkeling at Fagasa Bay, Fagaalu Bay and Coconut Point
June 12: Guided morning birding tour
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| Samoan Myzomela |
June 13: Official OTBP tour beginning with introductions and a brief orientation, followed by a day trip via boat to Aunu’u Island off the southeastern shore of Tutuila, where we would explore the island and the have lunch hosted by a local family, followed by traditional Samoa cultural, ceremonial and dance performances
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| Looks colorful; Photos: OTBP brochure |
June 14: Local church service with Samoan singing, skits, dances and performances followed by a visit to Rainmaker Mountain and the World War II historic landmarks of Breakers and Blunts Point via an outrigger canoe
June 15: Fly to Taʻū, a small island 80 miles from Pago Pago, explore the area, have a picnic lunch and then travel by boat to Ofu, eight miles away; check into our hotel, the Vaoto Lodge
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| Ta'u and Ofu coast (or maybe Olosega coast); Left: The Great American Road Trip |
June 18: Fly back to Pago Pago visit the National Park of American Samoa Visitor Center and explore the strip of land that comprises the National Park, driving across Mount ʻAlava, the coastline and villages
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| Our target |
June 19: Visit Tauese P.F. Sunia Ocean Center and take a historic walking tour of Fagatogo, the former administrative center of the U.S. Naval Station; leave for Honolulu on a night flight
Let me tell you right now, that’s not how it went at all. We had a great time and saw a lot, but that itinerary turned out to be both a wish list and a gentle suggestion – and I am not even sure our tour guides had seen it! But, I’ll get to that later.
First, let’s talk about the territory we were visiting …
American Samoa
Settled by seafaring explorers 3,000 years ago, American Samoa sits in the heart of the Polynesian Triangle formed by Hawai’i, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and New Zealand.
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| Polynesian Triangle; Map: World History Encyclopedia |
It is pegged as a paradise of rugged volcanic mountains, dramatic shorelines, empty beaches, colorful coral reefs, warm azure waters and dense tropical forests.
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| And, it is all that |
American Samoa is 40 miles southeast of the island country of Samoa, east of the International Date Line (facilitated by a jog in the dateline to allow American Samoa to share a date with the rest of the U.S.).
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| That's a geoPOLITICAL line; Left: World Atlas; Right: webspace,science |
It is west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga and 310 miles south of Tokelau. Situated 2,200 miles southwest of Hawai’i, it is the southernmost territory of the United States and one of two U.S. territories south of the Equator, along with the uninhabited Jarvis Island.
American Samoa encompasses the eastern part of the Samoan Archipelago and includes five islands - Tutuila, Aunu’u, Taʻū and the twin islands of Ofu and Olosega. It also has two small atolls, Rose and Swains.
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| The five islands and Rose Atoll (Swains is way north); Map: World Atlas |
American Samoa’s islands are made up of overlapping and superimposed shield volcanoes built by basalt lava flows that have been broken up and eroded by the ocean over time. The result is exceedingly steep cliffs and interesting offshore islands, including small vegetated islets called “flowerpots.”
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| Tutuila's most famous flowerpot, Fatu Rock |
While the Samoan islands have not shown evidence of volcanism for many years, a hotspot beneath the islands continues to give indications of activity, with a submarine eruption detected just east of American Samoa in 1973.
The Vailulu'u Seamount, named after Samoa's goddess of war, Nafanua, is an active submerged volcano 28 miles east of Taʻū. The Seamount is a future Samoan island that has been developing from submarine lava flows over the past 50+ years, continuing the eastward progress of volcanic development from the hotspot.
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| The Vailulu'u Seamount rises 14,764 feet from the ocean floor; Photo: Nautilus Live |
In 2009, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck 120 miles off the coast of American Samoa, followed by smaller aftershocks. It generated a tsunami that killed more than 170 people in the Samoa Islands and Tonga.
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| 2009 damage; Photo: National Park Service |
Four waves with heights from 15 feet to 20 feet reached up to one mile inland on the island of Tutuila, which is amazing when you see how small Tutuila is.
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| FEMA risk assessment (all four areas are high-risk) |
Now, I had read about the tsunami before flying to American Samoa and promptly forgotten it. But, the Samoans we met certainly hadn’t forgotten and we heard a lot about it from people who had their homes destroyed, their cars spun around as they attempted to drive up the steep roads and families and friends affected. It occurred to us that no one had even told us what to do in the case of a tsunami.
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| We did see warning signs |
Later, we found that our fellow tour members had been briefed (and given snacks, leis and extra water) when they arrived two days after we did.
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| Fortunately, we didn’t have to escape |
American Samoa’s total land area is 76 square miles, slightly larger than Washington, D.C. Including its territorial waters, the total area is 117,500 square miles, about the size of New Zealand. It has only 69,500 residents, of which 92 percent are Native Pacific Islanders. Most of the people live on Tutuila, which hosts the capital and largest settlement, Pago Pago. The official languages are Samoan and English.
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| Pago Pago |
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| It is small enough to have just one ZIP code, 96799 |
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| The roads are fairly good |
American Samoa lies within two ecoregions: Samoan and Western Polynesian tropical moist forests. Forest covers 86 percent of the total land area, including cloud forest on Taʻū and lowland ridge forest on Tutuila. Most plants arrived by chance from Southeast Asia. There are 343 flowering plant species and 135 ferns, of which about 30 percent are endemic.
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| Flowers on Ofu |
The highest mountain is Lata Mountain on Taʻū at 3,170 feet. Tumutumu on Ofu is 1,621 feet and Mount Pioa, nicknamed the Rainmaker, on Tutuila, is 1,718 feet.
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| Rainmaker Mountain |
That may not seem high (especially if you are from Colorado), but, these mountains rise from seal level and, as such, are fully seen. American Samoa is home to some of the world's highest sea cliffs at 3,000 feet.
Two Snake species can be found in American Samoa: The Brahminy Blind Snake is found on Tutuila and the Pacific Tree Boa on Taʻū. The islands are home to five species of Gecko: Pacific Slender-toed Gecko, Oceanic Gecko, Mourning (often spelled "Morning”) Gecko, Stump-toed Gecko and House Gecko; and only one amphibian: the Cane Toad. We had a Mourning Gecko in our room at Sadie's, but saw none of the others.
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| Mourning Gecko |
Turtles include the threatened Green Sea Turtle and the endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle. Hawksbills nest on Tutuila, while Green Sea Turtles are most common on Rose Atoll.
With more than 950 species of native fish and 250 coral species, American Samoa has the greatest marine biodiversity in the United States.
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| Raccoon Butterflyfish; Photo: Caty Stevens |
Megabats are the only native mammals. The islands are home to two species: White-naped Bats and Samoan Fruit Bats, which both have a three-foot wingspan.
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| White-naped Bat |
The former is also called the Tongan Fruit Bat or Pacific Flying Fox and the latter, the Samoan Flying Fox. We found that animal and bird names here were often confusing, with multiple names being used. It might be a language/translation thing or, maybe, names have changed. A smaller insect-eating Sheath-tailed Bat also lives there.
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| Legend says the Fruit Bats are protectors of the forest and its human inhabitants |
We saw many, many White-naped Bats, which are large, live in big colonies and fly about during the day.
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| Stretching |
It is possible we also saw some of the less social Samoan Fruit Bats, which sometimes roost with the White-naped.
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| All our photos appear to be White-naped Bats |
We never saw the little guy. I’ll share more on these bats later.
Sixteen of the Samoan Islands' 35 bird species are endemic, including the critically endangered Tooth-billed Pigeon (didn’t see that one). Four endemic species are found only in the Manuʻa Islands and not on Tutuila. I’ll get into birds later.
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| Pacific Kingfisher |
Inhabited by Polynesians since prehistory, American Samoa once governed a confederacy of far-flung islands and traded in goods including finely woven ceremonial mats, whale ivory, obsidian and basalt tools and seashells reserved for royalty.
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| Samoans, circa 1888, 1914 and 1910; Photos: PICRYL |
It was first contacted by Europeans in the 18th century. The islands attracted missionaries, explorers and mariners, who, of course, claimed the land and converted the locals to Christianity. The American Samoans got most of their land back, but it seemed to me they lost much of their cultural roots to the church. It is a very religious place.
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| This small territory has many large churches |
At the turn of the 20th century, Germany and the United States partitioned the Samoan Islands into two parts. The eastern island group became a U.S. territory (Tutuila in 1900 and Manuʻa in 1904). The western islands, by far the greater landmass, became known as German Samoa after Britain gave up all claims to Samoa and, in return, accepted termination of German rights to Tonga and parts of the Solomon Islands and West Africa.
After the U.S. took possession of eastern Samoa, the existing coaling station at Pago Pago Bay was expanded into a full naval station.
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| Pago Pago Harbor |
During World War II, Marines stationed in Samoa outnumbered the local population and had a huge cultural influence.
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| Lou uses old battlements as an observation deck |
Young Samoan men from age 14 and above were combat-trained by U.S. military personnel. Samoans served in various capacities during World War II, including as combatants, medical personnel, code personnel and ship repairmen.
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| The all-Samoan Fita Fita Guard during WWII; Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command |
Due to the territory's strategic location, the military continues to have a significant presence and plays a major role in the economy and society. The territory is noted for having the highest rate of military enlistment per capita of any U.S. state or territory. I think everyone we met had served.
Tuna is the main export. The largest tuna processing plant in the world, owned by StarKist – complete with a statue of Charlie the Tuna – can be found on Tutuila.
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| Obligatory tourist activity |
Our guides mentioned the smell, but we didn’t notice it except once when we stopped to snap photos of Charlie. Strong winds have their benefits.
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| A huge part of the economy |
Tourism is underdeveloped, mainly because of the territory's geographic isolation, which also accounts for its high rate of poverty and emigration. There are also some geographic challenges: no protected waters for diving, limited land for airstrips, frequent rough surf, complicated land ownership laws. Still, I think if they spiffed up the lodging situation, they could bring in more visitors.
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| It certainly is beautiful in a very classic tropical paradise sort of way |
The basic unit of the American Samoa culture is the ʻaiga (family). It consists of both immediate and extended family. The matai, or chief, is the head of the ʻaiga.
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| The chief is the custodian of all ʻaiga properties |
A village (nuʻu) is made up of several or many ʻaiga with a common or shared interest. Each ʻaiga is represented by their chief in the village councils. People tend to live with their families in large houses that also sport even larger “guest houses,” which are open-air roofed facilities that somewhat resemble large group picnic shelters found in U.S. parks.
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Guest houses at Su'igaula Park |
Samoans have long avoided integration into the U.S. system, fearing that incorporation would undermine Samoan culture and traditional land ownership, with land being the biggest issue.
An interesting way that Samoans protect land ownership is to bury their family members on their land. Not in a cemetery or a secluded back corner, but right out in front. We saw elaborate graves and mausoleums on front porches, even flanking front doors.
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| Typical front yard tomb |
A chief on Ofu even has an enclosed guest house filled with graves with a lounge chair and big-screen TV in the middle.
Samoa has declined to establish a federal district court, refused birthright citizenship (people born there are considered "non-citizen nationals" with limited rights) and remains the only U.S. territory with its own immigration system. As a territory, Samoa has no voting representation in the U.S. Congress. Even though we flew from the U.S. to the U.S., passports were required.
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| My official passport stamp |
While the two Samoas share language and ethnicity, their cultures have followed different paths, with American Samoans often emigrating to Hawaiʻi and the U.S. mainland and adopting many U.S. customs, such as American football and baseball.
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| American Samoa-born Sisi Mauigoa is a guard for the New York Giants |
Samoans have tended to emigrate instead to New Zealand, whose influence has made the sports of rugby and cricket more popular there. We did see locals playing cricket on Ofu, however.
Samoans are warm, friendly people and there is virtually no serious crime. This may be partially a result of a family-based society where you fear your grandmother more than the local police.
In 1924, Margaret Mead arrived in American Samoa to begin fieldwork for her doctoral dissertation in anthropology at Columbia University. Her work, Coming of Age in Samoa, was published in 1928, at the time becoming the most widely read book in the field of anthropology.
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| Left: Mead with two Samoan girls; Right: Mead's groundbreaking book |
In 1966, President and First Lady Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson visited, with Mrs. Johnson dedicating the Manulele Tausala (Lady Bird) Elementary School in Nuʻuuli. LBJ is the only U.S. president to have visited American Samoa, while Lady Bird was the second First Lady, preceded by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1943.
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| Lady Bird with students; Photo: American Samoa Through the Years Facebook page |
The territory's only hospital is named LBJ Tropical Medical Center in honor of Johnson.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, American Samoa played a pivotal role in five of the Apollo Program missions. The astronauts landed several hundred miles from Pago Pago and were transported to the islands enroute home.
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| Apollo 13 crew in Pago Pago, 1970; Photo: NASA |
The National Park’s roots lie in an effort started in 1984 to protect Bats and rainforest.
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| The National Park's new logo features a stylized Bat |
Four years later, the Park was born, but the NPS could not buy the land because of American Samoa’s traditional communal land system. This was resolved in 1993, when the National Park Service entered into a 50-year lease for the Park land from the Samoan Village Councils. In 2002, the Park was expanded by 30 percent.
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| The 2009 tsunami destroyed the original Visitor Center/HQ, which have since been rebuilt |
Our tour was supposed to visit the three distinct islands – Tutuila, Taʻū and Ofu – that house parts of the National Park. But, rough seas prevented us from visiting Taʻū – a major disappointment.
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| We made it to Tutuila and Ofu |
Tutuila
We started our tour in Tutuila, home to 68 percent of the total land area.
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| Tutuila is also home to 95 percent of the population |
The island has a meandering coastline dotted with coves and bays ...
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| Looking down on one of many coves |
... and mountainous regions ...
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| With surprisingly few waterfalls (here's one) |
The highest point of which is Matafao Peak at 2,142 feet.
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| Rising above Pago Pago |
Tutuila's large natural harbor, Pago Pago Harbor, anchors Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa.
Its other prominent mountain is Rainmaker, which got its name because it traps rain clouds and gives Pago Pago the highest annual rainfall – about 200 inches a year – of any harbor.
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| Looking above the city with clouds forming at the peak |
Rainmaker comprises three mountain peaks: North Pioa, South Pioa and Sinapioa that range in elevation from 1,619 to 1,718 feet. The upper slopes are montane rainforest and the crest is montane scrub.
As we were traveling, we heard so many people say “Pango Pango” that I looked it up to see if I was spelling it wrong or if there was another town near Pago Pago with that similar name. Nope.
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| Looks like "Pango Pango" to me. Not! |
It turns out that, in Samoan, a G is pronounced NG, hence "Pango" instead of "Pago." I can’t decide how I should say it. Ditto with Samoa, which we tend to pronoun SAH-MOH-AH. Samoans say something like SAAH-MWAH that is very tricky to say.
Tutuila is small and narrow island, measuring roughly 21 miles across and little more than three miles from north to south at its widest point. The northern coast has steep cliffs and a rugged coastline.
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| Mountains descending into the ocean |
The southern part of the island has flatter terrain. Good beaches can be found many places.
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| The sandy beaches have lots of shells and coral |
Tutuila is dominated by lowland and montane rain forests with lots of scrub, bushes, mangroves, mangrove lagoons, reefs and submerged coral banks.
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| Bananas |
There are 19 species of land snails in the island out of which 11 are endemic and four are in threatened. I can’t recall seeing any.
A coastal road runs for 31 miles from Fagamalo in the northwest to Onenoao in the far northeast. Developed areas include: the Tafuna Urban Area, Fagatogo, Pago Pago, Vatia Village, Leone, Taputimu, Poloa, Amanave and Tula. I am not sure how many of those we touched.
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| I think we traveled to most of the island that is reachable by road |
Tour dates: June 7 - 29, 2026
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