Put Samoa on Your Radar

There are six islands in total that make up Samoa.

Most of the population lives in Upolu, which is also the home of the country's capital, Apia and Faleolo International Airport. Savaii, referred to by locals as the Big Island, is larger in size but has a significantly smaller population.

American Samoa is not part of Samoa. American Samoa is owned by the United States government, a prize of post-World War II negotiations. You need to show your passport to travel between them. Small planes fly between them multiple times a day (a 35-minute flight), making it an easy side adventure, even as a day trip.

Traditional Lifestyle and Culture Loom Large

Despite being occupied by the Germans, Brits, Americans and New Zealand at different times, Samoa gained its independence in 1962 without skipping a beat, culturally speaking.

The lifestyle in the Samoan Islands is still very much rural and traditional, save for the small pocket of Western influence in Apia. Village life is the way, each one with its own customs and landscapes. For the most part, families live in open-aired pavilions, called "fales" and cook over an open flame.

Taking a village tour while you are there is a must.

No matter the village, Sunday is a day of rest and worship, when locals attend church and prepare an afternoon feast with their family, cooked in an earth oven called an "umu." The ritual is taken seriously-village chiefs or matais have been known to close beaches and surf breaks in observation of the day.

Always check your local listings if you find yourself there on a Sunday, so as not to disobey local law. Most villages welcome guests at church, so feel free to go along. You might end up with an invitation back to a barbecue.

Its Natural Beauty Has Everything

Ocean, mountains, plantations, lava fields, waterfalls, blowholes: Samoa's volcanic creation has left it with dramatic landscapes of all kind. The relaxed nature of tourism means that you can visit many beautiful places just off the road without overcrowding.

On Upolu, try the white-sand Lalomanu Beach, lined with rent-by-the-night fales or Samoa's most famous attraction (for good reason), the To Sua Ocean Trench, a collapsed lava tube that now serves as a majestic, giant swimming hole. Sopoaga Falls is the place you want to have a picnic.

On Savaii, Afu Aau Waterfall is right off the road and a spectacular place for a waterfall swim.

The Country is a Food Basket

The continued functionality of a Samoan village as a single unit means that many villagers are "unemployed" in the modern sense and instead contribute by working the village fields or tending to chores.

Samoa is blessed with volcanic soil and friendly growing conditions, meaning that living off the land without money has never been an issue for its inhabitants. Coconuts, bananas and taro grow in abundance; families raise pigs and fish for their daily catch. As one local put it, "no one here is afraid to have kids, for fear they would starve. We can all have big families."

Because most lodging options in Samoa are built in conjunction with a village (and most restaurants are located at the hotels), you will enjoy local produce and fresh-caught fish on every menu.

If You Go

Fiji Airways flies from Los Angeles to Apia via Honolulu or Nadi. The routing makes it easy to kill two birds with one stone by visiting Samoa in conjunction with Fiji or Hawaii.

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