Upolu is the “small” island in Samoa, and is the main arrival where the capital, Apia, is located, as well as the international airport. There is so much to do on this island, especially if you enjoy hiking, snorkelling, and sleeping on the beach

Cross Island Road

Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, Tomb, and Trail

Papapapaitai Falls

Lanoto’o Crater Lake

There are other guides online explaining how you can get to the Lanoto’o Crater Lake, however I issue a word of caution: if it has been rainy recently, it can be very difficult to get here, and I strongly suggest hiring a local guide. You can ask around the towns nearby if anyone knows a guide interested in taking you. I asked one local who said he was busy that day, and cautioned me against going alone as the path is not maintained and very hard to find. I should have listened!

Firstly, the road there is full of ruts and difficult to get to – if you have a 4wd you should be ok, a Rav4 should get you within a 15 minute walk of the entrance, but a small 2wd won’t get you down this road and you may be left walking a long time before the trailhead commences.

As I went solo, I parked my 4wd near the trailhead and messaged a friend with my geolocation and told him to raise an alarm if I hadn’t responded within 8 hours. It’s supposed to be a 2 hour return hike, so I figured this would be enough time. Wrong.

Firstly, there’s no clear path, but there are plenty of cattle tracks. I followed a few paths that seemed very distinguished, only to realise that I was following animal tracks, or led straight into mud swamps. At some points, I was knee deep in mud. I doubled back several times and followed new paths but all led to dead ends or deep bush. Eventually, I decided to try find my way there based on GPS location and position of the sun. I walked through some incredible fields and saw some amazing views, but didn’t find where I was looking for. I climbed to the top of several nearby hills but still couldn’t see anywhere that looked to be the right hill, even with GPS.

Eventually after around 5 hours of looking, the clouds came in and the sun vanished, making it very challenging to navigate North, South, East, and West. This was my cue to go before the rain kicked in. I head back in the direction of my car but ended up losing the path I’d originally taken, despite taking pictures of memorable trees as landmarks at every point. The mud was thick and heavy, and very difficult to push through.

I eventually made it back to the car after 7.5 hours of hiking and searching. The second I got into the car, the clouds opened and the torrential rain set in! I was very fortunate and grateful to the forces that let me get to safety before the rain began, but this whole day was full of close calls!

So this is my warning to you – even experienced hikers and navigators can get very lost. Absolutely do not attempt this trail without a local guide during wet season – there were a dozen possible paths I tried and none of them were correct. And I’d still strongly recommend a local guide during dry season – either ask in the towns nearby, at your accommodation, or at the Samoa Cultural Village for a contact number of someone to take you there!

Papaseea Sliding Rocks

5 Tala

Le-Fale-O-Le-Fe'e

Samoan megalithic pre-historical landmark.

Richardson Road & Le Mafa Pass Road

Fuipisia Waterfall

The entrance fee to Fuipisia Waterfall is 20 Tala, which gives you access to two lookout points of two different waterfalls. It’s a beautiful view from the top, located along the main road, and it is easy to get to the top of the falls. Here you can bird watch, enjoy the waterfall view, or take a little dip at the top of the waterfall.

If you’re the adventurous sort, ask the family about visiting the bottom of the falls. If you’re not a local, you will need a guide – the path is not maintained and is very hard to find. One of the teenage boys in the family agreed to take us and cut the way for us with a machete down to the river. He didn’t set a fee so we tipped his mother 20 tala. As soon as we got down to the river though, he went back up and left us alone – so make sure you pay attention to the path you take to get down! From there we walked through the river to the waterfalls – I had water shoes, although my travel buddy went in sandals and was also fine. The path down is steep, overgrown, and very slippery, so only attempt this if you are confident. We also took a few wrong turns on the way back up and had to back track, so make sure to do this earlier in the day to ensure you have plenty of time to find your way back. The experience was a great hike and it was beautiful to enjoy the waterfall to ourselves down the bottom.

Sopo-aga Falls Viewpoint

10 Tala

Falefa Falls 

Piula Cave Pool

The Piula Cave Pool is a very popular tourist spot in Upolu and well worth the visit. It boasts crystal clear water leading into a low but long cave at the back.  Without a snorkel you can still see all the fish swimming around and see each stone on the bottom, even though it's too deep to touch foot.

Piula opens at 8am, and gets busy from 10am onwards. I strongly recommend going early in the morning. If you’re heading there from the south, you’ll be able to hop on one of the local busses taking the morning route to Apia (ask your Fale host what time the busses go). If you’re heading from Apia, you may need to take a taxi.

South of the Island

Aganoa Black Sand Beach

Lava Field Coastal Walkway

O Le Pupu-Pue National Park

Togitogiga Waterfall

To Sua Ocean Trench

It will cost you 20 Tala to enter the To Sua Ocean Trench, and this is a must visit while in Upolu!. To-Sua, meaning “giant swimming hole” is an open cave that leads to the sea. When in the hole, you can actually feel the tide pull you back and forth. There is a rope within the hole that you can hold onto if you’re not a strong swimmer and this will help guide you back to the central platform if you need.

To get down into the ocean trench you need to climb down a long wooden ladder. This is slippery and there is no other way down, so only do this if you are comfortable with your balance. It is a frequently visited tourist destination, so we strongly suggest visiting early in the morning. If you’re staying at any of the south coast fales, ask your host what time the morning bus goes past to take workers to Apia for the day, and you’ll be able to catch that bus for 3 Tala. Otherwise, you can ask your accommodation to organise a taxi for you.

We recommend bring a waterproof camera / phone / GoPro so that you can capture pictures without ruining your phone. Everything is wet and slippery, so do not bring a phone that could be damaged by water!

Vavau Beach

Lalomano Beach

-              Best Sashimi here – for only 18 Tala!

Namu’a / Turtle Island

To get to Namua Island or Turtle Island, you can take a banana boat from Malaela jetty (-14.024764, -171.426351). The boats are organised by the owner of Namu’a Island Beach Fales, and you can stay overnight on the island if you wish. Contact them via WhatsApp to organise a visit or an overnight stay:

+685 26940

+685 7510231

+685 7588209

I went early morning and waited until another group of tourists were going, and jumped in their boat. If no one is there, just ask at the shop across the road. As most places in the Pacific, there isn’t a “schedule” and trips depend on when there are tourists interested in going.

It cost 50 tala for the return trip, which takes 5-15 minutes to get there, depending on how many turtle stops you take. You will definitely see turtles during the crossing, and often the guides will jump in to pick up the turtles for tourists to take pictures with them. We strongly encourage to tell your guide that you don’t want to do this, and that you’d prefer the turtles stay in the water where they belong. They only pick up the turtles because tourists want that, so be a part of the change you’d like to see!

There are no rental facilities or food stores on Namua, so bring your own drinking water, packed lunch, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, snorkel, mask, and flippers. It is a

For an overnight stay, it will cost around 150 tala, which includes the boat, the fale to sleep in, and breakfast and dinner. As a solo traveller, I’d rather stay in a community fale with the locals, but couples and introverted travellers may enjoy a night on the island. When organising to stay overnight, you can also ask the owners if there is anyone else on the island that night or if you’ll have it to yourself. If you’re travelling during low season (February and March – also known as Cyclone Season) you’re more likely to have it alone.

West of the Island

Giant Clam Sanctuary

Falease’ela River Walk

Manono Island