FREE | How to Get to American Samoa from Samoa

American Samoa

@visitplanetemily

American Samoa is a remote U.S. territory in the South Pacific, known for its lush landscapes, vibrant Polynesian culture, and stunning coral reefs.

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This information was correct at the time of writing: Tuesday 05 September 2023. 

Step One: Book Your Flight

We booked our flight with Talofa Airways. The website was really easy to navigate and made it straight forward for us to book our flight. The booking confirmation also made it clear that it included any entry/exit taxes. There was also another airline, Samoa Airways, however, we couldn't find any information online at the time on how to book with them.

Important:

When you fly from Samoa to American Samoa you cross the international date line! Make sure you book your flights on the correct day. Fortunately, when booking our flight with Talofa Airways, it made this really straight forward as you could see clearly that you would arrive and depart on different days.

For example:

If you're going to American Samoa on a day trip (like us) your route may look something like this:

Monday 04 September 08:00 - departure Apia, Samoa

Sunday 03 September 08:30 - arrival Pago Pago, American Samoa

Sunday 03 September 16:00 - departure Pago Pago, American Samoa

Monday 04 September 16:30 - arrival Apia, Samoa

Step Two: Entry Requirements

Get your 'OK Board' - this is essentially like a visa for American Samoa. 

You do not need an ESTA to visit American Samoa, they have their own immigration policies, separate to the USA.

You can find out more information about the entry requirements specific to your nationality on their website:

American Samoa Legal Affairs

www.legalaffairs.as.gov

Step Three: Organising Your Tour

We made a mistake here. 

There were no taxis when we arrived in Pago Pago Airport.

Our plan for our day trip to American Samoa was to 'wing it' - we'll arrive at the airport, grab a taxi, and ask them to take us to the National Park. Oh, if only it was that easy.

Maybe there was someone that could have called us a taxi, however, there was nothing obvious.

Fortunately, a taxi just pulled up, and they agreed to take us to the National Park Office, and off we went.

The Office was closed that morning... and actually, it was nowhere near the National Park. Our kind taxi driver then offered to take us to the National Park itself.

When we arrived at the walk, we quickly realised we were in the middle of nowhere. Again, our kind taxi driver offered to wait for us whilst we enjoyed our walk.

We ended up having a tour of the whole island with this man. We paid $200 for the day.

In hindsight...

We should have organised a tour in advance of our trip.

As we did wing it, the only advice I can offer on finding a tour is, to google it.

The day before we actually did google it, and contacted someone via WhatsApp who provided us with some advice on how much to pay for a private tour. Unfortunately, they were booked up for the day we wanted.

What to See

National Park of American Samoa

@visitplanetemily

There are plenty of walks to do, however the one we did took us to an amazing view of Motu o Pola / Pola Island. It was about 20/25 minutes through the jungle and out onto the rocks for an incredible view!

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Pola Island

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This was the beautiful island we saw from the viewpoint.

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Pago Pago

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The capital city of American Samoa. You'll no doubt find yourself in this area as you drive around the island.

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Vailoatai

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One of our stops where there was a beautiful sea view on the other side of the island.

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Vaitogi

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Another beautiful coastal stop, where we were told a story about how people would sing a song and turtles and sharks would swim to the top of the water. We did actually see a couple of turtles!

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Things to Know

Currency: United States Dollar (USD)

Languages: Samoan, English

Cuisine: Samoan, American