Apia to Pago Pago?

Hi.

Could anyone advise if a day trip(with possibly an overnight stay) from Apia to Pago Pago is feasible and, indeed, worth the effort?

Cheers

Possible to do just a day trip, but totally worth spending a few nights. American Samoa is so much better than Samoa - better scenery, friendlier people, better bus system, no tourists, and none of the visitor fees that you encounter everywhere in Samoa.

If you insist on only a day trip, flights start at about 8am and then go till 5pm, though it varies from day to day. I think the roundtrip flight is around $130-$150 from what I recall.

There are some cool day trips here all accessible by bus or foot. All free except the kayak tour of the harbor. (kayak rental is $10.) Still worth it.

The podcasts are free to download. You can hop on a bus and take the audio tour that way. They are an instant introduction to Samoan history, culture, society, voyaging and environment

http://amsamoa-busycorner.blogspot.com/

Couple of cheap overnights in town are walking distance to the market where you can catch the bus and buy cheap food.

Scanlan's Hotel and Evalani's Motel. Both clean and safe.

Enjoy your time in pago if that is your choice.

From Pago, JW

Thanks for the input. Some good ideas there.
I wish that I had more time but committed to accommodation in Upolu.
I guess there'll be no quick visit to Ofu Beach then?

Would be interesting to read about your impressions, when having visited both Samoas.

I will also be glad to hear especially how you solved the accommodation problem there. Apparently, there seems to be no beds under US$25 per head :-(

Alas, I didn't make it to Pago. Maybe next trip.

I am planning a day trip to America Samoa from Apia in April this year. Is it just me or finding out anything for either Samoa is just a little too hard. I have now sent three emails to Oceania Travel and Tours, a company that does day trips to find out more information only to have been ignored three times. I am finding the whole experience of travelling to Samoa a little tiring. Maybe I should think of somewhere else to go to. I am an anal solo traveller that likes to have all the information and tours booked etc before leaving so I don't have to worry about anything and I spend more time sightseeing than finding out about things to do once I am there. Can anyone help me out with tour groups especially for America Samoa but also tour companys/tours that would recommend? Thanks. Sharon, Melbourne

If you want everything to arranged in advance, then indeed you should consider somewhere other than Samoa. It's a third world country where tourism is a relatively new and poorly understood thing. Fiji, the Cooks, and Tahiti have a much more developed tourism industry where it's much easier to plan ahead from overseas.

The internet is still a pretty foreign thing in Samoa. Outside of Apia, internet access is basically non-existent. As such, internet inquiries and support are often poor when trying to make arrangements online. Many Samoan's have poor English skills as well, so that's another barrier to communication.

American Samoa is more modern, but the tourism industry is basically non-existent, hence the difficulty of finding information about it and the unlikelihood of a tour company surviving there. Unless you happen to show up when a sporadic cruise ship has stopped by, it's unlikely you'll encounter other tourists. I'd recommend contacting Tisa (tisasbarefootbar.com) and seeing what sort of tour she might be able to provide. Her son Jayson gave me a free informal tour out to Aunu'u while I was staying at her place.