Getting around on Savaii

Hi folks

My wife and I are travelling to Samoa at the end of August and spending 6 nights in Manase on Savaii. We are planning to travel direct from Faleolo Airport on the island ferry to Savaii and are weighing up our transport options once we are on Savaii. Given that we'll be spending half the time on the beach it seems overkill to hire a car for the whole time we are on Savaii but we also like to have flexibility and it sounds like Manase is a good hour from the only town that hires rental vehicles. We were wanting some advice on
- how easy it is to get around Savaii on public transport
- pluses and minuses of using tour operators to see all the sights on the island
- if we hire a car in Salelologa whether we should pre-book from NZ and
- whether any of the car rental operators in Salelologa can do the endorsement of your NZ Drivers licence (we really don't want to have to make a detour into Apia as we will be staying there at the end of our trip!).

Thanks for any words of wisdom out there.

titirnagi matt

It is not easy to get around Suvaii on public transport. When you get off the ferry the buses are lined up to take you to Manese and the other locations, but once there it is time consuming to get any where else.
We rented a car to see the sights,which can be seen in a day or two depending on what you like and how long you want to spend at each sight.
I don't know about the tour operators, but I am sure some one else can enlighten you on those things.
I know when we were there last year, some people we ran into couldn't rent cars because there was no where in Savaii to get a Samoan drivers licsense. We got ours in Apia. This is an easy thing to do and usually the rental agencies will help out.
I would imagine you are getting in somtime in the morning and if you want to get a licence it may be worth while to make the detour to Apia. I know it was worth it for us to have a car for a couple to days to just meander around and spend the time we felt appropriate at the various destiinations that Savaii is noted for.
Have a great holiday

Cheers

I agree with everything Matt was writing regarding exploring Savai'i by car - I'll add one bit of practical knowledge that helped me out ... the place to rent a vehicle if you're staying in Manase is from a guy named Andy who runs a rental outlet across from Dive Savai'i in Fangamalo. You can rent a Suzuki 2 door for 92 tala per day all included and he'll pick you up/drop you off at your beach fale in Manase. Very nice guy too - this is highly recommended. Enjoy!

Hi!!

I stayed at Manase just over a year ago and did and mentioned to them that I was interested in doing an island tour. They spread the word and Eti (maybe it was Eddie) came and told us he could take us around. So I spread the word to the ppl staying there and 6 of us went on a full day tour all the way around the island. It was awesome. He knew all the places to go, and where to stay in the car so we didnt have to pay the 4 tala just for getting out of the car basically and what not. Great tour guide... Hope this helps!

Wish I was going back!

Cheers,
Allison = )

Hey Matt

We just got back from Samoa.........wish we were still there!!!!

Savaii public transport is a no goer mate, we hitched a couple of times from Manase and caught taxis another time. When we go back next year we will hire a 4wd and cruise around at our own pace. We did a day tour with the guy from Tanu's Fale (cant remember his name) but it was well worth it. 85 Tala each i think

We dont usually do tours, but this one was awesome, blowholes, waterfall swim, canopy walk, market, great humour and very very informative whilst being a good laugh. He was raised in Palmy so he's English is great.

If you do hire a car, make it a 4wd and always park it as if you were about to leave. Theres a few places where one minute a nice quiet tranquil spot fills up with 3 van loads of aussies. kiwis and Samoans and they dont mind blocking you in for an hour or two.

Have a great trip

Hikoi