Savai'i
These powerful blowholes are among the most spectacular on Earth, and well worth going out of your way for. Strong waves are pushed through a series of…
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Savai'i
Samoa’s ‘Big Island’ offers a spectacular scenic smorgasbord of riotous rainforest, sea-smashed cliffs, pristine waterfalls and ragged volcanic cones (around 450 of them). Though visitors will be taken by Savai’i’s gentle, snoozy ambience, the island itself – the largest shield volcano in the South Pacific – has volatile tendencies, most dramatically displayed in the eerie lava fields, village ruins and craters of the north and the explosive blowholes of the south coast.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
-
Savai'i
Polynesia’s largest ancient structure is the intriguing, pyramidal Pulemelei Mound (sometimes called Tia Seu Ancient Mound). Constructed sometime between…
-
Savai'i
If you've got a 4WD and a sturdy pair of boots, a visit to the volcano responsible for the devastation visited upon northeastern Savai’i a century ago is…
-
Savai'i
This intriguing subterranean lava tube leads downwards as if to the centre of the earth. The cave is named after a legendary group of dwarves, who…
-
Tafua Peninsula Rainforest Preserve
Savai'i
This preserve contains superb stands of rainforest and rugged stretches of lava coast studded with cliffs and sea arches. A highlight is the Tafua Savai’i…
-
Savai'i
The country's most western point is not only gorgeously scenic (until Samoa hopped the dateline, it was the last place in the world the sun set each day),…
-
Savai'i
This striking spot offers a fascinating glimpse at the destruction wrought by the 1905 eruption of Mt Matavanu. Most photogenic is the ruined LMS Church:…
-
Savai'i
This wobbly walk takes you across a 24m jerry-built bridge strung between two large trees almost 10m above the rainforest floor. After you cross the…