O le Pupu Pue National Park has a notable conservation history: established in 1978, it was Samoa’s first national park and also the first national park in the South Pacific. Upolu is 75 kilometres long and covers 1,125 square kilometres. The founding year and island measurements offer two different points of reference: the park’s historical significance and the island’s geographic scale.

National Park and Pe’ape’a Caves

Nature experiences in O le Pupu Pue National Park include a hike to the Pe’ape’a Caves. A guided tour can be arranged through the park’s visitor information centre. If you would like to take this option, check the arrangements locally before your visit.

Caves, spring pools and marine life

Piula Cave Pool is a freshwater spring pool with a cave formed from an ancient lava tube. By contrast, To-Sua Ocean Trench is a 30-metre-deep swimming pool accessed by a long ladder. At Piula, the focus is on geological formation; at To-Sua, it is on the depth and the specific ladder access. This offers a way to compare the two water sites by their different natural features.

At Savaia Giant Clam Sanctuary, visitors can snorkel and, for a small fee, look for giant clams with a mask, snorkel and fins. The focus here is not on a cave or the shape of a pool, but on giant clams in the water. This is a distinctive feature among Upolu’s nature experiences.

South coast and getting around Upolu

Lalomanu Beach on Upolu’s south coast is lined with beach fales. This adds a specific beach feature to the picture of the island, alongside its caves and pools.

Faleolo International Airport is in the northwest of Upolu. Ways to get around the island include a private car, scooter, taxi and bus. You can weigh up which of these options suits your plans; availability may vary. Check in advance.

Samoa in a broader context

Looking at the wider destination of Samoa, the picture expands: the island nation comprises ten islands, four of which are inhabited—Upolu, Savai’i, Apolima and Manono. Cultural and historical experiences are also part of this broader perspective. At Sopoaga Waterfall, there is an area for demonstrations of umu preparation and coconut husking. The Robert Louis Stevenson Museum is said to be the place where Scottish poet and author Robert Louis Stevenson fell in love.

Palolo Deep Marine Reserve is about a five-minute walk from the centre of Apia; actual walking time may vary. According to Samoan tradition, Pa Sopo’ia Cave is an ancient route along which the spirits of ancestors travel to Devil’s Haden at Cape Mulinu’u, their final meeting place before Pulotu, the spirit world. These cultural and historical themes offer a different focus from the geological and marine nature features of the Upolu page.

Discover more destinations: Falease'ela, Solosolo, Aufaga, Lalomanu, Tafatafa, Tuana'i, Gagaifoolevao and Savai'i.

For the broader travel overview: Samoa.