Travel less than two hours past Fiji, one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations, and you land in a lesser-visited island paradise surrounded by breathtaking verdant scenery, majestic natural formations, and pristine sandy beaches.
Nestled in the heart of the Pacific Islands, Samoa humbly boasts natural wonders, glorious weather and authentic cultural immersion without the large, busy resorts and higher costs of some of its neighbours.
Moments after leaving Faleolo Airport – one of Samoa’s two international airports – a sense of sunny contentment settles around you as the sights and sounds of this picturesque Polynesian country come into focus, and your real-world worries melt away.
Everywhere you look is green and thriving – the sturdy banyan and swaying coconut trees, lush ferns, and shots of red hibiscus (known locally as ‘aute Samoa’). Everywhere, that is, except the mesmerising azure-blue of the ocean.
It’s easy to spend hours caught up in this reverie, cruising around the island’s coastal roads through sleepy villages, entranced by the relentlessly majestic scenery. Believe me, I’ve done it.
Nature overflows
Although the islands are rocky, formed by volcanic activity over millennia, Samoa’s tropical and humid climate (with temperatures that barely deviate from 23-30 degrees celsius throughout the year) gives rise to lush inland rainforests and cloud forests. 
Within this seemingly never-ending, untamed mountainous vegetation, expect to stumble across some of the most jaw-droppingly impressive waterfalls you’ve ever seen. The Papapapaitai, Sopoaga and Fuipisia Falls awe visitors with their towering height and majesty, their spectacular streams thundering up to 100 metres before plunging into cool swimming pools waiting eagerly below.
Totitogiga Waterfall offers an idyllic spot to absorb the island’s serenity and beauty, and Pappersea Sliding Rocks invites visitors to slip and slide through nature’s waterpark (as long as there’s been enough rain). On Savai’i, Afu Aau Waterfall unfolds itself into layers of crystalline pools, inviting visitors to swim again, and again, and again.
The tropical islands are ringed by coral reefs and shallow lagoons, making the destination a snorkeller’s dream. The delightfully warm waters (between 26 and 29 degrees celsius) are home to hundreds of species of fish, extraordinary giant clams, sea turtles, reef sharks and vivid coral. Some of the most stunning snorkelling spots are Lalomanu Beach, Matereva Beach, the Aleipata coastline and Falealupo on Savai’i. You can also swim out in the Palolo Deep Marine Reserve in Apia, or visit the amazing Giant Clam Sanctuary, located within a protected village marine area on Upolu. If scuba diving is your thing, Savai’i provides a fantastic array of soft and hard corals, canyons, swim-throughs, and even a wreck to explore.
Hot stuff
While there has been no volcanic activity in Samoa in over a century, the last eruption on Savai’i left an extraordinary mark. 
Mount Matavanu’s intermittent eruption during the years of 1905-1911 didn’t take any lives, but as it destroyed five villages it left in its wake the Saleaula Lava Fields.
These fascinating swathes of cooled lava rock are now a key tourist attraction and you can trace on foot where the lava flowed. This astonishing geological expanse is hardly broken, except where the volcanic flow has perfectly preserved the shell of a village church.
Where the shorelines aren’t decorated with soft sandy beaches, they’re marked by cliffs and caves formed by lava flows.The Piula Cave Pool is a beautiful, crystal-clear freshwater spring pool, partly protected by a cave that originated from an old lava tube. Swim in its fresh turquoise waters, wonder at the fluorescence in the cave pool, or relax on the deck.
Another result of Samoa’s lava formation is the To-Sua Ocean Trench, a tourist favourite and it’s not hard to see why. The Trench’s stunning waterhole is accessible down a 30-metre ladder, off of a wooden platform that can’t not invite child-like bombs and dives. And for the brave, an underwater cave connects the main swimming hole to a second hole that can be reached by swimming under the lava tubes that feed the Trench from the ocean.
Romance
You don’t need a filter to make Samoa look and feel like a dream. Its uninterrupted peace and tranquility, coupled with its picture-perfect backdrop of lush rainforest waterfalls and idyllic beaches make the islands the perfect place for romance. It’s easy to feel like you are the only people in the world as you explore secluded waterfalls off jungle-like tracks, splash in the temperate ocean beside empty golden beaches, and relax at sunset in local beach fales.
And if you’re looking for an engagement destination, Fuipisia Waterfall, devoid of people and providing a stunning soundscape, is the perfect backdrop for someone to get down on one knee and pop the question. No one’s saying ‘no’ in that setting, trust me.
This tiny paradise is one of those magical places that still offers something so hard to find these days: the untouched. It’s possible to venture into Samoa’s inland forests, dip in its cave pools and relax on its beaches without not only seeing another soul, but without feeling anyone else has ever touched foot there before.
