Paleotropical rain forests, pristine coral reefs, and magnificent white-sand beaches await visitors to American Samoa. Unique tropical animals will greet you, including the flying fox, Pacific boa, tortoises, and an array of birds and fish.

Located about 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, this is the most remote national park in the United States. It is also one of the newest, authorized October 31, 1988, and officially established in 1993, when a 50-year lease was signed. There are no federally owned lands; parkland is leased from native villages and from the American Samoa government. The park preserves the only mixed species paleotropical rainforest in the United States. In keeping with the meaning of the word Samoa "sacred earth" the park helps protect "faasamoa," the customs, beliefs, and traditions of the 3,000-year-old Samoan culture.

As a visitor to the National Park of American Samoa, you have the opportunity to see lands and waters that are largely undeveloped. You will not find the usual facilities of most national parks. Instead, with the explorer's spirit, you will discover secluded villages, rare flora and fauna, coral sand beaches, and spectacular vistas of land and sea.

The 10,500-acre park includes sections of three islands - Tutuila, Tau, and Ofu. From the mountaintops to the coast, almost all the land area of these volcanic islands is rainforest. About 2,500 acres of the park is underwater, offshore from the islands.

On the main island of Tutuila, the park area contains a major expanse of undisturbed native rainforest. The forest here is composed of coastal, lowland montane, and ridge communities. The park area also contains the most significant seabird-nesting site on Tutuila. The shoreline along the north coast is highly scenic, containing sheer cliffs, knife-like ridges, and sheltered coves.

The 5,000-acre unit on the island of Tau is the largest, and is mostly an undisturbed rainforest. It includes coastal, lowland, montane, and cloud forest communities. The latter is the largest such community in American Samoa. The spectacular sea cliffs along the south coast of Tau are some of the most magnificent, natural spots in all of American Samoa. On a rare, clear day, the view from the cloud forest toward the southern coast rivals the worlds scenic wonders. Laufuti Falls, which drops more than 1,500 feet, is spectacular.

The Ofu unit of the park consists primarily of what many call Samoas loveliest beach and one of the best examples of a healthy coral reef in the Pacific.

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General Information

Address

Superintendent
The National Park of American Samoa
Pago Pago, AS 96799
Telephone: 684-633-7082
Fax: 684-633-7085

Location

American Samoa is located 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii.

Directions

The nearest airport is Pago Pago International Airport on Tutuila.

Transportation

There are frequent flights from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Pago Pago International Airport on Tutuila. Regularly scheduled flights (small planes) serve park areas on Ofu and Tau, and the nearby nation of Samoa.

Local "Aiga" buses travel to Tutuila from dawn to dusk.

Taxi service and rental cars are available.

Recommended Activities & Park Use

Hiking, bird watching, and snorkeling are popular pursuits.

Fees

There is no entrance fee to the park.

Camping & Lodging

Camping is prohibited within the park. Parkland is leased from private landowners; camping requires the permission of landowners. There is hotel-style lodging on all three islands.

Food & Supplies

Provisions are available in villages near the park.

General Information

Visitors should not expect typical developed mainland facilities and service standards. Contact park headquarters for trip-planning information.

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History

Important cultural resources, including legendary and archeological sites, and at least one prehistoric village, are known to exist within the national park. The U.S. Congress authorized the National Park of American Samoa in September 1993, when a 50-year lease was signed between the National Park Service and the American Samoa government representing the villages of the park. This is the only U.S. national park in which the federal government leases land.

The idea of a national park fits well and naturally with the Samoan tradition. From Samoa, seafaring explorers and settlers journeyed to other Polynesian Island groups hundreds of miles away. For some 3,000 years, Samoans, the people of Polynesias oldest culture, have been well tuned to their island environment, holding it to be precious and managing it communally. The name they gave their land reflects their attitude; Samoa means "sacred earth." Land, water, and food sources are managed in order to sustain them for the future. Samoan culture, customs, and tradition emphasize the importance of the extended family, the aiga. A chief, or matai, manages Aigas lands for the common good.

In the National Park of American Samoa, the land tenure and jurisdiction remain quite different from other national parks. The federal government must have a lease agreement with the American Samoa government before the public may actually use the village lands. There is to be no taking of lands by the government for park purposes. Moreover, the villages are able to continue to use certain land for traditional subsistence and gathering activities. Before Congress authorized the park, Samoan chiefs agreed in principle to lease portions of their lands for such use. Representatives for both the secretary of the Interior and the governor of American Samoa have negotiated these land-lease arrangements.

The American Samoa National Park will be a difficult test of diplomacy between two completely different land tenure philosophies. On one side is the English surveyed, deeded, and written system of record-keeping; on the other, the South Seas matai-communal land arrangement that is kept by oral custom. By designating the park, Congress provided a rare opportunity to conserve a piece of South Pacific wilderness and to prevent problems such as over-development and invasion by non-natives.

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Reservation Information

There is no entrance fee and there are no campgrounds in the park so permits are not required. Parkland is leased from private landowners, therefore, camping requires the permission of landowners. Lodging is available outside the park.

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