Savaii Taster
Explore the best parts of Savaii over 4 days
Explore the beaches and lagoons of Savaii and visit Afu Aau falls and the blowholes. Travel is by bike and van or just by van. Savaii is the big island of Samoa. Bigger than Upolu, but lacking the international gateways of Apia port and airport it is a place where life continues at a slower, more traditional and relaxed pace. It also has the best beaches in Samoa and with the blowholes and Afu Aau falls has some of the best natural attractions of Samoa. Highlights include:
- Snorkelling in coral gardens
- Safe swimming on idyllic beaches
- Stunning sunsets on coral sand beaches
- Lava caves
- Blowholes
- Lava fields
Over the 3-4 days and 2-3 nights you will circumnavigate Savaii (200kms) stopping regularly at villages, freshwater pools and beaches to swim. There are opportunities each day to snorkel in safe lagoons where we often encounter turtles. The tour can be undertaken as a van tour only, but we encourage everyone to ride some bits as it is the best opportunity to experience Samoa and meet the locals.
Cycling
Ride as much or as little as you want
Fully guided
Vehicle based guide will support riders and transport non-riders while providing introductions and explanations of events, locations and culture.
Beaches
Stunning white-sand beaches with safe swimming in coral lagoons.
Packages Available
Regular departures for groups of up to eight. Or get your own group together and book a private trip for 2-16 people.
More Info
Tour Details
Take a quick 3-4 day tour of Savaii by a mixture of cycle and van.
A great way to experience Savaii on a limited time frame.
The trip can be undertaken just as a van tour, but we encourage everyone to ride at least some sections as a bike is the best way to meet and experience Samoa.
Ride as little as you want. Generally we encourage riding at least 20kms a day.
The map below also includes an elevation view.
We offer both motel/resort options and Beach Fale accommodation.
The fales are all on superb beaches and offer an insight into village life, while the resorts offer the comforts of home.
The beach Fales (pronounced far-lays) are provided by the villages and consist of thatched roofs, matting sides, and wooden floors.
The huts are often in the most stunning settings and allow you to sit or lie on your bed and look out across the beach to the most amazing sunsets. Breakfast and dinner are included and served in a common dining room and the bathrooms are shared facilities. Mattresses, pillows, mosquito nets and bed sheets are included.
The fales are equivalent to a permanent campsite and the more traditional ones are often a highlight for guests. Fale resorts are changing with the times and some offer lockable rooms, corrugated iron roofs, hot showers and ensuites. However, the traditional fales are often cooler and much more pleasant.
Savaii Taster Tours can start on any day but will often work best if started on a Monday or Tuesday.
Note – Starts on almost any day are possible.
Price for 2 people – $1,180 NZD pp
Price for group of 4 booking together – $1,000 NZD pp
Trips are confirmed once 2 people are booked.
Single supplements on request and as available.
Maximum group size for set departures of Savaii Taster is 4.
The Savaii Taster is normally run as a custom tour for groups of 2-16.
It can be modified to include extra days or different accommodation options.
A small number of upgrades to ensuite fales are available.
The resorts offer a variety of room options.
Fitness Required
The cycle can be just an excuse to see the villages and coast, or a major form of exercise and fitness. You decide.
The beaches, lagoons and pools provide safe, easy bathing and opportunities to learn to snorkel, while there are opportunities for confident swimmers and snorkelers to extend out further.
Additions and ebikes
Add on kayaking days, a van tour of Upolu or upgrade accommodation. Just ask for ideas and a quote.
We have a limited number of ebikes available for an added charge.
If you want to have a larger group or want to add extra days within the itinerary we will happily provide a custom tour quote.
Dates to be added when travel to Samoa recommences
While we offer this tripas a shared group tour with standard departure dates, it works best as a custom tour where the group can easily agree priorities on what to see and how much to ride (four days is not enough to see everything that is well worth seeing)
Day 1
Tua O Maauga (Outback Motel) (1 night)
A simple motel about 20 minutes from Outdoor Samoa that is convenient for evening arrivals.
Meals: Breakfast included. For those on afternoon flights there is a basic dinner menu available for purchase. If arriving on the late flights ensure that you have eaten on the flight or have snacks with you.
Day 2
Savaii Overview
While the trip includes 200kms of cycling it is as much a beach holiday and cultural experience. There is so much to see that you will seldom ride for even an hour without stopping to chat or investigate the blowholes, waterfalls, village crafts (mat and Tapa cloth making), lava fields, volcanic cones, villages and remarkable beaches. Even on riding days, you will generally have the afternoons free to read, snorkel, explore or just enjoy a drink on the beach outside your fale or motel unit.
Dates and times are local time - Samoa is 1 hour ahead of New Zealand.
Savaii full support van included – On cycle days the van will transport gear and support the riders, giving lifts if required. It will travel at the pace of the slowest cyclist. The support driver will ensure that you see the scenic attractions and can explain the Samoan customs and culture. Filtered water and picnic gear available for the use of group on cycle days.
Generally, the driver will expect you to be ready to start riding at 8am each morning to avoid riding at the hottest time of day. The van will leap-frog the riders, stopping at points of interest and junctions. His focus is on the slower riders and people wishing to travel faster, may do so independently. The driver can organise picnic lunches for a small fee.
Touring Bike Hire (9 days)
Touring Bike Hire , 09 Days
Briefing
Meet the Outdoor Samoa team, get your bike fitted and receive a briefing on cycling and your route.
Lauiula Beach Fales (1 night)
Lauiula Beach Fales are on a white sand beach beside a clear lagoon. This is a great place to learn to snorkel or brush up on snorkelling confidence as the shallow, sandy lagoon has regular coral outcrops, but plenty of places to stand up. To see turtles - take your eyes off the coral and tropical fish and look out towards the reef. In the 28 degree water you can stay in as long as you want.
Lauiula occasionally organise a traditional umu demonstration which you then eat for dinner followed by a fiafia evening. The small surcharge is well worth paying.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner are included
Day 3
Tailua Beach Fales (1 night)
These well run fales beside the beach are the ideal place to relax.
Manase has the biggest collection of beach resorts on the island and nearby Fagamolo has Le lagoto and Savaii Lagoon Resorts. Leap in for a swim before settling down with a well-earned beer.
Swimming and snorkelling from the sandy beaches are the obvious attractions, but for better snorkelling take the 3-4 hour Dive Savaii trip out to the reef and wreck (tide dependent), walk/cycle west to the next rocky bay or swim out from Fagamolo.
There are usually turtles around the small rock islands beside Reginas.
Ride 8km to Mt Matavanu crater, the source of the 1905 lava field. Admission is 15 Tala. It’s a tough ride up, climbing 550m to the cloud forest, but a thrilling descent.
Explore the Dwarfs Cave (take a torch each). This is a pool and drop lava tube cave. To explore the final section involves swimming across a pool, and coming back involves a short, steep climb, so go only as far as you are equipped/experienced and allow most of the day.
Meals: Dinner and Breakfast Included
Day 4
Va-i-moana Seaside Lodge (2 nights)
Va-i-moana is a popular seaside motel with good swimming from their private beach. Ride-on kayaks are available for guests to visit the nearby island and game fishing charters cn be arranged. The beachside rooms are often treated to a parade of turtles past their wooden balconies.
Those with enough energy to move beyond the beach and bar should arrange a tour of the cocoa processing factory that supplies Whittakers or ride to Vaisala to snorkel amongst the coral of their lagoon.
Meals: Continental Breakfast and Dinner are included
Day 5
Day 6
Falealupo Beach Fales (1 night)
Falealupo Beach is a beautiful isolated white sand beach set beside a small private lagoon at the western end of Savaii. The weather is nearly always clear with stunning sunsets while the shallow lagoon is always safe and inviting with a good variety of fish and coral. The fales are basic and facilities are limited, but the setting and hosts make this a special spot.
It is sometimes possible to get an upgrade on the day to an ensuite fale.
Meals: Dinner and breakfast included
Day 7
Satuiatua Beach Resort (2 nights)
Satuiatua Beach Fales are located on a white sand beach in the shade of giant banyan trees.
A highlight is drift snorkelling through the marine reserve beside the Fales. Here you will see plenty of coral, a wide variety of tropical fish and the occasional turtle. The lagoon is only deep enough above half tide, so whale watch from the bar, swing from the banyans, or just laze and swim.
There is surfing at the reef entrance (the resort sometimes hires boards and paddle boards), but only attempt this if you are an experienced surfer.
Meals: Dinner and breakfast included
Day 8
Day 9
Florence's Place (1 night)
Florence's Place is about 3kms past the Afu Aau falls in the village of Palauli so you can check in and ride back to the falls, or stop on the way. Florence’s Place is a homestay run by Kelvin and Ruth who are rebuilding the old family plantation. They have many interesting stories to tell and a tour of the plantation is well worth while.
Meals: Dinner and breakfast included.
Day 10
ACCOMMODATION
The fale resorts can be best thought of as camping style. They have good, waterproof roofs, solid wooden floors, matting sides, mosquito nets, bedding, pillows and mattresses. Bathrooms are shared and dining is usually from a limited or set menu. Allocation of specific fales for singles/doubles cannot always be guaranteed within your group during busy periods due to limitations with fale resort booking practices. The fale locations and the hospitality often make these the magic nights of your trip.
Motel standard accommodation provides motel/hotel like rooms with ensuite facilities.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY - DRESS CODE:
As Samoa is a very traditional country and the people deeply religious we recommend a modest dress code when cycling through villages. Tight lycra shorts should be covered with baggy shorts (or even a skirt for women).
When kayaking it is appropriate for women to have a sarong/lava lava handy to cover up when landing. Respect is especially important on Sunday as it is traditionally a day of rest in Samoa.
Your experience and interaction with the Samoan people and their culture will be enhanced by showing this appropriate cultural sensitivity.
PRICING:
See accompanying email for pricing details