OVER THE WEEKEND OF 10-11TH
FEBRUARY 2018, SAMOA WAS BADLY AFFECTED BY TROPICAL CYCLONE GITA,
WHICH PASSED OVER THE ISLANDS. LUCKILY, THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE
ANY FATALITIES OR SERIOUS INJURIES, HOWEVER, THE CYCLONE HAS CAUSED
QUITE A BIT OF DAMAGE, ESPECIALLY FLOODING IN THE TOWN.
SEVERAL PROPERTIES HAVE HAD SOME MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE (ROOFS,
FENCES ETC) AND THERE IS A LOT OF DEBRIS, VEGETATION AND FALLEN
TREES AROUND, BUT A FEW HAVE BEEN BADLY AFFECTED BY FLOODING,
INCLUDING THE SHERATON AGGIE GREY HOTEL & BUNGALOWS, AND THE
TOWN OF APIA. OTHER THAN THAT PROPERTY, ALL OTHERS ARE OPEN
AS NORMAL. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT SAMOA OR THE
DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE CYCLONE, PLEASE CONTACT US
DIRECTLY.
With more than 2500 hours of
sunshine annually and a sea temperature that rarely falls below
75°F, the weather here is just perfect! The volcanic islands of
Samoa bid you 'Talofa Lava' or 'Welcome' to the heart of Polynesia.
The islands are stunningly beautiful with pristine white sand
beaches with thickly vegetated covered mountains and many of the
best waterfalls to be found on any island in the South Pacific.
There are 2 main islands in Samoa;
Upolu, the more developed and westernised island, where the
capital, Apia and the International Airport is located, and the
larger but less populated island, Savaii. Both have amazing
natural beauty, from the crystal clear ocean teeming with tropical
fish and majestic turtles, to the lava fields, rainforests,
waterfalls, mineral springs and caves. You can see and
experience tradtional Samoan daily life in many of the small
towns and villages dotted around these beautiful islands.
Independant since 1962, the Samoan
people are very warm and friendly and have proudly preserved their
century's old Polynesian culture. Each village has it's own
Chief or 'Matai', who still retains a great influence over day to
day village life, helping to maintain the cultural core for the
nation.
Lying just west of the
International Dateline, Samoa is one of the first countries to see
in the new day in and one of the first countries to see the
sunset at the end of the day!
We believe that Samoa is one of the
South Pacific's best kept secrets....
All our itineraries are tailor-made
to your exact requirements, but if you would like some ideas for
itineraries and guide prices, please click HERE
Currently, there are no locally
based cruise companies offering cruse itineraries around
Samoa. There are a few major cruise companies operating the
large luxury liners, who offer itineraries across and
around the Pacific that will visit some of these islands, but they
are not frequent or on a regular basis.
SPECIAL NOTE,
SAMOA lost a day......
So that Samoa is in the same time
zone as its major trading partners in Australia, New Zealand and
Fiji, on the 29th December 2011, it changed its time zone.
Samoa leaped forward 24 hours to the 31st December and went into
the same time zone as these countries. So, if some of
your Samoa reference literature was published before 2011, it
will still show Samoa in the old time zone.
Please note: We are
constantly updating the prices shown on this website, but due to
volatility of the currency exchange markets at the moment with the
UK Sterling rate, prices may vary from those shown. If you
wish to confirm any prices shown here, please contact us
directly.
Click HERE to see the UK
Foreign Office's latest advice for visitors travelling to
Samoa