Ofu Beach
Ofu Beach is an approximately 2.5-mile stretch of white sand and palm trees and the only section of the National Park of American Samoa on Ofu Island. Wonderfully remote, but still accessible fairly easily by flight or boat, the Ofu section of the park has few visitors. I spent four days on the island in blissful solitude, exploring the beach, snorkeling the beautiful reef and hiking a few trails on Ofu and the connected island of Olosega.
Ofu Beach is an approximately 2.5-mile stretch of white sand and palm trees and the only section of the National Park of American Samoa on Ofu Island. Wonderfully remote, but still accessible fairly easily by flight or boat, the Ofu section of the park has few visitors. I spent four days on the island in blissful solitude, exploring the beach, snorkeling the beautiful reef and hiking a few trails on Ofu and the connected island of Olosega.
I took this photo of Ofu Beach around sunset during my third day on the island. The sky had been overcast for most of my stay up to that point, and I was concerned that the light would be too dull to make a nice photo. The clouds ended up having some subtle colors as the sun went down that I think complement with the rest of the scene. Together with the smooth rush of surf and limpid water of the reef, I think the photo effectively communicates the feeling of tranquility I had at the time.
National Park of American Samoa
The National Park of American Samoa is spread across the islands of Tutuila, Ofu and T’au in the U.S. territory of American Samoa and is one of the most remote and least visited of the national parks. It also holds the unique distinction of being the only U.S. national park located in the southern hemisphere. The park holds and protects tropical rain forests on the islands’ volcanic slopes, beaches and coral reefs as well as birds, fish and other wildlife that thrive within those environments.
The National Park of American Samoa is spread across the islands of Tutuila, Ofu and T’au in the U.S. territory of American Samoa and is one of the most remote and least visited of the national parks. It also holds the unique distinction of being the only U.S. national park located in the southern hemisphere. The park holds and protects tropical rain forests on the islands’ volcanic slopes, beaches and coral reefs as well as birds, fish and other wildlife that thrive within those environments.
I chose to visit the National Park of American Samoa back in 2019 partly out of fascination with its remoteness and an interest in South Pacific islands in general, but also out of a desire to visit as many national parks as I can in my lifetime. Coming from Taiwan where I reside for part of every year, the park seemed closer than if I were to come from my home in South Carolina. Still, getting there involved flying from Taiwan to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to New Zealand, New Zealand to Samoa, taking a long taxi ride across the island of Upolu in Samoa from one airport to another, and then flying on a small plane from Samoa across the International Date Line and back in time 24 hours to American Samoa. The entire journey took well over a day.
Once in American Samoa, traveling to the more remote sections of the park in the Manu’a Islands involved a flight on a well-used Twin Otter aircraft to T’au and chartering a small fishing boat that puttered across rough seas from there to Ofu. The splendid isolation coupled with the beauty of the island and the park was well worth the journey, and the adventure of getting there made my experience on the island that much more enjoyable.
I plan to share some more photos and experiences from my time in the National Park of American Samoa, so please check back or subscribe to this blog if you are interested.