Samoa and Bora Bora - Using Local Transport

[Desert Cruisers]

We will be in Samoa (American and Western) as well as Bora Bora in April. We are both healthy and love to walk so using public transportation and our feet is fine. Specifically, I'd like to pose the following questions:

 

1. Pago Pago/American Samoa - Has anyone taken the public bus around the island? A cruise staff member recommended doing this and said that it was a lot of fun. He said the fare was USD 5 to go all around. Has anyone done this? Does the fare sound about right?

2. Pago Pago/American Samoa - Has anyone walked from the dock to the Haydon Museum in the neighboring village of Fagatogo? If yes, how far a walk is it?

3. Apia/Western Samoa - Has anyone snorkeed at Palolo Deep Reserve on Vaiala Beach? Any opinions?

4. Apia/Western Samoa - Has anyone used the local bus to get to places such as the Robert Louis Stevenson home and the Bahai Temple? (There are only 8 Bahai temples in the world and we have been to 2 of them already [Chicago and New Delhi] so going to #3 would be of interest.)

5. Bora Bora - How far is Matira Beach from the pier? I know that there is a shuttle but was wondering if it might be walkable at least 1-way.

 

Thanks for all info and suggestions.

[Tikiintahiti]

From the tender location it is between 17,500 - 22,500 feet as Matira Beach is about a mile long ;)

[leonlegend]

I snorkeled in Palolo Deep in 1995 and it was magnificent. Close to shore and teeming with fish of all co ours and sizes.

Local buses are easy to catch and the sites you want to visit are not far out of Apia.

[Jeff in Torrance]

We will be in Samoa (American and Western) as well as Bora Bora in April. We are both healthy and love to walk so using public transportation and our feet is fine. Specifically, I'd like to pose the following questions:

 

1. Pago Pago/American Samoa - Has anyone taken the public bus around the island? A cruise staff member recommended doing this and said that it was a lot of fun. He said the fare was USD 5 to go all around. Has anyone done this? Does the fare sound about right?

2. Pago Pago/American Samoa - Has anyone walked from the dock to the Haydon Museum in the neighboring village of Fagatogo? If yes, how far a walk is it?

3. Apia/Western Samoa - Has anyone snorkeed at Palolo Deep Reserve on Vaiala Beach? Any opinions?

4. Apia/Western Samoa - Has anyone used the local bus to get to places such as the Robert Louis Stevenson home and the Bahai Temple? (There are only 8 Bahai temples in the world and we have been to 2 of them already [Chicago and New Delhi] so going to #3 would be of interest.)

5. Bora Bora - How far is Matira Beach from the pier? I know that there is a shuttle but was wondering if it might be walkable at least 1-way.

 

Thanks for all info and suggestions.

 

I must preface my comments by the fact that I have not been to American Samoa since about 1989. But, I suspect that the basics have not changed much. I don't know the current fares, but in the 1980's the cost to ride the aiga (pronounced "eye-inga") buses was only 25 cents within the Pago Pago Harbor area. Maybe, it was say 50 cents or 75 cents to go all the way to the airport. So, it probably won't be much more than 5 dollars to tour the island (or, at least much of it).

 

I don't recall where the Hayden Museum is located, but if you are used to walking, you should have no problem. And,if you get tired, just hail one of the aiga buses. They will stop for you.