Oceania
Ocean trenches, open-sided fales and deeply rooted Polynesian ways.
Samoa's two main islands, Upolu and Savai'i, are lush volcanic islands ringed by reef. On Upolu, To Sua Ocean Trench is a swimming hole reached by a long ladder, and Lalomanu Beach is lined with simple beach fales. The capital, Apia, has the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum at Vailima, while Savai'i has lava fields, the Alofaaga Blowholes and quiet villages.
Fa'a Samoa, the Samoan way, shapes everything, so dress modestly in villages and expect Sundays to be quiet. Umu feasts, fresh fish and taro are staples. Colourful local buses and hire cars cover Upolu, and a regular ferry crosses to Savai'i. May to October is drier and less humid; December to March is the wet season, with cyclone risk.
June, July, August, September.